Focal 300 IW 6 vs MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR Comparison

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Focal 300 IW 6

Passive In-wall | 55-28kHz

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MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR

Passive In-wall | 44-25kHz

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Focal 300 IW 6

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MartinLogan Motion X...

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Focal 300 IW 6

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MartinLogan Motion X...

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Focal 300 IW 6 vs MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing 300 IW 6 and Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR, two Passive In-wall speakers from Focal and MartinLogan.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Focal 300 IW 6 and MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	Focal 300 IW 6	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR
Brand	Focal France · founded 1979	MartinLogan United States · founded 1982
Design	2-way	3-way
Tweeter	1" Inverted Hard-Dome	1.27 x 2.4" Folded Motion Ribbon
Midrange	—	6.5"
Woofer	6.5" Flax	2 x 6.5" Kevlar
Frequency response	55-28kHz	44-25kHz
Sensitivity	90 dB	93 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Power range	25-130 watts	50-150 watts
Weight	2.22kg / 4.9lbs	—
Dimensions (H x W x D)	11.5000" x 7.5000" x 3.7500" 293.0 x 191.0 x 96.0mm	27.0000" x 6.6250" x 3.5625" 686.0 x 169.0 x 91.0mm

What size room are the Focal 300 IW 6 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*	Focal 300 IW 6	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 300 IW 6 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.

Focal 300 IW 6

MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR

TweeterMidrangeWoofer

Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.

Driver	Focal 300 IW 6	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

300 IW 6 features a 1" Inverted Hard-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Flax 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

300 IW 6 has a frequency range of 55-28kHz whereas Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR has a frequency range of 44-25kHz. With a minimum frequency of 44Hz, the Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the 300 IW 6's min frequency of 55Hz.

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

300 IW 6

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

300 IW 6 and Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. 300 IW 6 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 Focal 300 IW 6, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

In-wall Speakers

300 IW 6

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.

Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR can handle a max power of 150 watts RMS, whereas 300 IW 6 has a max power handling value of 130 watts RMS, 20 watts less than the Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR.

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

Focal 300 IW 6

MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

300 IW 6 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 Focal 300 IW 6's and MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR's external dimensions. Focal 300 IW 6 has external dimensions of 293.0 x 191.0 x 96.0mm (11.5000-inch x 7.5000-inch x 3.7500-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 22mm narrower and 5mm less deeper than Focal 300 IW 6 but it is also 393mm 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.

Focal 300 IW 6 needs about 19% more floor or shelf area. MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR is 393mm taller.

What's in the Box of Focal 300 IW 6?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of 300 IW 6:

One in-wall speaker
Grill (white)
12.5

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 Focal 300 IW 6 over MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR

High Frequency Response	28k Hz vs 25k Hz	Generates higher frequency
Height	293mm vs 686mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Price per pair*	799USD vs 3200USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Reasons to choose MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR over Focal 300 IW 6

Max Input Power	150 watts vs 130 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
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
Low Frequency Response	44 Hz vs 55 Hz	Generates deeper bass
Base Surface Area	153cm² vs 183cm²	Takes less floor space

Focal 300 IW 6 vs MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Focal 300 IW 6	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR
Brand	Focal	MartinLogan
Speaker Type	Passive In-wall Speaker	Passive In-wall Speaker
Power Range	25-130 watts	50-150 watts
Sensitivity	90 dB	93 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Frequency Response	55-28kHz	44-25kHz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	2
Woofer Size	6.5"	6.5"
Woofer Composition	Flax	Kevlar
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	Rubber
Tweeter Size	1"	1.27 x 2.4"
Tweeter Type	Inverted Hard-Dome	Folded Motion Ribbon
Aimable Tweeter	No	Yes
Midrange Driver	No	6.5"
Physical Specs
Height	293.0mm (11.5")	686.0mm (27")
Width	191.0mm (7.5")	169.0mm (6.7")
Depth	96.0mm (3.8")	91.0mm (3.6")
Weight	2.22kg (4.9lbs)	n/a
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 4x what Focal 300 IW 6 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	B	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR digs deeper - 44Hz against 55Hz.
Amplifier needs	B	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR is more sensitive (93dB vs 90dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier.
Headroom	evenly matched	Similar power handling (130W vs 150W).
Size	depends	Focal 300 IW 6 is easier to place; MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Expandability	depends	Neither adds bi-amping, a sub output or height drivers. MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR sits in a wider range (7 models), so a matched surround system is easier later.
Price	A	Focal 300 IW 6 is cheaper - $799 against $3,200, about 75% less; arguably a different class.

A Focal 300 IW 6 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?

The usual trade-off: MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR measures better, Focal 300 IW 6 costs about about 4x the price% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 55Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper Focal 300 IW 6 much easier to justify. 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, Focal 300 IW 6 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.