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 50XTi is a Center Channel speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR and MartinLogan 50XTi first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR | MartinLogan 50XTi |
|---|
| Brand | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Folded Motion Ribbon | 1.25 x 2.4" Folded Motion XT |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 4" Fiberglass | 2 x 6.5" Aluminum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 78-25kHz | 50-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 93 dB | 94 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-100 watts | 20-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 2.77kg / 6.1lbs | 13.86kg / 30.5lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 5.2500" x 11.8750" x 2.6875"
134.0 x 302.0 x 69.0mm | 7-11/16" x 23" x 13-5/8"
196.0 x 585.0 x 347.0mm |
|---|
Motion CI MW4-LCR and Motion 50XTi 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 Motion CI MW4-LCR and MartinLogan 50XTi 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 50XTi |
| 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
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Motion CI MW4-LCR is a 2-way design whereas the Motion 50XTi 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 Motion CI MW4-LCRMartinLogan 50XTi
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 50XTi |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1.25 x 2.4-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 4-inch
|
2 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 50XTi features a 1.25 x 2.4" Folded Motion XT Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 900Hz and 2200Hz.
Frequency Response
Motion CI MW4-LCR has a frequency range of 78-25kHz whereas Motion 50XTi has a frequency range of 50-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 50Hz, the Motion 50XTi 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
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 50XTi 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 50XTi 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 50XTi's is rated at 94 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the MartinLogan 50XTi a more sensitive speaker compared to MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-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.
Motion 50XTi can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas Motion CI MW4-LCR has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 200 watts less than the Motion 50XTi.
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 CI MW4-LCR
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Motion 50XTi 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 50XTi'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 50XTi'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 50XTi has external dimensions of 196.0 x 585.0 x 347.0mm (7-11/16 x 23 x 13-5/8inch).
MartinLogan 50XTi is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 283mm wider, 62mm taller and 278mm deeper than MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR and MartinLogan 50XTi in scale.
Comparison image of MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR and MartinLogan 50XTi 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 50XTi?
Here are the items that come with the Motion 50XTi:
- Center-channel loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Rubber feet
- Users Manual
- Warranty/Registration Information