In this review, we will be comparing Rubikore 6 and Motion XT F200, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from DALI and MartinLogan.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of DALI Rubikore 6 and MartinLogan Motion XT F200 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | DALI Rubikore 6 | MartinLogan Motion XT F200 |
|---|
| Brand | DALI
Denmark · founded 1983 | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.14" Hybrid dome + planar | 1.25 x 2.4" Folded Motion XT |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" Wood fibre | 3 x 8" Aluminum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 38-34k Hz | 27-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88.5 dB | 92 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 40-200 watts | 20-600 watts |
|---|
| Weight | — | 39.00kg / 85.8lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 38.98" x 7.87" x 14.96"
990 x 200 x 380 mm | 50-3/4" x 13-3/4" x 16-1/2"
1289 x 349 x 419mm |
|---|
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Rubikore 6 is a 2-way design whereas the Motion XT F200 is a 3-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
DALI Rubikore 6MartinLogan Motion XT F200
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
DALI Rubikore 6 |
MartinLogan Motion XT F200 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.14-inch
|
1.25 x 2.4-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
3 x 8-inch
|
Rubikore 6 features a 1.14" Hybrid dome + planar Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Wood fibre Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 800 / 2600 / 14000Hz. On the other hand, the Motion XT F200 features a 1.25 x 2.4" Folded Motion XT Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 3 x 8" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 300Hz and 2600Hz.
Frequency Response
Rubikore 6 has a frequency range of 38-34k Hz whereas Motion XT F200 has a frequency range of 27-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 27Hz, the Motion XT F200 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Rubikore 6's min frequency of 38Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
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
Rubikore 6 and Motion XT F200 have the same Impedance of 4 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Rubikore 6 sensitivity is rated at 88.5 dB and the Motion XT F200's is at 92 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the MartinLogan Motion XT F200 a more sensitive speaker compared to DALI Rubikore 6, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
One thing to keep in mind that the lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit comared to higher impedance speakers especially at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Rubikore 6 and the Rubikore 6 can provide this impedance level.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
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.
Motion XT F200 can handle a max power of 600 watts RMS, whereas Rubikore 6 has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 400 watts less than the Motion XT F200.
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.
MartinLogan Motion XT F200
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Rubikore 6 and Motion XT F200 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
MartinLogan Motion XT F200's Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
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 Rubikore 6's and MartinLogan Motion XT F200's external dimensions. DALI Rubikore 6 has external dimensions of 990 x 200 x 380 mm () whereas MartinLogan Motion XT F200 has external dimensions of 1289 x 349 x 419mm (50-3/4inch x 13-3/4inch x 16-1/2inch).
MartinLogan Motion XT F200 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 149mm wider, 299mm taller and 39mm deeper than DALI Rubikore 6.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
MartinLogan Motion XT F200 needs about 92% more floor or shelf area. MartinLogan Motion XT F200 is 39mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. MartinLogan Motion XT F200 is 299mm taller.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the DALI Rubikore 6 is approximately 760.0cm2 / 117.8inch2 and base area of the MartinLogan Motion XT F200 is approximately 1462.3cm2 / 226.7inch2. The Rubikore 6 requires 48% less surface area than the Motion XT F200 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.