In this review, we will be comparing Motion CI MW6 and UIW RLS III, two Passive In-wall speakers from MartinLogan and Definitive Technology.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MartinLogan Motion CI MW6 and Definitive UIW RLS III first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | MartinLogan Motion CI MW6 | Definitive UIW RLS III |
|---|
| Brand | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 | Definitive Technology
United States · founded 1990 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Folded Motion Ribbon | 1" Hard-Dome |
|---|
| Woofer | 6.5" Fiberglass | 2 x 5.25" Polypropylene |
|---|
| Frequency response | 62-25kHz | 24-30kHz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 92 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 5 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-60 watts | 10-325 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 2.72kg / 6lbs | — |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 10.1250" x 7.0000" x 3.8750"
258.0 x 178.0 x 99.0mm | 23.7500" x 5.8750" x 3.8750"
604.0 x 150.0 x 99.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the MartinLogan Motion CI MW6 and Definitive UIW RLS III 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 MW6 |
Definitive UIW RLS III |
| Near-field |
Good |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Good |
Bad |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Poor |
| Large Room |
Poor |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
No way |
Good |
(* 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 MW6 and UIW RLS III are 2-way speakers.
MartinLogan Motion CI MW6Definitive UIW RLS III
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 MW6 |
Definitive UIW RLS III |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 6.5-inch
|
2 x 5.25-inch
|
Motion CI MW6 features a 1" Folded Motion Ribbon Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Fiberglass Woofer. On the other hand, the UIW RLS III features a 1" Hard-Dome Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Polypropylene Woofer.
Frequency Response
Motion CI MW6 has a frequency range of 62-25kHz whereas UIW RLS III has a frequency range of 24-30kHz. With a minimum frequency of 24Hz, the UIW RLS III can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Motion CI MW6's min frequency of 62Hz.
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 MW6 is a 5 ohms speaker compared to the UIW RLS III which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Motion CI MW6 sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the UIW RLS III's is rated at 92 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Definitive UIW RLS III a more sensitive speaker compared to MartinLogan Motion CI MW6, 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.
UIW RLS III can handle a max power of 325 watts RMS, whereas Motion CI MW6 has a max power handling value of 60 watts RMS, 265 watts less than the UIW RLS III.
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 MW6
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Motion CI MW6 features Spring post type posts and UIW RLS III has a Spring post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/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 MW6's and Definitive UIW RLS III's external dimensions. MartinLogan Motion CI MW6 has external dimensions of 258.0 x 178.0 x 99.0mm (10.1250-inch x 7.0000-inch x 3.8750-inch) whereas Definitive UIW RLS III has external dimensions of 604.0 x 150.0 x 99.0mm (23.7500-inch x 5.8750-inch x 3.8750-inch).
What's in the Box of MartinLogan Motion CI MW6?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Motion CI MW6:
- In-wall loudspeaker
- Grille
- T20 Torx bit
- User-feets Manual
- Cutout Template
What's in the Box of Definitive UIW RLS III?
Here are the items that come with the UIW RLS III:
- In-wall loudspeaker
- Grille
- Self-adhesive foam gasket
- Paint mask
- Wall-Mount Template
- Owners Manual
- Online Product Registration Card