MartinLogan Motion CI MW6 vs MartinLogan 8i Comparison

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MartinLogan Motion CI MW6

Passive In-wall | 62-25kHz

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MartinLogan 8i

Passive Center Channel | 70-23k Hz

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MartinLogan Motion CI MW6 vs MartinLogan 8i Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by MartinLogan. MartinLogan Motion CI MW6 is a In-wall speaker whereas the Motion 8i is a Center Channel speaker.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of MartinLogan Motion CI MW6 and MartinLogan 8i first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	MartinLogan Motion CI MW6	MartinLogan 8i
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	6.5" Fiberglass	2 x 4" poly cone woofers with rigid dust caps
Frequency response	62-25kHz	70-23k Hz
Sensitivity	90 dB	89 dB
Impedance	5 ohms	4 ohms
Power range	50-60 watts	20-180 watts
Weight	2.72kg / 6lbs	3.86kg / 8.5lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	10.1250" x 7.0000" x 3.8750" 258.0 x 178.0 x 99.0mm	5-9/16" x 22-1/8" x 5-1/4" 142.0 x 562.0 x 134.0mm

Motion CI MW6 and Motion 8i 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 MW6 and MartinLogan 8i 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	MartinLogan 8i
Near-field	Good	Poor
Small Room	Good	Average
Mid-size Room	Average	Good
Large Room	Poor	Average
Very Large Room	No way	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 MW6 and Motion 8i are 2-way speakers.

MartinLogan Motion CI MW6

MartinLogan 8i

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	MartinLogan 8i
Driver Setup	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1-inch	1.0 x 1.4-inch
Midrange	-	-
Woofer	1 x 6.5-inch	2 x 4-inch

Motion CI MW6 features a 1" Folded Motion Ribbon Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Fiberglass Woofer. On the other hand, the Motion 8i features a 1.0 x 1.4" Folded Motion Tweeter and 2 x 4" poly cone woofers with rigid dust caps Woofer.

Frequency Response

Motion CI MW6 has a frequency range of 62-25kHz whereas Motion 8i has a frequency range of 70-23k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 62Hz, the Motion CI MW6 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Motion 8i's min frequency of 70Hz.

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 MW6

Motion 8i

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 MW6 is a 5 ohms speaker compared to the Motion 8i 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 8i can provide this impedance level.

These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Motion CI MW6 sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the Motion 8i's is rated at 89 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the MartinLogan Motion CI MW6 a more sensitive speaker compared to MartinLogan 8i, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

In-wall Speakers

Motion CI MW6

Motion 8i

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 8i can handle a max power of 180 watts RMS, whereas Motion CI MW6 has a max power handling value of 60 watts RMS, 120 watts less than the Motion 8i.

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 MW6

MartinLogan 8i

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

Motion CI MW6 features Spring post type posts and Motion 8i has a Spring post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.

MartinLogan 8i's Spring post 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 MW6's and MartinLogan 8i'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 MartinLogan 8i has external dimensions of 142.0 x 562.0 x 134.0mm (5-9/16 x 22-1/8 x 5-1/4inch).

MartinLogan Motion CI MW6 is 384mm narrower and 35mm less deeper than MartinLogan 8i but it is also 116mm taller.

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 MartinLogan 8i?

Here are the items that come with the Motion 8i:

LCR loudspeaker
Grille
2 Wall-bracket
2 Shoulder bolts
4 Rubber bumpers
Cleaning cloth
User-feets Manual (En/Fr)
Installation template
Product Registration Card

Reasons to choose MartinLogan Motion CI MW6 over MartinLogan Motion 8i

Sensitivity	90 dB vs 89 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Nominal Impedance	5 ohms vs 4 ohms	Less selective with amplifiers
Woofer Size	6.5 inches vs 4 inches	Larger woofer
Low Frequency Response	62 Hz vs 70 Hz	Generates deeper bass
High Frequency Response	25k Hz vs 23k Hz	Generates higher frequency
Base Surface Area	176cm² vs 753cm²	Takes less floor space

Reasons to choose MartinLogan Motion 8i over MartinLogan Motion CI MW6

Max Input Power	180 watts vs 60 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
Number of Woofers	2 vs 1	More woofers
Height	142mm vs 258mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Price per pair*	450USD vs 1100USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

MartinLogan Motion CI MW6 vs MartinLogan 8i Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	MartinLogan Motion CI MW6	MartinLogan Motion 8i
Brand	MartinLogan	MartinLogan
Speaker Type	Passive In-wall Speaker	Center channel speaker
Power Range	50-60 watts	20-180 watts
Sensitivity	90 dB	89 dB
Impedance	5 ohms	4 ohms
Frequency Response	62-25kHz	70-23k Hz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	2
Woofer Size	6.5"	4"
Woofer Composition	Fiberglass	poly cone woofers with rigid dust caps
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	n/a
Tweeter Size	1"	1.0 x 1.4"
Tweeter Type	Folded Motion Ribbon	Folded Motion
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	No
Suggested Break-in Period	n/a	Allow 72 hours of break-in at 90 dB
Physical Specs
Height	258.0mm (10.2")	142.0mm (5.6")
Width	178.0mm (7")	562.0mm (22.1")
Depth	99.0mm (3.9")	134.0mm (5.3")
Weight	2.72kg (6lbs)	3.86kg (8.5lbs)
Enclosure	In-wall	Passive Radiator
Available Colors	n/a	Gloss Black, Matt White, Red Walnut
Grille	n/a	Yes
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	No	n/a
Other
Parts Warranty	5 Years	5 Yrs w/ Registration
Labor Warranty	5 Years	5 Yrs w/ Registration

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	A	MartinLogan Motion CI MW6 digs deeper - 62Hz against 70Hz. A subwoofer would even that out.
Amplifier needs	evenly matched	Similar sensitivity (90dB vs 89dB) - both want much the same power.
Amplifier match	A	MartinLogan Motion CI MW6 is the easier load at 5 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it.
Headroom	B	MartinLogan 8i takes more power (180W vs 60W) - more in hand in a big room.
Size	depends	MartinLogan Motion CI MW6 is easier to place; MartinLogan 8i is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Type	depends	A Passive In-wall against a Passive Center Channel - a different job rather than a better one.
Cabinet	depends	In-wall vs Passive Radiator.
Price	B	MartinLogan 8i is cheaper - $450 against $1,100, about 59% less; arguably a different class.

A MartinLogan Motion CI MW6 B MartinLogan 8i
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?

MartinLogan Motion CI MW6 is ahead, but only on 1 of the measured areas, and it costs about 144% more. That is a lot of money for a narrow margin on paper - MartinLogan 8i looks like the sensible buy unless something else about the MartinLogan Motion CI MW6 appeals to you. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 70Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper MartinLogan 8i much easier to justify. Match it to your room: we rate MartinLogan Motion CI MW6 the better fit for near-field listening and a small room, and MartinLogan 8i for a mid-size room and a 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.