GoldenEar Invisa MPX vs MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR Comparison

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GoldenEar Invisa MPX

Passive In-wall | 25-35kHz

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MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR

Passive In-wall | 44-25kHz

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GoldenEar Invisa MPX

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MartinLogan Motion X...

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GoldenEar Invisa MPX

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MartinLogan Motion X...

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GoldenEar Invisa MPX vs MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing Invisa MPX and Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR, two Passive In-wall speakers from GoldenEar and MartinLogan.

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

Key Specs	GoldenEar Invisa MPX	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR
Brand	GoldenEar United States · founded 2010	MartinLogan United States · founded 1982
Design	2-way	3-way
Tweeter	Folded Ribbon	1.27 x 2.4" Folded Motion Ribbon
Midrange	—	6.5"
Woofer	2 x 4.5" Polypropylene	2 x 6.5" Kevlar
Frequency response	25-35kHz	44-25kHz
Sensitivity	90 dB	93 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Power range	10-250 watts	50-150 watts
Weight	2.72kg / 6lbs	—
Dimensions (H x W x D)	12.7500" x 6.2500" x 3.7500" 324.0 x 159.0 x 96.0mm	27.0000" x 6.6250" x 3.5625" 686.0 x 169.0 x 91.0mm

What size room are the GoldenEar Invisa MPX 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*	GoldenEar Invisa MPX	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR
Near-field	Poor	Poor
Small Room	Poor	Average
Mid-size Room	Good	Good
Large Room	Good	Average
Very Large Room	Average	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 Invisa MPX 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.

GoldenEar Invisa MPX

MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR

MidrangeWoofer

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

Driver	GoldenEar Invisa MPX	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR
Driver Setup	2-way	3-way
Tweeter	-inch	1.27 x 2.4-inch
Midrange	-	1 x 6.5-inch
Woofer	2 x 4.5-inch	2 x 6.5-inch

Invisa MPX features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 4.5" Polypropylene 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

Invisa MPX has a frequency range of 25-35kHz whereas Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR has a frequency range of 44-25kHz. With a minimum frequency of 25Hz, the Invisa MPX 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

Invisa MPX

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

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

Sensitivity

In-wall Speakers

Invisa MPX

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.

Invisa MPX can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS, whereas Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the Invisa MPX.

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

GoldenEar Invisa MPX

MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

Invisa MPX 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 GoldenEar Invisa MPX's and MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR's external dimensions. GoldenEar Invisa MPX has external dimensions of 324.0 x 159.0 x 96.0mm (12.7500-inch x 6.2500-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).

GoldenEar Invisa MPX is 10mm narrower and 362mm shorter than MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR but it is also 5mm deeper.

What's in the Box of GoldenEar Invisa MPX?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of Invisa MPX:

In-wall loudspeaker
Grille
Owners Manual
Cut-Out Template
Cardboard Paint Shield

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 GoldenEar Invisa MPX over MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR

Max Input Power	250 watts vs 150 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
Low Frequency Response	25 Hz vs 44 Hz	Generates deeper bass
High Frequency Response	35k Hz vs 25k Hz	Generates higher frequency
Height	324mm vs 686mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Base Surface Area	152cm² vs 153cm²	Takes less floor space
Price per pair*	695USD vs 3200USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Reasons to choose MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR over GoldenEar Invisa MPX

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
Woofer Size	6.5 inches vs 4.5 inches	Larger woofer

GoldenEar Invisa MPX vs MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	GoldenEar Invisa MPX	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR
Brand	GoldenEar	MartinLogan
Speaker Type	Passive In-wall Speaker	Passive In-wall Speaker
Power Range	10-250 watts	50-150 watts
Sensitivity	90 dB	93 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Frequency Response	25-35kHz	44-25kHz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	2	2
Woofer Size	4.5"	6.5"
Woofer Composition	Polypropylene	Kevlar
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	Rubber
Tweeter Size	-	1.27 x 2.4"
Tweeter Type	Folded Ribbon	Folded Motion Ribbon
Aimable Tweeter	No	Yes
Midrange Driver	No	6.5"
Physical Specs
Height	324.0mm (12.8")	686.0mm (27")
Width	159.0mm (6.3")	169.0mm (6.7")
Depth	96.0mm (3.8")	91.0mm (3.6")
Weight	2.72kg (6lbs)	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 4.6x what GoldenEar Invisa MPX 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	GoldenEar Invisa MPX digs deeper - 25Hz 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	GoldenEar Invisa MPX takes more power (250W vs 150W) - more in hand in a big room.
Size	depends	GoldenEar Invisa MPX 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	GoldenEar Invisa MPX is cheaper - $695 against $3,200, about 78% less; arguably a different class.

A GoldenEar Invisa MPX 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?

GoldenEar Invisa MPX 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. Match it to your room: we rate GoldenEar Invisa MPX the better fit for a large room and a very large room, and MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR for a small room.

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.