In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by MartinLogan. MartinLogan Motion® F10 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Motion C10 is a Center Channel speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MartinLogan Motion F10 and MartinLogan Motion C10 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | MartinLogan Motion F10 | MartinLogan Motion C10 |
|---|
| Brand | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.0 x 1.4" Folded Motion Ribbon | 1.0 x 1.4" Folded Motion Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 5.5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 5.5" Aluminum | 2 x 5.5" Woven Fiberglass |
|---|
| Frequency response | 38-25k Hz | 63-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 93 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-250 watts | 20-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 22.90kg / 50.4lbs | 10.70kg / 23.5lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 38-1/4" x 11-1/4" x 13-1/4"
971 x 286 x 336mm | 7-1/4" x 19" x 11-1/2"
184 x 483 x 293mm |
|---|
Motion F10 and Motion C10 are members of MartinLogan's Motion(4th Gen) series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
MartinLogan Motion(4th Gen) Series
History
What size room are the MartinLogan Motion F10 and MartinLogan Motion C10 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 F10 |
MartinLogan Motion C10 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
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
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Motion F10 is a 3-way design whereas the Motion C10 is a 2-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 F10MartinLogan Motion C10
MidrangeWoofer
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 F10 |
MartinLogan Motion C10 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.0 x 1.4-inch
|
1.0 x 1.4-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 5.5-inch
|
2 x 5.5-inch
|
Motion F10 features a 1.0 x 1.4" Folded Motion Ribbon Tweeter, a 5.5" Midrange and 2 x 5.5" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 280Hz and 3000Hz. On the other hand, the Motion C10 features a 1.0 x 1.4" Folded Motion Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 5.5" Woven Fiberglass Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 1000Hz and 2000Hz.
Frequency Response
Motion F10 has a frequency range of 38-25k Hz whereas Motion C10 has a frequency range of 63-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 38Hz, the Motion F10 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Motion C10's min frequency of 63Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing 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 F10 and Motion C10 have the same Impedance of 4 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Motion F10 sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the Motion C10's is at 93 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the MartinLogan Motion C10 a more sensitive speaker compared to MartinLogan Motion F10, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
One thing to keep in mind that the lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit comared to higher impedance speakers especially at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Motion F10 and the Motion F10 can provide this impedance level.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing 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 F10 can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS, whereas Motion C10 has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the Motion F10.
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.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Motion F10 features Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Motion C10 has a Custom 5-way binding posts which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
MartinLogan Motion F10's Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
MartinLogan Motion C10's Custom 5-way binding posts terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Motion F10 has a bottom firing port whereas Motion C10 has a rear firing ports. MartinLogan Motion F10's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to MartinLogan Motion C10 with its rear-firing port.
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 F10's and MartinLogan Motion C10's external dimensions. MartinLogan Motion F10 has external dimensions of 971 x 286 x 336mm (38-1/4inch x 11-1/4inch x 13-1/4inch) whereas MartinLogan Motion C10 has external dimensions of 184 x 483 x 293mm (7-1/4inch x 19inch x 11-1/2inch).
MartinLogan Motion C10 is 787mm shorter and 43mm less deeper than MartinLogan Motion F10 but it is also 197mm wider.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the MartinLogan Motion F10 is approximately 961.0cm2 / 149.0inch2 and base area of the MartinLogan Motion C10 is approximately 1415.2cm2 / 219.4inch2. The Motion F10 requires 32% less surface area than the Motion C10 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.