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 LX16 is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR and MartinLogan LX16 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR | MartinLogan LX16 |
|---|
| Brand | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Folded Motion Ribbon | 1.0 x 1.4" Folded Motion |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 4" Fiberglass | 5.25" Aluminum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 78-25kHz | 60-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 93 dB | 92 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 5 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-100 watts | 20-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 2.77kg / 6.1lbs | 5.40kg / 11.9lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 5.2500" x 11.8750" x 2.6875"
134.0 x 302.0 x 69.0mm | 11.0" x 6.4" x 9.5"
280.0 x 165.0 x 242.0mm |
|---|
Motion CI MW4-LCR and Motion LX16 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 LX16 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 LX16 |
| Near-field |
Average |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Good |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Bad |
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.)
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 LX16 are 2-way speakers.
MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCRMartinLogan LX16
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 LX16 |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1.0 x 1.4-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 4-inch
|
1 x 5.25-inch
|
Motion CI MW4-LCR features a 1" Folded Motion Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 4" Fiberglass Woofer. On the other hand, the Motion LX16 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 CI MW4-LCR has a frequency range of 78-25kHz whereas Motion LX16 has a frequency range of 60-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 60Hz, the Motion LX16 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 LX16 which has a nominal impedance of 5 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Motion CI MW4-LCR sensitivity is rated at 93 dB and the Motion LX16's is rated at 92 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR a more sensitive speaker compared to MartinLogan LX16, 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 LX16 can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS, whereas Motion CI MW4-LCR has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the Motion LX16.
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 CI MW4-LCR features Custom 5-way binding posts type posts and Motion LX16 has a Custom 5-way binding posts type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
MartinLogan LX16's Custom 5-way binding posts terminals
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 LX16'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 LX16 has external dimensions of 280.0 x 165.0 x 242.0mm (11.0 x 6.4 x 9.5inch).
MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR is 146mm shorter and 173mm less deeper than MartinLogan LX16 but it is also 137mm wider.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR and MartinLogan LX16 in scale.
Comparison image of MartinLogan Motion CI MW4-LCR and MartinLogan LX16 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 LX16?
Here are the items that come with the Motion LX16:
- Bookshelf loudspeaker
- Magnetic grille
- 4 Rubber bumpers
- User's Manual (En/Fr)