In this review, we will be comparing Motion 40i and Triton Seven, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from MartinLogan and GoldenEar.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MartinLogan 40i and GoldenEar Triton Seven first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | MartinLogan 40i | GoldenEar Triton Seven |
|---|
| Brand | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 | GoldenEar
United States · founded 2010 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.0 x 1.4" Folded Motion | Folded Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 5.5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 6.5" Aluminum | 2 x 5.25" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 40-25k Hz | 29-35k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 89 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-300 watts | 10-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 20.40kg / 44.9lbs | 14.55kg / 32lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 41-1/2" x 7-9/16" x 13-1/16"
1055.0 x 193.0 x 332.0mm | 40-1/2" x 10-1/2" x 14-1/2"
1029.0 x 267.0 x 369.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the MartinLogan 40i and GoldenEar Triton Seven 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 40i |
GoldenEar Triton Seven |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
Average |
(* 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 40i is a 3-way design whereas the Triton Seven is a 2-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 40iGoldenEar Triton Seven
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 40i |
GoldenEar Triton Seven |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.0 x 1.4-inch
|
-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 5.25-inch
|
Motion 40i features a 1.0 x 1.4" Folded Motion Tweeter, a 5.5" Midrange and 2 x 6.5" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 500Hz and 2600Hz. On the other hand, the Triton Seven features a " Folded Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
Motion 40i has a frequency range of 40-25k Hz whereas Triton Seven has a frequency range of 29-35k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 29Hz, the Triton Seven can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Motion 40i's min frequency of 40Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing 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 40i is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the Triton Seven which has a nominal impedance of 8 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 40i can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Motion 40i sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the Triton Seven's is rated at 89 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the MartinLogan 40i a more sensitive speaker compared to GoldenEar Triton Seven, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing 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 300 watts RMS, though Motion 40i is rated 20-300 watts and Triton Seven 10-300 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.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Motion 40i features Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Triton Seven has a 5-way Post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
MartinLogan 40i's Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Motion 40i and Triton Seven 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.
MartinLogan 40i Port
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 40i's and GoldenEar Triton Seven's external dimensions. MartinLogan 40i has external dimensions of 1055.0 x 193.0 x 332.0mm (41-1/2 x 7-9/16 x 13-1/16inch) whereas GoldenEar Triton Seven has external dimensions of 1029.0 x 267.0 x 369.0mm (40-1/2 x 10-1/2 x 14-1/2inch).
MartinLogan 40i is 74mm narrower and 37mm less deeper than GoldenEar Triton Seven but it is also 26mm taller.
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 40i is approximately 640.8cm2 / 99.3inch2 and base area of the GoldenEar Triton Seven is approximately 985.2cm2 / 152.7inch2. The Motion 40i requires 35% less surface area than the Triton Seven 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 MartinLogan 40i weighs 20.40kg / 44.9lbs and the GoldenEar Triton Seven weighs 14.55kg / 32lbs. This makes the Motion 40i 40% heavier than the Triton Seven.
Here is a comparison of how Motion 40i and Triton Seven's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of MartinLogan 40i?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Motion 40i:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- 2 Grilles
- 4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)
- 4 Spike feet (w/ nuts attached)
- Users Manual
- Warranty/Registration Information
What's in the Box of GoldenEar Triton Seven?
Here are the items that come with the Triton Seven:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- 4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)
- 4 Spikes
- 4 Locking nuts
- Owners Manual
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Sensitivity |
92 dB
vs
89 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
6.5 inches
vs
5.25 inches
|
Larger woofer |
 Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring |
Yes
vs
No
|
Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections |
 Base Surface Area |
640cm2
vs
985cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
29 Hz
vs
40 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
25k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Passive Radiator |
dual 8-inch infrasonic planar sub-bass
vs
None
|
Increases the bass performance |
 Height |
1029mm
vs
1055mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
1798USD
vs
2600USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
MartinLogan Motion 40i |
GoldenEar Triton Seven |
| Brand |
MartinLogan |
GoldenEar |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
20-300 watts |
10-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
92 dB |
89 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
40-25k Hz |
29-35k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
6.5" |
5.25" |
| Woofer Composition |
Aluminum |
Polypropylene |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.0 x 1.4" |
- |
| Tweeter Type |
Folded Motion |
Folded Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5.5" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
500Hz and 2600Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
| Suggested Break-in Period |
Allow 72 hours of break-in at 90 dB |
n/a |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1055.0mm (41.5") |
1029.0mm (40.5") |
| Width |
193.0mm (7.6") |
267.0mm (10.5") |
| Depth |
332.0mm (13.1") |
369.0mm (14.5") |
| Weight |
20.40kg (44.9lbs) |
14.55kg (32lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Passive Radiator |
| Finish |
MDF/Lacquer |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Gloss Black, Matt White, Red Walnut |
Gloss Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
n/a |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
No |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
A generation apart: MartinLogan 40i is the newer design, against a 2013 model. Newer is not automatically better, but the older one is more likely to be discounted or near run-out.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | B | GoldenEar Triton Seven digs deeper - 29Hz against 40Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | A | MartinLogan 40i is more sensitive (92dB vs 89dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | B | GoldenEar Triton Seven is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (300W vs 300W). |
| Size | depends | MartinLogan 40i is easier to place; GoldenEar Triton Seven is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Cabinet | depends | Ported vs Passive Radiator. |
| Expandability | A | MartinLogan 40i: bi-amping. MartinLogan 40i sits in a wider range (18 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | B | GoldenEar Triton Seven is cheaper - $1,798 against $2,600, about 31% less. |
A MartinLogan 40i B GoldenEar Triton Seven
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?
Neither runs away with it - they trade advantages. Let the "depends" rows and your own room settle it. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 40Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. In a large or open-plan room, GoldenEar Triton Seven has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, MartinLogan 40i 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.