Definitive DI 6.5S vs MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR Comparison

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Definitive DI 6.5S

Passive In-wall | 26-30kHz

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MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR

Passive In-wall | 44-25kHz

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Definitive DI 6.5S

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MartinLogan Motion X...

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Definitive DI 6.5S

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MartinLogan Motion X...

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Definitive DI 6.5S vs MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing DI 6.5S and Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR, two Passive In-wall speakers from Definitive Technology and MartinLogan.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Definitive DI 6.5S and MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	Definitive DI 6.5S	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR
Brand	Definitive Technology United States · founded 1990	MartinLogan United States · founded 1982
Design	2-way	3-way
Tweeter	1" Hard-Dome	1.27 x 2.4" Folded Motion Ribbon
Midrange	—	6.5"
Woofer	6.5" Polymer	2 x 6.5" Kevlar
Frequency response	26-30kHz	44-25kHz
Sensitivity	90 dB	93 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Power range	10-200 watts	50-150 watts
Dimensions (H x W x D)	7.2500" x 7.2500" x 4.0625" 185.0 x 185.0 x 104.0mm	27.0000" x 6.6250" x 3.5625" 686.0 x 169.0 x 91.0mm

What size room are the Definitive DI 6.5S and MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-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*	Definitive DI 6.5S	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR
Near-field	Poor	Poor
Small Room	Average	Average
Mid-size Room	Good	Good
Large Room	Average	Average
Very Large Room	Poor	Poor

(* 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

One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that DI 6.5S is a 2-way design whereas the Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR 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.

Definitive DI 6.5S

MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR

TweeterMidrangeWoofer

Drivers drawn to scale and directly comparable. Cabinet outlines are indicative: full dimensions are not published for both. Hover a driver for its size.

Driver	Definitive DI 6.5S	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR
Driver Setup	2-way	3-way
Tweeter	1-inch	1.27 x 2.4-inch
Midrange	-	1 x 6.5-inch
Woofer	1 x 6.5-inch	2 x 6.5-inch

DI 6.5S features a 1" Hard-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Polymer Woofer. On the other hand, the Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR features a 1.27 x 2.4" Folded Motion Ribbon Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Kevlar Woofer.

Frequency Response

DI 6.5S has a frequency range of 26-30kHz whereas Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR has a frequency range of 44-25kHz. With a minimum frequency of 26Hz, the DI 6.5S can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR's min frequency of 44Hz.

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

DI 6.5S

Motion XT CI XTW6-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

DI 6.5S and Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. DI 6.5S sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR's is at 93 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR a more sensitive speaker compared to Definitive DI 6.5S, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

In-wall Speakers

DI 6.5S

Motion XT CI XTW6-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.

DI 6.5S can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS, whereas Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the DI 6.5S.

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

Definitive DI 6.5S

MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

DI 6.5S features Spring post type posts and Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR has a Spring post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/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 Definitive DI 6.5S's and MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR's external dimensions. Definitive DI 6.5S has external dimensions of 185.0 x 185.0 x 104.0mm (7.2500-inch x 7.2500-inch x 4.0625-inch) whereas MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR has external dimensions of 686.0 x 169.0 x 91.0mm (27.0000-inch x 6.6250-inch x 3.5625-inch).

MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR is 16mm narrower and 13mm less deeper than Definitive DI 6.5S but it is also 501mm taller.

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.

Definitive DI 6.5S needs about 25% more floor or shelf area. MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR is 501mm taller.

What's in the Box of Definitive DI 6.5S?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of DI 6.5S:

What's in the Box of MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR?

Here are the items that come with the Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR:

In-wall LCR loudspeaker
Grille
T20 torx-bit
User-feets Manual
Cutout Template

Reasons to choose Definitive Technology DI 6.5S over MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR

Max Input Power	200 watts vs 150 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
Low Frequency Response	26 Hz vs 44 Hz	Generates deeper bass
High Frequency Response	30k Hz vs 25k Hz	Generates higher frequency
Height	185mm vs 686mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Price per pair*	698USD vs 3200USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Reasons to choose MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR over Definitive Technology DI 6.5S

Driver Setup	3-way vs 2-way	Have a dedicated mid-range driver
Sensitivity	93 dB vs 90 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Number of Woofers	2 vs 1	More woofers
Base Surface Area	153cm² vs 192cm²	Takes less floor space

Definitive DI 6.5S vs MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Definitive Technology DI 6.5S	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR
Brand	Definitive Technology	MartinLogan
Speaker Type	Passive In-wall Speaker	Passive In-wall Speaker
Power Range	10-200 watts	50-150 watts
Sensitivity	90 dB	93 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Frequency Response	26-30kHz	44-25kHz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	2
Woofer Size	6.5"	6.5"
Woofer Composition	Polymer	Kevlar
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	Rubber
Tweeter Size	1"	1.27 x 2.4"
Tweeter Type	Hard-Dome	Folded Motion Ribbon
Aimable Tweeter	No	Yes
Midrange Driver	No	6.5"
Physical Specs
Height	185.0mm (7.3")	686.0mm (27")
Width	185.0mm (7.3")	169.0mm (6.7")
Depth	104.0mm (4.1")	91.0mm (3.6")
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

These sit in different price classes - MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR costs roughly 4.6x what Definitive DI 6.5S does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	A	Definitive DI 6.5S digs deeper - 26Hz against 44Hz.
Amplifier needs	B	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR is more sensitive (93dB vs 90dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier.
Headroom	A	Definitive DI 6.5S takes more power (200W vs 150W) - more in hand in a big room.
Size	depends	Definitive DI 6.5S is easier to place; MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Price	A	Definitive DI 6.5S is cheaper - $698 against $3,200, about 78% less; arguably a different class.

A Definitive DI 6.5S B MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-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?

Definitive DI 6.5S has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 44Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. In a large or open-plan room, MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Definitive DI 6.5S is the easier speaker to get right.

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.