MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6 vs MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR Comparison

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MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6

Passive In-wall | 56-25kHz

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MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR

Passive In-wall | 61-25kHz

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MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6 vs MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing Motion XT CI XTW6 and Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR, two Passive In-wall speakers by MartinLogan.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6 and MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR
Design	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1.27 x 2.4" Folded Motion Ribbon	1.27 x 2.4" Folded Motion Ribbon
Woofer	6.5" Kevlar	2 x 5.25" Kevlar
Frequency response	56-25kHz	61-25kHz
Sensitivity	91 dB	92 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Power range	50-100 watts	50-125 watts
Weight	3.22kg / 7.1lbs	—
Dimensions (H x W x D)	10.1250" x 7.0000" x 3.4375" 258.0 x 178.0 x 88.0mm	6.5000" x 14.5000" x 3.3125" 166.0 x 369.0 x 85.0mm

Motion XT CI XTW6 and Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR are members of MartinLogan's Motion XT series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.

MartinLogan Motion XT Series History

Model	Body	Frequency	Sensitivity	Impedance	Woofer
MartinLogan Motion XT F200	Floor-standing	27-25k Hz	92 dB	4Ω	3 x 8"
MartinLogan Motion XT B100	Bookshelf	45-25k Hz	93 dB	4Ω	1 x 6.5"
MartinLogan Motion XT F100	Floor-standing	31-25k Hz	92 dB	4Ω	3 x 6.5"
MartinLogan Motion XT C100	Center Channel	42-25k Hz	93 dB	5Ω	2 x 6.5"
MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6-LCR	In-wall	44-25kHz	93 dB	8Ω	2 x 6.5"
MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR	In-wall	61-25kHz	92 dB	8Ω	2 x 5.25"
MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6	In-wall	56-25kHz	91 dB	8Ω	1 x 6.5"

What size room are the MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6 and MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR 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 XT CI XTW6	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR
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.

**This post contains affiliate links, and we will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through our links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Drivers

Both Motion XT CI XTW6 and Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR are 2-way speakers.

MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6

MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR

Woofer

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 XT CI XTW6	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR
Driver Setup	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1.27 x 2.4-inch	1.27 x 2.4-inch
Midrange	-	-
Woofer	1 x 6.5-inch	2 x 5.25-inch

Motion XT CI XTW6 features a 1.27 x 2.4" Folded Motion Ribbon Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Kevlar Woofer. On the other hand, the Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR features a 1.27 x 2.4" Folded Motion Ribbon Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Kevlar Woofer.

Frequency Response

Motion XT CI XTW6 has a frequency range of 56-25kHz whereas Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR has a frequency range of 61-25kHz. With a minimum frequency of 56Hz, the Motion XT CI XTW6 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR's min frequency of 61Hz.

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 XT CI XTW6

Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR

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 XT CI XTW6 and Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Motion XT CI XTW6 sensitivity is rated at 91 dB and the Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR's is at 92 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR a more sensitive speaker compared to MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

In-wall Speakers

Motion XT CI XTW6

Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR

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 XT CI XTW5-LCR can handle a max power of 125 watts RMS, whereas Motion XT CI XTW6 has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 25 watts less than the Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR.

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 XT CI XTW6

MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

Motion XT CI XTW6 features Spring post type posts and Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR 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 XT CI XTW6's and MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR's external dimensions. MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6 has external dimensions of 258.0 x 178.0 x 88.0mm (10.1250-inch x 7.0000-inch x 3.4375-inch) whereas MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR has external dimensions of 166.0 x 369.0 x 85.0mm (6.5000-inch x 14.5000-inch x 3.3125-inch).

MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR is 92mm shorter and 3mm less deeper than MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6 but it is also 191mm wider.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6 and MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR in scale.

Comparison image of MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6 and MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR Size and External Dimensions

What's in the Box of MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of Motion XT CI XTW6:

In-wall loudspeaker
Grille
T20 torx-bit
User-feets Manual
Cutout Template

What's in the Box of MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR?

Here are the items that come with the Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR:

In-wall LCR loudspeaker
Grille
T20 torx-bit
User-feets Manual
Cutout Template

Reasons to choose MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6 over MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR

Woofer Size	6.5 inches vs 5.25 inches	Larger woofer
Low Frequency Response	56 Hz vs 61 Hz	Generates deeper bass
Base Surface Area	156cm² vs 313cm²	Takes less floor space
Price per pair*	1600USD vs 2200USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Reasons to choose MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR over MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6

Max Input Power	125 watts vs 100 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
Sensitivity	92 dB vs 91 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Number of Woofers	2 vs 1	More woofers
Height	166mm vs 258mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces

MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6 vs MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR
Brand	MartinLogan	MartinLogan
Speaker Type	Passive In-wall Speaker	Passive In-wall Speaker
Power Range	50-100 watts	50-125 watts
Sensitivity	91 dB	92 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Frequency Response	56-25kHz	61-25kHz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	2
Woofer Size	6.5"	5.25"
Woofer Composition	Kevlar	Kevlar
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	Rubber
Tweeter Size	1.27 x 2.4"	1.27 x 2.4"
Tweeter Type	Folded Motion Ribbon	Folded Motion Ribbon
Aimable Tweeter	No	Yes
Midrange Driver	No	No
Physical Specs
Height	258.0mm (10.2")	166.0mm (6.5")
Width	178.0mm (7")	369.0mm (14.5")
Depth	88.0mm (3.5")	85.0mm (3.3")
Weight	3.22kg (7.1lbs)	n/a
Enclosure	In-wall	In-wall
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	No	No
Other
Parts Warranty	5 Years	5 Years
Labor Warranty	5 Years	5 Years

Verdict

Siblings in MartinLogan's Motion XT series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	A	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6 digs deeper - 56Hz against 61Hz. A subwoofer would even that out.
Amplifier needs	evenly matched	Similar sensitivity (91dB vs 92dB) - both want much the same power.
Headroom	B	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR takes more power (125W vs 100W) - more in hand in a big room.
Size	depends	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6 is easier to place; MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Price	A	MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6 is cheaper - $1,600 against $2,200, about 27% less.

A MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6 B MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, placement 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?

Neither runs away with it - they trade advantages. Let the "depends" rows and your own room settle it. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 61Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW6 the better fit for near-field listening and a small room, and MartinLogan Motion XT CI XTW5-LCR 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.