In this review, we will be comparing Motion XT F200 and RP-8000F II, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from MartinLogan and Klipsch.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MartinLogan Motion XT F200 and Klipsch RP-8000F II first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | MartinLogan Motion XT F200 | Klipsch RP-8000F II |
|---|
| Brand | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 | Klipsch
United States · founded 1946 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.25 x 2.4" Folded Motion XT | 1" Tractrix Horn |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 8" Aluminum | 2 x 8" Cerametallic cone |
|---|
| Frequency response | 27-25k Hz | 32-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 98 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-600 watts | up to 150 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 39.00kg / 85.8lbs | 28.00kg / 61.6lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 50-3/4" x 13-3/4" x 16-1/2"
1289 x 349 x 419mm | 43-3/16" x 10-7/8" x 17-9/16"
1097.0 x 277.0 x 447.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the MartinLogan Motion XT F200 and Klipsch RP-8000F II 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 |
Klipsch RP-8000F II |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
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 XT F200 is a 3-way design whereas the RP-8000F II 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 XT F200Klipsch RP-8000F II
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 |
Klipsch RP-8000F II |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.25 x 2.4-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 8-inch
|
2 x 8-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 RP-8000F II features a 1" titanium Tractrix Horn Tweeter and 2 x 8" Cerametallic cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 1630 Hz.
Frequency Response
Motion XT F200 has a frequency range of 27-25k Hz whereas RP-8000F II has a frequency range of 32-25k 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 RP-8000F II's min frequency of 32Hz.
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 RP-8000F II 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 RP-8000F II's is rated at 98 dB. This 6 dB difference makes the Klipsch RP-8000F II a more sensitive speaker compared to MartinLogan Motion XT F200, 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 RP-8000F II has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 450 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 RP-8000F II 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
Klipsch RP-8000F II's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Motion XT F200 has a bottom firing port whereas RP-8000F II 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 Klipsch RP-8000F II 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 Klipsch RP-8000F II'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 Klipsch RP-8000F II has external dimensions of 1097.0 x 277.0 x 447.0mm (43-3/16 x 10-7/8 x 17-9/16inch).
Klipsch RP-8000F II is 72mm narrower and 192mm shorter than MartinLogan Motion XT F200 but it is also 28mm deeper.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of MartinLogan Motion XT F200 and Klipsch RP-8000F II in scale.
Comparison image of MartinLogan Motion XT F200 and Klipsch RP-8000F II 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 Klipsch RP-8000F II is approximately 1238.2cm2 / 191.9inch2. The Motion XT F200 requires 18% more surface area than the RP-8000F II 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 Klipsch RP-8000F II weighs 28.00kg / 61.6lbs. This makes the Motion XT F200 39% heavier than the RP-8000F II.
Here is a comparison of how Motion XT F200 and RP-8000F II'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 Klipsch RP-8000F II?
Here are the items that come with the RP-8000F II:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Stabilizer feet (pre-installed)
- Grille
- 2 Terminal jumpers (pre-installed)
- Rubber cap (pre-installed)
- User Manual
- Important Safety Instructions
- Warranty Information
 Max Input Power |
600 watts
vs
150 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
|
Low Frequency Response |
27 Hz
vs
32 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Sensitivity |
98 dB
vs
92 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Dolby Atmos Drivers |
Optional
vs
No
|
Dolby Atmos Compatibility |
 Height |
1097mm
vs
1289mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1238cm2
vs
1462cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
1798USD
vs
5498USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
MartinLogan Motion® XT F200 |
Klipsch Reference Premiere RP-8000F II |
| Brand |
MartinLogan |
Klipsch |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
20-600 watts |
up to 150 watts |
| Sensitivity |
92 dB |
98 dB |
| Impedance |
4 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
27-25k Hz |
32-25k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
3 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
Aluminum |
Cerametallic cone |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1.25 x 2.4" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Folded Motion XT |
Tractrix Horn |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6.5" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
300Hz and 2600Hz |
1630 Hz |
| Firing Direction |
bottom |
rear |
| Suggested Break-in Period |
Allow 72 hours of break-in |
n/a |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1289.0mm (50.7") |
1097.0mm (43.2") |
| Width |
349.0mm (13.7") |
277.0mm (10.9") |
| Depth |
419.0mm (16.5") |
447.0mm (17.6") |
| Weight |
39.00kg (85.8lbs) |
28.00kg (61.6lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood veneer |
MDF/Wood-grain vinyl |
| Available Colors |
Gloss Black, Walnut, and Satin White |
Walnut, Black |
| 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 |
These sit in different price classes - MartinLogan Motion XT F200 costs roughly 3.1x what Klipsch RP-8000F II does. Expect it to lead on paper; the question is whether the gap is audible enough in your room to be worth it.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | MartinLogan Motion XT F200 digs deeper - 27Hz against 32Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | B | Klipsch RP-8000F II is more sensitive (98dB vs 92dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | B | Klipsch RP-8000F II 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 150W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Klipsch RP-8000F II is easier to place; MartinLogan Motion XT F200 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | B | MartinLogan Motion XT F200: bi-amping; Klipsch RP-8000F II: bi-amping and Atmos drivers. Klipsch RP-8000F II sits in a wider range (10 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | B | Klipsch RP-8000F II is cheaper - $1,798 against $5,498, about 67% less; arguably a different class. |
A MartinLogan Motion XT F200 B Klipsch RP-8000F II
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?
Klipsch RP-8000F II 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 32Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper Klipsch RP-8000F II much easier to justify. Match it to your room: we rate MartinLogan Motion XT F200 the better fit for a very large room, and Klipsch RP-8000F II for a mid-size 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.