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Emotiva Airmotiv XT3 vs Emotiva Airmotiv XC1 Comparison

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Emotiva Airmotiv XT3

Passive Floor-standing | 30 Hz – 27 kHz

Emotiva Airmotiv XT3
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Emotiva Airmotiv XC1

Passive Floor-standing | 50 Hz – 27 kHz

Emotiva Airmotiv XC1
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Emotiva Airmotiv XT3 Emotiva Airmotiv XT3
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Emotiva Airmotiv XC1 Emotiva Airmotiv XC1
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Emotiva Airmotiv XT3
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Emotiva Airmotiv XC1
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Emotiva Airmotiv XT3 vs Emotiva Airmotiv XC1 Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing two different type of speakers by Emotiva. Emotiva Airmotiv XT3 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Airmotiv XC1 is a Center Channel speaker.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Emotiva Airmotiv XT3 and Emotiva Airmotiv XC1 first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Emotiva Airmotiv XT3 Key Specs

  • 3-way Design
  • 25×32 mm" folded ribbon Tweeter
  • 5.25" Midrange
  • 3 x 8" woven fiber cone Woofer
  • 30 Hz – 27 kHz Frequency Response
  • 91 dB Sensitivity
  • Impedance: 4ohms
  • Power Range:Up to 300watts
  • Weight:41.30kg
  • Dimensions (H x W x D): 1240.0" x 12.5" x 16.75"( 1240 x 273 x 425 mm )

Emotiva Airmotiv XC1 Key Specs

  • 3-way Design
  • 25×32 mm" folded ribbon Tweeter
  • 4.5" Midrange
  • 2 x 5.25" woven fiber cone Woofer
  • 4.5" Midrange
  • 50 Hz – 27 kHz Frequency Response
  • 88 dB Sensitivity
  • Impedance: 4ohms
  • Power Range:Up to 120watts
  • Weight:11.30kg
  • Dimensions (H x W x D): 190.0" x 26" x 9.5"( 190 x 660 x 241 mm )

Airmotiv XT3 and Airmotiv XC1 are members of Emotiva's Airmotiv X series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.

Emotiva Airmotiv X Series History
Model Body Frequency SensitivityImpedance Woofer
Emotiva Airmotiv XB2
  
Bookshelf 55 Hz – 27 kHz 86 dB4Ω 1 x 6"
Emotiva Airmotiv XT3
Floor-standing 30 Hz – 27 kHz 91 dB4Ω 3 x 8"
Emotiva Airmotiv XT1
  
Floor-standing 45 Hz – 27 kHz 89 dB4Ω 3 x 5.25"
Emotiva Airmotiv XT2
  
Floor-standing 40 Hz – 27 kHz 90 dB4Ω 3 x 6"
Emotiva Airmotiv XC3
  
Center Channel 45 Hz – 27 kHz 90 dB4Ω 4 x 6"
Emotiva Airmotiv XC2
  
Center Channel 40 Hz – 27 kHz 89 dB4Ω 2 x 6"
Emotiva Airmotiv XC1
Center Channel 50 Hz – 27 kHz 88 dB4Ω 2 x 5.25"
Emotiva Airmotiv XA2
  
Surround 75 Hz – 27 kHz 86 dB4Ω 1 x 5.25"

What size room are the Emotiva Airmotiv XT3 and Emotiva Airmotiv XC1 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 XT3 Emotiva Airmotiv XC1
Near-field Are you nuts? Poor
Small Room Poor Average
Mid-size Room Average Good
Large Room Good Average
Very Large Room Good 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.)

In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Emotiva Airmotiv XT3 and Emotiva Airmotiv XC1 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.


**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.


Drivers

Both Airmotiv XT3 and Airmotiv XC1 are 3-way speakers.

Driver Emotiva Airmotiv XT3 Emotiva Airmotiv XC1
Driver Setup 3-way 3-way
Tweeter 25×32 mm-inch 25×32 mm-inch
Midrange 2 x 5.25-inch 1 x 4.5-inch
Woofer 3 x 8-inch 2 x 5.25-inch

Airmotiv XT3 features a 25×32 mm" folded ribbon Tweeter , a 5.25" Midrange and 3 x 8" woven fiber cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 300 Hz, 3.1 kHz. On the other hand, the Airmotiv XC1 features a 25×32 mm" folded ribbon Tweeter , a 4.5" Midrange and 2 x 5.25" woven fiber cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 620 Hz, 3.1 kHz.

Frequency Response

Airmotiv XT3 has a frequency range of 30 Hz – 27 kHz whereas Airmotiv XC1 has a frequency range of 50 Hz – 27 kHz. With a minimum frequency of 30Hz, the Airmotiv XT3 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Airmotiv XC1's min frequency of 50Hz.

