MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR vs MartinLogan 35XTi Comparison

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MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR

Passive In-wall | 78-25kHz

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MartinLogan 35XTi

Passive Bookshelf | 50-25k Hz

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MartinLogan Motion C...

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MartinLogan 35XTi

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MartinLogan 35XTi

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MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR vs MartinLogan 35XTi Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by MartinLogan. MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR is a In-wall speaker whereas the Motion 35XTi is a Bookshelf speaker.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR and MartinLogan 35XTi first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR	MartinLogan 35XTi
Brand	MartinLogan United States · founded 1982	MartinLogan United States · founded 1982
Design	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1" Folded Motion Ribbon	1.25 x 2.4" Folded Motion XT
Woofer	2 x 4" Fiberglass	6.5" Aluminum
Frequency response	78-25kHz	50-25k Hz
Sensitivity	93 dB	92 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	4 ohms
Power range	50-100 watts	20-250 watts
Weight	2.77kg / 6.1lbs	8.40kg / 18.5lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	5.2500" x 11.8750" x 2.6875" 134.0 x 302.0 x 69.0mm	13.5" x 7.5" x 11.8" 343.0 x 192.0 x 300.0mm

Motion CI MW4-LCR and Motion 35XTi are members of MartinLogan's Motion series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.

MartinLogan Motion Series History

Model	Body	Frequency	Sensitivity	Impedance	Woofer
MartinLogan 60XTi	Floor-standing	35-25k Hz	94 dB	4Ω	2 x 8"
MartinLogan 15i	Bookshelf	60-25k Hz	92 dB	5Ω	1 x 5.25"
MartinLogan 35XTi	Bookshelf	50-25k Hz	92 dB	4Ω	1 x 6.5"
MartinLogan 40i	Floor-standing	40-25k Hz	92 dB	4Ω	2 x 6.5"
MartinLogan 50XTi	Center Channel	50-25k Hz	94 dB	4Ω	2 x 6.5"
MartinLogan 20i	Floor-standing	46-25k Hz	90 dB	4Ω	2 x 5.5"
MartinLogan LX16	Bookshelf	60-25k Hz	92 dB	5Ω	1 x 5.25"
MartinLogan 30i	Center Channel	65-25k Hz	91 dB	4Ω	1 x 5.25"
MartinLogan 6i	Center Channel	120-23k Hz	89 dB	6Ω	2 x 3.5"
MartinLogan 8i	Center Channel	70-23k Hz	89 dB	4Ω	2 x 4"

What size room are the MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR and MartinLogan 35XTi 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 Motion CI MW4-LCR	MartinLogan 35XTi
Near-field	Average	Poor
Small Room	Good	Poor
Mid-size Room	Average	Good
Large Room	Poor	Good
Very Large Room	Bad	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

Both Motion CI MW4-LCR and Motion 35XTi are 2-way speakers.

MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR

MartinLogan 35XTi

TweeterWoofer

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

Driver	MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR	MartinLogan 35XTi
Driver Setup	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1-inch	1.25 x 2.4-inch
Midrange	-	-
Woofer	2 x 4-inch	1 x 6.5-inch

Motion CI MW4-LCR features a 1" Folded Motion Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 4" Fiberglass Woofer. On the other hand, the Motion 35XTi features a 1.25 x 2.4" Folded Motion XT Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2200Hz.

Frequency Response

Motion CI MW4-LCR has a frequency range of 78-25kHz whereas Motion 35XTi has a frequency range of 50-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 50Hz, the Motion 35XTi can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Motion CI MW4-LCR's min frequency of 78Hz.

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

Motion CI MW4-LCR

Motion 35XTi

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

Motion CI MW4-LCR is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the Motion 35XTi 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 35XTi can provide this impedance level.

These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Motion CI MW4-LCR sensitivity is rated at 93 dB and the Motion 35XTi's is rated at 92 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR a more sensitive speaker compared to MartinLogan 35XTi, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

In-wall Speakers

Motion CI MW4-LCR

Motion 35XTi

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.

Motion 35XTi can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS, whereas Motion CI MW4-LCR has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 150 watts less than the Motion 35XTi.

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

MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR

MartinLogan 35XTi

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

Motion 35XTi features Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Motion CI MW4-LCR has a Spring post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.

