DALI Phantom H-60 vs MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR Comparison

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DALI Phantom H-60

Passive In-wall | 51-25kHz

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MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR

Passive In-wall | 78-25kHz

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DALI Phantom H-60

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MartinLogan Motion C...

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DALI Phantom H-60

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MartinLogan Motion C...

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DALI Phantom H-60 vs MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing Phantom H-60 and Motion CI MW4-LCR, two Passive In-wall speakers from DALI and MartinLogan.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of DALI Phantom H-60 and MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	DALI Phantom H-60	MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR
Brand	DALI Denmark · founded 1983	MartinLogan United States · founded 1982
Design	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1.1" Soft-Dome	1" Folded Motion Ribbon
Woofer	6.5" Wood Fiber	2 x 4" Fiberglass
Frequency response	51-25kHz	78-25kHz
Sensitivity	89 dB	93 dB
Impedance	6 ohms	8 ohms
Power range	30-150 watts	50-100 watts
Weight	—	2.77kg / 6.1lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	10.4375" x 10.4375" x 3.6875" 266.0 x 266.0 x 94.0mm	5.2500" x 11.8750" x 2.6875" 134.0 x 302.0 x 69.0mm

What size room are the DALI Phantom H-60 and MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR speakers good for?

The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size and max power parameters:

Listening Environment*	DALI Phantom H-60	MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR
Near-field	Poor	Average
Small Room	Average	Good
Mid-size Room	Good	Average
Large Room	Average	Poor
Very Large Room	Poor	Bad

(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m², Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m², Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m², Very Large: > 400 sq. ft / 36 m². Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening position, speaker locations, etc.)

The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.

Drivers

Both Phantom H-60 and Motion CI MW4-LCR are 2-way speakers.

DALI Phantom H-60

MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR

TweeterWoofer

Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.

Driver	DALI Phantom H-60	MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR
Driver Setup	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1.1-inch	1-inch
Midrange	-	-
Woofer	1 x 6.5-inch	2 x 4-inch

Phantom H-60 features a 1.1" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Wood Fiber Woofer. On the other hand, the Motion CI MW4-LCR features a 1" Folded Motion Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 4" Fiberglass Woofer.

Frequency Response

Phantom H-60 has a frequency range of 51-25kHz whereas Motion CI MW4-LCR has a frequency range of 78-25kHz. With a minimum frequency of 51Hz, the Phantom H-60 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Motion CI MW4-LCR's min frequency of 78Hz.

The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the In-wall class in our database.

Low Frequency

In-wall Speakers

Phantom H-60

Motion CI MW4-LCR

Min

Average

Median

Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.

Impedance and Sensitivity

Phantom H-60 is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the Motion CI MW4-LCR which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.

These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Phantom H-60 sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the Motion CI MW4-LCR's is rated at 93 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR a more sensitive speaker compared to DALI Phantom H-60, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

In-wall Speakers

Phantom H-60

Motion CI MW4-LCR

Min

Average

Median

Power Range

Power range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.

Phantom H-60 can handle a max power of 150 watts RMS, whereas Motion CI MW4-LCR has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the Phantom H-60.

Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays on a real amplifier.

Which plays louder on your amplifier?

Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are considering, and watch both numbers move.

Amplifier - change this

Distance

Playing as

DALI Phantom H-60

MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR

Physical Specs

The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare DALI Phantom H-60's and MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR's external dimensions. DALI Phantom H-60 has external dimensions of 266.0 x 266.0 x 94.0mm (10.4375-inch x 10.4375-inch x 3.6875-inch) whereas MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR has external dimensions of 134.0 x 302.0 x 69.0mm (5.2500-inch x 11.8750-inch x 2.6875-inch).

MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR is 132mm shorter and 25mm less deeper than DALI Phantom H-60 but it is also 36mm wider.

What's in the Box of DALI Phantom H-60?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of Phantom H-60:

2 loudspeakers
2 Grilles
2 Logo badges
2 Foam blocks (pre-installed)
Allen-key
Manual
Cutout Template

What's in the Box of MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR?

Here are the items that come with the Motion CI MW4-LCR:

In-wall loudspeaker
Grille
Torx-bit
User-feets Manual
Cutout Template

Reasons to choose DALI Phantom H-60 over MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR

Max Input Power	150 watts vs 100 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
Woofer Size	6.5 inches vs 4 inches	Larger woofer
Low Frequency Response	51 Hz vs 78 Hz	Generates deeper bass
Price per pair*	1098USD vs 1100USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Reasons to choose MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR over DALI Phantom H-60

Sensitivity	93 dB vs 89 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Nominal Impedance	8 ohms vs 6 ohms	Less selective with amplifiers
Number of Woofers	2 vs 1	More woofers
Height	134mm vs 266mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Base Surface Area	208cm² vs 250cm²	Takes less floor space

DALI Phantom H-60 vs MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	DALI Phantom H-60	MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR
Brand	DALI	MartinLogan
Speaker Type	Passive In-wall Speaker	Passive In-wall Speaker
Power Range	30-150 watts	50-100 watts
Sensitivity	89 dB	93 dB
Impedance	6 ohms	8 ohms
Frequency Response	51-25kHz	78-25kHz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	2
Woofer Size	6.5"	4"
Woofer Composition	Wood Fiber	Fiberglass
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	Rubber
Tweeter Size	1.1"	1"
Tweeter Type	Soft-Dome	Folded Motion Ribbon
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	No
Firing Direction	rear	n/a
Physical Specs
Height	266.0mm (10.5")	134.0mm (5.3")
Width	266.0mm (10.5")	302.0mm (11.9")
Depth	94.0mm (3.7")	69.0mm (2.7")
Weight	n/a	2.77kg (6.1lbs)
Enclosure	In-wall	In-wall
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	No	No
Other
Parts Warranty	5 Years	5 Years
Labor Warranty	5 Years	5 Years

Verdict

A generation apart: MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR is the newer design, against a 2016 model. Newer is not automatically better, but the older one is more likely to be discounted or near run-out.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	A	DALI Phantom H-60 digs deeper - 51Hz against 78Hz.
Amplifier needs	B	MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR is more sensitive (93dB vs 89dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier.
Amplifier match	B	MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR is the easier load at 8 ohms.
Headroom	A	DALI Phantom H-60 takes more power (150W vs 100W) - more in hand in a big room.
Size	depends	MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR is easier to place; DALI Phantom H-60 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Expandability	depends	Neither adds bi-amping, a sub output or height drivers. MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR sits in a wider range (18 models), so a matched surround system is easier later.
Price	evenly matched	Much the same money ($1,098 vs $1,100 a pair).

A DALI Phantom H-60 B MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.

Which should you choose?

Neither runs away with it - they trade advantages. Let the "depends" rows and your own room settle it. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 78Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate DALI Phantom H-60 the better fit for a mid-size room and a large room, and MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR for near-field listening and a small room.

And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.