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

Airmotiv XT3
Airmotiv XC1
Min
Average
Max
High Frequency

Floor-standing Speakers

Emotiva Airmotiv XT3
Emotiva Airmotiv XC1
Min
Average
Max

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 XT3 and Airmotiv XC1 have the same Impedance of 4 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Airmotiv XT3 sensitivity is rated at 91 dB and the Airmotiv XC1's is at 88 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the Emotiva Airmotiv XT3 a more sensitive speaker compared to Emotiva Airmotiv XC1, 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 XT3 and the Airmotiv XT3 can provide this impedance level.

Sensitivity

Floor-standing Speakers

Airmotiv XT3
Airmotiv XC1
Min
Average
Max

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 XT3 can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Airmotiv XC1 has a max power handling value of 120 watts RMS, 180 watts less than the Airmotiv XT3.

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

Both Airmotiv XT3 and Airmotiv XC1 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.

Emotiva Airmotiv XT3 Terminals
Emotiva Airmotiv XT3's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring

Emotiva Airmotiv XC1Binding post Terminals
Emotiva Airmotiv XC1's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring

Cabinet Type and Port Position

Both Airmotiv XT3 and Airmotiv XC1 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 XT3's and Emotiva Airmotiv XC1's external dimensions. Emotiva Airmotiv XT3 has external dimensions of 1240 x 273 x 425 mm ( 48.7” x 10.75” x 16.75”) whereas Emotiva Airmotiv XC1 has external dimensions of 190 x 660 x 241 mm ( 7.5” x 26” x 9.5”) .

Emotiva Airmotiv XC1 is 1050mm shorter and 184mm less deeper than Emotiva Airmotiv XT3 but it is also 345mm wider.

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 XT3 is approximately 1160.3cm2 / 179.8inch2 and base area of the Emotiva Airmotiv XC1 is approximately 1590.6cm2 / 246.5inch2. The Airmotiv XT3 requires 27% less surface area than the Airmotiv XC1 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.

Weight Comparison

The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Emotiva Airmotiv XT3 weighs 41.30kg / 90.9lbs and the Emotiva Airmotiv XC1 weighs 11.30kg / 24.9lbs. This makes the Airmotiv XT3 265% heavier than the Airmotiv XC1.

Here is a comparison of how Airmotiv XT3 and Airmotiv XC1's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.

Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
Emotiva Airmotiv XT3
Emotiva Airmotiv XC1
Min
Average
Max

Reasons to choose Emotiva Airmotiv XT3 over Emotiva Airmotiv XC1
Max Input Power 300 watts vs 120 watts Handle more power from your amplifier
Sensitivity 91 dB vs 88 dB Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Woofer Size 8 inches vs 5.25 inches Larger woofer
Number of Woofers 3 vs 2 More woofers
Low Frequency Response 30 Hz vs 50 Hz Generates deeper bass
Base Surface Area 1160cm2 vs 1590cm2 Takes less floor space

Reasons to choose Emotiva Airmotiv XC1 over Emotiva Airmotiv XT3

Height 190mm vs 1240mm Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Price per pair* 399USD vs 1999USD costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)
Emotiva Airmotiv XT3 vs Emotiva Airmotiv XC1 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Emotiva Airmotiv XT3 Emotiva Airmotiv XC1
Brand Emotiva Emotiva
Speaker Type Floor-standing speaker Center channel speaker
Power Range Up to 300 watts Up to 120 watts
Sensitivity 91 dB 88 dB
Impedance 4 ohms 4 ohms
Frequency Response 30 Hz – 27 kHz 50 Hz – 27 kHz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity 3 2
Woofer Size 8" 5.25"
Woofer Composition woven fiber cone woven fiber cone
Woofer Surround Material SBR SBR
Tweeter Size 25×32 mm" 25×32 mm"
Tweeter Type folded ribbon folded ribbon
Aimable Tweeter No No
Midrange Driver 5.25" 4.5"
Crossover Frequency 300 Hz, 3.1 kHz 620 Hz, 3.1 kHz
Firing Direction rear rear
Physical Specs
Height 1240.0mm (48.8") 190.0mm (7.5")
Width 315.0mm (12.4") 660.0mm (26")
Depth 425.0mm (16.7") 241.0mm (9.5")
Weight 41.30kg (90.9lbs) 11.30kg (24.9lbs)
Enclosure Bass reflex Bass reflex
Available Colors Black Black
Grille Yes Yes
Moisture Resistancy No No
Connections
Biamp Inputs Yes Yes
Other
Parts Warranty 5 Years 5 Years
Labor Warranty 5 Years 5 Years

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