In this review, we will be comparing two different type of speakers by MartinLogan. MartinLogan Motion 60XTi is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Motion 15 is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MartinLogan 60XTi and MartinLogan 15 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
MartinLogan 60XTi Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1.25 x 2.4" Folded Motion XT Tweeter
- 6.5" Midrange
- 2 x 8" Aluminum Woofer
- 35-25k Hz Frequency Response
- 94 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 4ohms
- Power Range:20-400watts
- Weight:30.00kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 1174.0" x 9-1/16" x 15-9/16"( 1174.0 x 231.0 x 396.0mm )
MartinLogan 15 Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1.0 x 1.4" Folded Motion Tweeter
- 5.25" Aluminum Woofer
- 60-25k Hz Frequency Response
- 92 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 5ohms
- Power Range:20-200watts
- Weight:5.40kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 290.0" x 6.8" x 9.4"( 290.0 x 173.0 x 240.0mm )
Motion 60XTi and Motion 15 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 60XTi and MartinLogan 15 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 60XTi |
MartinLogan 15 |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
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.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the MartinLogan 60XTi and MartinLogan 15 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking
through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Motion 60XTi is a 3-way design whereas the Motion 15 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.
| Driver |
MartinLogan 60XTi |
MartinLogan 15 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.25 x 2.4-inch
|
1.0 x 1.4-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
1 x 5.25-inch
|
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. On the other hand, the Motion 15 features a 1.0 x 1.4" Folded Motion Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2700Hz.
Frequency Response
Motion 60XTi has a frequency range of 35-25k Hz whereas Motion 15 has a frequency range of 60-25k 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 15's min frequency of 60Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Motion 60XTi is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the Motion 15 which has a nominal impedance of 5 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 60XTi sensitivity is rated at 94 dB and the Motion 15's is rated at 92 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the MartinLogan 60XTi a more sensitive speaker compared to MartinLogan 15, 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. While using an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
Motion 60XTi can handle a max power of 400 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Motion 15 has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 200 watts less than the Motion 60XTi.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
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 15 has a Custom 5-way tool-less binding posts which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
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 60XTi and Motion 15 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
Size of a speaker can sometimes become 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 60XTi's and MartinLogan 15's external dimensions. 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) whereas MartinLogan 15 has external dimensions of 290.0 x 173.0 x 240.0mm ( 11.4 x 6.8 x 9.4inch) .
MartinLogan 60XTi is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 58mm wider, 884mm taller and 156mm deeper than MartinLogan 15.
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 60XTi is approximately 914.8cm2 / 141.8inch2 and base area of the MartinLogan 15 is approximately 415.2cm2 / 64.4inch2. The Motion 60XTi requires 120% more surface area than the Motion 15 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of MartinLogan 60XTi?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Motion 60XTi:
Floorstanding loudspeaker2 Grilles4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)4 Spike feet (w/ nuts attached)2 Feet stabizers4 BoltsHex-keyUsers ManualWarranty/Registration Information
What's in the Box of MartinLogan 15?
Here are the items that come with the Motion 15:
Bookshelf loudspeaker Grille 4 Rubber feet Users Manual Warranty/Registration Information
Max Input Power 
Driver Setup 
Sensitivity 
Woofer Size 
Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring 
Nominal Impedance 
Height 
Base Surface Area