In this review, we will be comparing Motion F20 and Motion F10, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by MartinLogan.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MartinLogan Motion F20 and MartinLogan Motion F10 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | MartinLogan Motion F20 | MartinLogan Motion F10 |
|---|
| Brand | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.0 x 1.4" Folded Motion Ribbon | 1.0 x 1.4" Folded Motion Ribbon |
|---|
| Midrange | 5.5" | 5.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 5.5" Aluminum | 2 x 5.5" Aluminum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 35-25k Hz | 38-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 92 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-300 watts | 20-250 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 27.20kg / 59.8lbs | 22.90kg / 50.4lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 44-3/4" x 11-3/4" x 14-1/4"
1127 x 298 x 362mm | 38-1/4" x 11-1/4" x 13-1/4"
971 x 286 x 336mm |
|---|
Motion F20 and Motion F10 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 F20 and MartinLogan Motion F10 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 F20 |
MartinLogan Motion F10 |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
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
Both Motion F20 and Motion F10 are 3-way speakers.
MartinLogan Motion F20MartinLogan Motion F10
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 F20 |
MartinLogan Motion F10 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.0 x 1.4-inch
|
1.0 x 1.4-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.5-inch |
1 x 5.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 5.5-inch
|
2 x 5.5-inch
|
Motion F20 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 230Hz and 2600Hz. On the other hand, the 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.
Frequency Response
Motion F20 has a frequency range of 35-25k Hz whereas Motion F10 has a frequency range of 38-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 35Hz, the Motion F20 can go slightly deeper then the Motion F10's min frequency of 38Hz.
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 F20 and Motion F10 have the same Impedance of 4 ohms and their sensitivity is also same at 92 dB.
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 F20 and the Motion F20 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 F20 can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas Motion F10 has a max power handling value of 250 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the Motion F20.
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
Both Motion F20 and Motion F10 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
MartinLogan Motion F20's Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
MartinLogan Motion F10's Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Motion F20 and Motion F10 have bottom firing ports.
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 F20's and MartinLogan Motion F10's external dimensions. MartinLogan Motion F20 has external dimensions of 1127 x 298 x 362mm (44-3/4inch x 11-3/4inch x 14-1/4inch) whereas MartinLogan Motion F10 has external dimensions of 971 x 286 x 336mm (38-1/4inch x 11-1/4inch x 13-1/4inch).
MartinLogan Motion F20 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 12mm wider, 156mm taller and 26mm deeper than MartinLogan Motion F10.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of MartinLogan Motion F20 and MartinLogan Motion F10 in scale.
Comparison image of MartinLogan Motion F20 and MartinLogan Motion F10 Size and External Dimensions
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 F20 is approximately 1078.8cm2 / 167.2inch2 and base area of the MartinLogan Motion F10 is approximately 961.0cm2 / 149.0inch2. The Motion F20 requires 12% more surface area than the Motion F10 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The MartinLogan Motion F20 weighs 27.20kg / 59.8lbs and the MartinLogan Motion F10 weighs 22.90kg / 50.4lbs. This makes the Motion F20 19% heavier than the Motion F10.
Here is a comparison of how Motion F20 and Motion F10's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
 Max Input Power |
300 watts
vs
250 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Low Frequency Response |
35 Hz
vs
38 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Height |
971mm
vs
1127mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
961cm2
vs
1078cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
2498USD
vs
3498USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
MartinLogan Motion F20 |
MartinLogan Motion® F10 |
| Brand |
MartinLogan |
MartinLogan |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
20-300 watts |
20-250 watts |
| Sensitivity |
92 dB |
92 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
4 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
35-25k Hz |
38-25k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
5.5" |
5.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Aluminum |
Aluminum |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.0 x 1.4" |
1.0 x 1.4" |
| Tweeter Type |
Folded Motion Ribbon |
Folded Motion Ribbon |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5.5" |
5.5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
230Hz and 2600Hz |
280Hz and 3000Hz |
| Firing Direction |
bottom |
bottom |
| Suggested Break-in Period |
Allow 72 hours of break-in |
Allow 72 hours of break-in |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1127.0mm (44.4") |
971.0mm (38.2") |
| Width |
298.0mm (11.7") |
286.0mm (11.3") |
| Depth |
362.0mm (14.3") |
336.0mm (13.2") |
| Weight |
27.20kg (59.8lbs) |
22.90kg (50.4lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Available Colors |
Gloss Black, Walnut, and Satin White |
Gloss Black, Walnut, and Satin White |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
Siblings in MartinLogan's Motion(4th Gen) series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | MartinLogan Motion F20 digs deeper - 35Hz against 38Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (92dB vs 92dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (300W vs 250W). |
| Size | depends | MartinLogan Motion F10 is easier to place; MartinLogan Motion F20 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | depends | MartinLogan Motion F20: bi-amping; MartinLogan Motion F10: bi-amping. |
| Price | B | MartinLogan Motion F10 is cheaper - $2,498 against $3,498, about 29% less. |
A MartinLogan Motion F20 B MartinLogan Motion F10
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 F20 is ahead, but only on 1 of the measured areas, and it costs about 40% more. That is a lot of money for a narrow margin on paper - MartinLogan Motion F10 looks like the sensible buy unless something else about the MartinLogan Motion F20 appeals to you. Think about the whole system, not just the speakers: the roughly $1,000 saved by taking the cheaper pair would buy a subwoofer or a better amplifier, and either usually does more for the sound than the difference between these two.
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.