In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Emotiva. Emotiva Airmotiv XT2 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Airmotiv XB1 is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Emotiva Airmotiv XT2 and Emotiva Airmotiv XB1 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Emotiva Airmotiv XT2 | Emotiva Airmotiv XB1 |
|---|
| Brand | Emotiva
United States · founded 2003 | Emotiva
United States · founded 2003 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 25×32 mm" folded ribbon | 1" Folded Motion |
|---|
| Midrange | 5.25" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 6" woven fiber cone | 4" Woven fibre |
|---|
| Frequency response | 40 Hz – 27 kHz | 65-27k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 82 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | Up to 250 watts | 50-120 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 22.20kg / 48.8lbs | 3.74kg / 8.2lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 44.75" x 10.25" x 12.25"
1137.0 x 258.0 x 311.0mm | 10-1/4" x 6-1/2" x 7-15/16"
260.0 x 165.0 x 201.0mm |
|---|
Airmotiv XT2 and Airmotiv XB1 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 XT2 and Emotiva Airmotiv XB1 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* |
Emotiva Airmotiv XT2 |
Emotiva Airmotiv XB1 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Good |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Good |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Poor |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
No way |
(* 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 Airmotiv XT2 is a 3-way design whereas the Airmotiv XB1 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.
Emotiva Airmotiv XT2Emotiva Airmotiv XB1
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Emotiva Airmotiv XT2 |
Emotiva Airmotiv XB1 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
25×32 mm-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.25-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 6-inch
|
1 x 4-inch
|
Airmotiv XT2 features a 25×32 mm" folded ribbon Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 3 x 6" woven fiber cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 430 Hz, 3.1 kHz. On the other hand, the Airmotiv XB1 features a 1" Airmotiv folded ribbon Folded Motion Tweeter and 1 x 4" Woven fibre Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2600Hz.
Frequency Response
Airmotiv XT2 has a frequency range of 40 Hz – 27 kHz whereas Airmotiv XB1 has a frequency range of 65-27k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 40Hz, the Airmotiv XT2 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Airmotiv XB1's min frequency of 65Hz.
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
Airmotiv XT2 and Airmotiv XB1 have the same Impedance of 4 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Airmotiv XT2 sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the Airmotiv XB1's is at 82 dB. This 8 dB difference makes the Emotiva Airmotiv XT2 a more sensitive speaker compared to Emotiva Airmotiv XB1, 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 XT2 and the Airmotiv XT2 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.
Airmotiv XT2 can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS, whereas Airmotiv XB1 has a max power handling value of 120 watts RMS, 130 watts less than the Airmotiv XT2.
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.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Airmotiv XT2 and Airmotiv XB1 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Emotiva Airmotiv XT2's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Airmotiv XT2 and Airmotiv XB1 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
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 Emotiva Airmotiv XT2's and Emotiva Airmotiv XB1's external dimensions. Emotiva Airmotiv XT2 has external dimensions of 1137.0 x 258.0 x 311.0mm (44.75” x 8.5” x 12.25”) whereas Emotiva Airmotiv XB1 has external dimensions of 260.0 x 165.0 x 201.0mm (10-1/4 x 6-1/2 x 7-15/16inch).
Emotiva Airmotiv XT2 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 93mm wider, 877mm taller and 110mm deeper than Emotiva Airmotiv XB1.
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 XT2 is approximately 802.4cm2 / 124.4inch2 and base area of the Emotiva Airmotiv XB1 is approximately 331.7cm2 / 51.4inch2. The Airmotiv XT2 requires 142% more surface area than the Airmotiv XB1 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.