In this review, we will be comparing two different type of speakers by Emotiva. Emotiva Airmotiv XT1 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Airmotiv XA2 is a Surround speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Emotiva Airmotiv XT1 and Emotiva Airmotiv XA2 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Airmotiv XT1 and Airmotiv XA2 are members of Emotiva's Airmotiv X series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Emotiva Airmotiv X Series History
What size room are the Emotiva Airmotiv XT1 and Emotiva Airmotiv XA2 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:
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Emotiva Airmotiv XT1 and Emotiva Airmotiv XA2 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Airmotiv XT1 is a 3-way design whereas the Airmotiv XA2 is a 2-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.
| Driver |
Emotiva Airmotiv XT1 |
Emotiva Airmotiv XA2 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
25×32 mm-inch
|
25×32 mm-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 4.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 5.25-inch
|
1 x 5.25-inch
|
Airmotiv XT1 features a 25×32 mm" folded ribbon Tweeter , a 4.5" Midrange and 3 x 5.25" woven fiber cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 410 Hz, 3.1 kHz. On the other hand, the Airmotiv XA2 features a 25×32 mm" folded ribbon Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" woven fiber cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 3200Hz.
Frequency Response
Airmotiv XT1 has a frequency range of 45 Hz – 27 kHz whereas Airmotiv XA2 has a frequency range of 75 Hz – 27 kHz. With a minimum frequency of 45Hz, the Airmotiv XT1 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Airmotiv XA2's min frequency of 79Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Airmotiv XT1 and Airmotiv XA2 have the same Impedance of 4 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Airmotiv XT1 sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the Airmotiv XA2's is at 86 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the Emotiva Airmotiv XT1 a more sensitive speaker compared to Emotiva Airmotiv XA2, 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 Airmotiv XT1 and the Airmotiv XT1 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. While using an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
Airmotiv XT1 can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Airmotiv XA2 has a max power handling value of 80 watts RMS, 120 watts less than the Airmotiv XT1.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Airmotiv XT1 features Binding post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Airmotiv XA2 has a Binding post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Emotiva Airmotiv XT1's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Emotiva Airmotiv XA2's Binding post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Airmotiv XT1 and Airmotiv XA2 have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Emotiva Airmotiv XT1's and Emotiva Airmotiv XA2's external dimensions. Emotiva Airmotiv XT1 has external dimensions of 106 x 178 x 254 mm ( 41.75” x 7” x 10”) whereas Emotiva Airmotiv XA2 has external dimensions of 317 x 182 x 216 mm ( 12.5” x 7.15” x 8.5”) .
Emotiva Airmotiv XT1 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 40mm wider, 743mm taller and 38mm deeper than Emotiva Airmotiv XA2.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Emotiva Airmotiv XT1 and Emotiva Airmotiv XA2 in scale.
Comparison image of Emotiva Airmotiv XT1 and Emotiva Airmotiv XA2 Size and External Dimensions
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 Emotiva Airmotiv XT1 is approximately 452.1cm2 / 70.1inch2 and base area of the Emotiva Airmotiv XA2 is approximately 393.1cm2 / 60.9inch2. The Airmotiv XT1 requires 15% more surface area than the Airmotiv XA2 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.