In this review, we will be comparing Motion XT F200 and R11, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from MartinLogan and KEF.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MartinLogan Motion XT F200 and KEF R11 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | MartinLogan Motion XT F200 | KEF R11 |
|---|
| Brand | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 | KEF
United Kingdom · founded 1961 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Uni-Q driver | — | 12th Generation Uni-Q |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.25 x 2.4" Folded Motion XT | 1" Dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | 5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 8" Aluminum | 4 x 6.5" Hybrid Aluminum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 27-25k Hz | 46-28k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-600 watts | 15-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 39.00kg / 85.8lbs | 37.70kg / 82.9lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 50-3/4" x 13-3/4" x 16-1/2"
1289 x 349 x 419mm | 51-3/16" x 12-1/4" x 15-5/16"
1301.0 x 312.0 x 389.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the MartinLogan Motion XT F200 and KEF R11 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 F200 |
KEF R11 |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
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 XT F200 and R11 are 3-way speakers.
MartinLogan Motion XT F200KEF R11
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
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 F200 |
KEF R11 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.25 x 2.4-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
1 x 5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 8-inch
|
4 x 6.5-inch
|
Motion XT F200 features a 1.25 x 2.4" Folded Motion XT Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 3 x 8" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 300Hz and 2600Hz. On the other hand, the R11 features a 1" aluminum Dome Tweeter, a 5" Midrange and 4 x 6.5" Hybrid Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 400Hz and 2900Hz.
Frequency Response
Motion XT F200 has a frequency range of 27-25k Hz whereas R11 has a frequency range of 46-28k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 27Hz, the Motion XT F200 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the R11's min frequency of 46Hz.
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 XT F200 is a 4 ohms speaker compared to the R11 which has a nominal impedance of 8 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 XT F200 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Motion XT F200 sensitivity is rated at 92 dB and the R11's is rated at 90 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the MartinLogan Motion XT F200 a more sensitive speaker compared to KEF R11, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
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 XT F200 can handle a max power of 600 watts RMS, whereas R11 has a max power handling value of 300 watts RMS, 300 watts less than the Motion XT F200.
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 XT F200
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Motion XT F200 and R11 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
MartinLogan Motion XT F200's Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
KEF R11's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Motion XT F200 has a bottom firing port whereas R11 has a rear firing ports. MartinLogan Motion XT F200's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to KEF R11 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 XT F200's and KEF R11's external dimensions. MartinLogan Motion XT F200 has external dimensions of 1289 x 349 x 419mm (50-3/4inch x 13-3/4inch x 16-1/2inch) whereas KEF R11 has external dimensions of 1301.0 x 312.0 x 389.0mm (51-3/16 x 12-1/4 x 15-5/16inch).
KEF R11 is 37mm narrower and 30mm less deeper than MartinLogan Motion XT F200 but it is also 12mm taller.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of MartinLogan Motion XT F200 and KEF R11 in scale.
Comparison image of MartinLogan Motion XT F200 and KEF R11 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 XT F200 is approximately 1462.3cm2 / 226.7inch2 and base area of the KEF R11 is approximately 1213.7cm2 / 188.1inch2. The Motion XT F200 requires 20% more surface area than the R11 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 XT F200 weighs 39.00kg / 85.8lbs and the KEF R11 weighs 37.70kg / 82.9lbs. This makes the Motion XT F200 3% heavier than the R11.
Here is a comparison of how Motion XT F200 and R11's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
MartinLogan Motion XT F200
What's in the Box of KEF R11?
Here are the items that come with the R11:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 2 Foam port plugs
- 4 Outrigger feet
- 4 Spikes
- 4 Protective discs
- 4 Screws
- 4 Washers
- Wrench
- Hex-key
- User Manual
- Warranty Information
 Max Input Power |
600 watts
vs
300 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
92 dB
vs
90 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Woofer Size |
8 inches
vs
6.5 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
27 Hz
vs
46 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Height |
1289mm
vs
1301mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
5498USD
vs
6000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
|
Number of Woofers |
4
vs
3
|
More woofers |
 High Frequency Response |
28k Hz
vs
25k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Base Surface Area |
1213cm2
vs
1462cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
MartinLogan Motion® XT F200 |
KEF R11 |
| Brand |
MartinLogan |
KEF |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
20-600 watts |
15-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
92 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
n/a |
3.2 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
27-25k Hz |
46-28k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
3 |
4 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
6.5" |
| Woofer Composition |
Aluminum |
Hybrid Aluminum |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.25 x 2.4" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Folded Motion XT |
Dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6.5" |
5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
300Hz and 2600Hz |
400Hz and 2900Hz |
| Firing Direction |
bottom |
rear |
| Suggested Break-in Period |
Allow 72 hours of break-in |
n/a |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1289.0mm (50.7") |
1301.0mm (51.2") |
| Width |
349.0mm (13.7") |
312.0mm (12.3") |
| Depth |
419.0mm (16.5") |
389.0mm (15.3") |
| Weight |
39.00kg (85.8lbs) |
37.70kg (82.9lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood veneer |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Gloss Black, Walnut, and Satin White |
Black Gloss, White Gloss, Walnut |
| 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 |
A generation apart: MartinLogan Motion XT F200 is the newer design, against a 2018 model. Newer is not automatically better, but the older one is more likely to be discounted or near run-out.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | MartinLogan Motion XT F200 digs deeper - 27Hz against 46Hz. |
| Amplifier needs | A | MartinLogan Motion XT F200 is more sensitive (92dB vs 90dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | B | KEF R11 is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom | A | MartinLogan Motion XT F200 takes more power (600W vs 300W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | depends | MartinLogan Motion XT F200: bi-amping; KEF R11: bi-amping. |
| Price | evenly matched | Much the same money ($5,498 vs $6,000 a pair). |
A MartinLogan Motion XT F200 B KEF R11
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 XT F200 has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 46Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate MartinLogan Motion XT F200 the better fit for a very large room; elsewhere the two are rated the same.
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.