In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by MartinLogan. MartinLogan Motion 15i is a Bookshelf speaker whereas the Motion 60XTi is a Floor-standing speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MartinLogan 15i and MartinLogan 60XTi first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | MartinLogan 15i | MartinLogan 60XTi |
|---|
| Brand | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.0 x 1.4" Folded Motion | 1.25 x 2.4" Folded Motion XT |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 5.25" Aluminum | 2 x 8" Aluminum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 60-25k Hz | 35-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 94 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 5 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-200 watts | 20-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 5.40kg / 11.9lbs | 30.00kg / 66lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 11.4" x 6.8" x 9.4"
290.0 x 173.0 x 240.0mm | 46-3/16" x 9-1/16" x 15-9/16"
1174.0 x 231.0 x 396.0mm |
|---|
Motion 15i and Motion 60XTi are members of MartinLogan's Motion series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
MartinLogan Motion Series
History
What size room are the MartinLogan 15i and MartinLogan 60XTi 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* |
MartinLogan 15i |
MartinLogan 60XTi |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Average |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Average |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Good |
(* 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 Motion 15i is a 2-way design whereas the Motion 60XTi 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.
MartinLogan 15iMartinLogan 60XTi
MidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
MartinLogan 15i |
MartinLogan 60XTi |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.0 x 1.4-inch
|
1.25 x 2.4-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 5.25-inch
|
2 x 8-inch
|
Motion 15i features a 1.0 x 1.4" Folded Motion Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2700Hz. On the other hand, the Motion 60XTi features a 1.25 x 2.4" Folded Motion XT Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 8" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 400Hz and 2200Hz.
Frequency Response
Motion 15i has a frequency range of 60-25k Hz whereas Motion 60XTi has a frequency range of 35-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 35Hz, the Motion 60XTi can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Motion 15i's min frequency of 60Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf 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
Motion 15i is a 5 ohms speaker compared to the Motion 60XTi which has a nominal impedance of 4 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Motion 60XTi can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Motion 15i sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the Motion 60XTi's is rated at 94 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the MartinLogan 60XTi a more sensitive speaker compared to MartinLogan 15i, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Bookshelf 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.
Motion 60XTi can handle a max power of 400 watts RMS, whereas Motion 15i has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 200 watts less than the Motion 60XTi.
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
Motion 60XTi features Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Motion 15i has a Custom 5-way tool-less binding posts which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
MartinLogan 15i's Custom 5-way tool-less binding posts terminals
MartinLogan 60XTi's Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Motion 15i and Motion 60XTi 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 MartinLogan 15i's and MartinLogan 60XTi's external dimensions. MartinLogan 15i has external dimensions of 290.0 x 173.0 x 240.0mm (11.4 x 6.8 x 9.4inch) whereas MartinLogan 60XTi has external dimensions of 1174.0 x 231.0 x 396.0mm (46-3/16 x 9-1/16 x 15-9/16inch).
MartinLogan 60XTi is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 58mm wider, 884mm taller and 156mm deeper than MartinLogan 15i.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of MartinLogan 15i and MartinLogan 60XTi in scale.
Comparison image of MartinLogan 15i and MartinLogan 60XTi Size and External Dimensions
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 MartinLogan 15i is approximately 415.2cm2 / 64.4inch2 and base area of the MartinLogan 60XTi is approximately 914.8cm2 / 141.8inch2. The Motion 15i requires 55% less surface area than the Motion 60XTi which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of MartinLogan 15i?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Motion 15i:
- Bookshelf loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Rubber feet
- Users Manual
- Warranty/Registration Information
What's in the Box of MartinLogan 60XTi?
Here are the items that come with the Motion 60XTi:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- 2 Grilles
- 4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)
- 4 Spike feet (w/ nuts attached)
- 2 Feet stabizers
- 4 Bolts
- Hex-key
- Users Manual
- Warranty/Registration Information