In this review, we will be comparing Studio 6 Theater and Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR, two Passive In-wall speakers from JBL and MartinLogan.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of JBL Studio 6 Theater and MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | JBL Studio 6 Theater | MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR |
|---|
| Brand | JBL
United States · founded 1946 | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Horn-Loaded | 1.27 x 2.4" Folded Motion Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 4 x 5.25" PolyPlas | 2 x 6.5" Kevlar |
|---|
| Frequency response | 65-20kHz | 44-25kHz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 96 dB | 93 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 10-150 watts | 50-150 watts |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 25.3125" x 6.2500" x 3.7500"
643.0 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 JBL Studio 6 Theater 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* |
JBL Studio 6 Theater |
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.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Studio 6 Theater 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.
JBL Studio 6 TheaterMartinLogan 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 |
JBL Studio 6 Theater |
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
|
4 x 5.25-inch
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
Studio 6 Theater features a 1" Horn-Loaded Tweeter and 4 x 5.25" PolyPlas 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
Studio 6 Theater has a frequency range of 65-20kHz 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 Studio 6 Theater'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 In-wall class in our database.
Low Frequency
In-wall 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
Studio 6 Theater is a 6 ohms speaker compared to the Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Studio 6 Theater sensitivity is rated at 96 dB and the Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR's is rated at 93 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the JBL Studio 6 Theater a more sensitive speaker compared to MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
In-wall 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.
Both handle the same maximum of 150 watts RMS, though Studio 6 Theater is rated 10-150 watts and Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR 50-150 watts.
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.
MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Studio 6 Theater 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 JBL Studio 6 Theater's and MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR's external dimensions. JBL Studio 6 Theater has external dimensions of 643.0 x 159.0 x 96.0mm (25.3125-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).
JBL Studio 6 Theater is 10mm narrower and 43mm shorter than MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR but it is also 5mm deeper.
What's in the Box of JBL Studio 6 Theater?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Studio 6 Theater:
- In-wall loudspeaker
- Grille
- Cut-Out Template
- Quick Start Guide
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