MartinLogan 35XTi's Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts terminals allows Bi-amping or 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 MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR's and MartinLogan 35XTi's external dimensions. MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR has external dimensions of 134.0 x 302.0 x 69.0mm (5.2500-inch x 11.8750-inch x 2.6875-inch) whereas MartinLogan 35XTi has external dimensions of 343.0 x 192.0 x 300.0mm (13.5 x 7.5 x 11.8inch).

MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR is 209mm shorter and 231mm less deeper than MartinLogan 35XTi but it is also 110mm wider.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR and MartinLogan 35XTi in scale.

Comparison image of MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR and MartinLogan 35XTi Size and External Dimensions

What's in the Box of MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of Motion CI MW4-LCR:

In-wall loudspeaker
Grille
Torx-bit
User-feets Manual
Cutout Template

What's in the Box of MartinLogan 35XTi?

Here are the items that come with the Motion 35XTi:

Bookshelf loudspeaker
Grille
4 Rubber feet
2 Jumper-straps (pre-installed)
Users Manual
Warranty/Registration Information

Reasons to choose MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR over MartinLogan Motion 35XTi

Sensitivity	93 dB vs 92 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Nominal Impedance	8 ohms vs 4 ohms	Less selective with amplifiers
Number of Woofers	2 vs 1	More woofers
Height	134mm vs 343mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Base Surface Area	208cm² vs 576cm²	Takes less floor space
Price per pair*	1100USD vs 1500USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Reasons to choose MartinLogan Motion 35XTi over MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR

Max Input Power	250 watts vs 100 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
Woofer Size	6.5 inches vs 4 inches	Larger woofer
Low Frequency Response	50 Hz vs 78 Hz	Generates deeper bass
Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring	Yes vs No	Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections

MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR vs MartinLogan 35XTi Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR	MartinLogan Motion 35XTi
Brand	MartinLogan	MartinLogan
Speaker Type	Passive In-wall Speaker	Bookshelf speakers
Power Range	50-100 watts	20-250 watts
Sensitivity	93 dB	92 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	4 ohms
Frequency Response	78-25kHz	50-25k Hz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	2	1
Woofer Size	4"	6.5"
Woofer Composition	Fiberglass	Aluminum
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	Rubber
Tweeter Size	1"	1.25 x 2.4"
Tweeter Type	Folded Motion Ribbon	Folded Motion XT
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	No
Crossover Frequency	n/a	2200Hz
Firing Direction	n/a	rear
Suggested Break-in Period	n/a	Allow 72 hours of break-in at 90 dB
Physical Specs
Height	134.0mm (5.3")	343.0mm (13.5")
Width	302.0mm (11.9")	192.0mm (7.6")
Depth	69.0mm (2.7")	300.0mm (11.8")
Weight	2.77kg (6.1lbs)	8.40kg (18.5lbs)
Enclosure	In-wall	Bass Reflex
Finish	n/a	MDF/Lacquer
Available Colors	n/a	Gloss Black, Matt White, Red Walnut
Mounting Bracket		No
Recommended Stand Height	n/a	24-26"
Grille	n/a	Yes
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	No	Yes
Other
Parts Warranty	5 Years	5 Years
Labor Warranty	5 Years	5 Years

Verdict

Siblings in MartinLogan's Motion series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	B	MartinLogan 35XTi digs deeper - 50Hz against 78Hz.
Amplifier needs	evenly matched	Similar sensitivity (93dB vs 92dB) - both want much the same power.
Amplifier match	A	MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it.
Headroom	B	MartinLogan 35XTi takes more power (250W vs 100W) - more in hand in a big room.
Size	depends	MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR is easier to place; MartinLogan 35XTi is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Type	depends	A Passive In-wall against a Passive Bookshelf - a different job rather than a better one.
Cabinet	depends	In-wall vs Ported.
Expandability	B	MartinLogan 35XTi: bi-amping.
Price	A	MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR is cheaper - $1,100 against $1,500, about 27% less.

A MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR B MartinLogan 35XTi
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?

The usual trade-off: MartinLogan 35XTi measures better, MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR costs about about 36% more% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 78Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR much easier to justify. Match it to your room: we rate MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR the better fit for near-field listening and a small room, and MartinLogan 35XTi for a mid-size room, a large room and a very large 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.