In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by MartinLogan. MartinLogan Motion® XT F200 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Motion XT C100 is a Center Channel speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MartinLogan Motion XT F200 and MartinLogan Motion XT C100 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | MartinLogan Motion XT F200 | MartinLogan Motion XT C100 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.25 x 2.4" Folded Motion XT | 1.25 x 2.4" Folded Motion XT |
|---|
| Midrange | 6.5" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 8" Aluminum | 2 x 6.5" Aluminum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 27-25k Hz | 42-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 92 dB | 93 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 5 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 20-600 watts | 20-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 39.00kg / 85.8lbs | 15.40kg / 33.9lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 50-3/4" x 13-3/4" x 16-1/2"
1289 x 349 x 419mm | 8" x 24" x 14-1/2"
203 x 610 x 368mm |
|---|
Motion XT F200 and Motion XT C100 are members of MartinLogan's Motion XT series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
MartinLogan Motion XT Series
History
What size room are the MartinLogan Motion XT F200 and MartinLogan Motion XT C100 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 |
MartinLogan Motion XT C100 |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| 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.
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through our links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Motion XT F200 is a 3-way design whereas the Motion XT C100 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 F200MartinLogan Motion XT C100
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 XT F200 |
MartinLogan Motion XT C100 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.25 x 2.4-inch
|
1.25 x 2.4-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6.5-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 8-inch
|
2 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 Motion XT C100 features a 1.25 x 2.4" Folded Motion XT Tweeter and 2 x 6.5" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 1300Hz and 2500Hz.
Frequency Response
Motion XT F200 has a frequency range of 27-25k Hz whereas Motion XT C100 has a frequency range of 42-25k 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 Motion XT C100's min frequency of 42Hz.
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 Motion XT C100 which has a nominal impedance of 5 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 Motion XT C100's is rated at 93 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the MartinLogan Motion XT C100 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 Motion XT C100 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
MartinLogan Motion XT C100
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Motion XT F200 and Motion XT C100 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
MartinLogan Motion XT C100's Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Motion XT F200 has a bottom firing port whereas Motion XT C100 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 MartinLogan Motion XT C100 with its rear-firing port.
New
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 MartinLogan Motion XT C100'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 MartinLogan Motion XT C100 has external dimensions of 203 x 610 x 368mm (8inch x 24inch x 14-1/2inch).
MartinLogan Motion XT C100 is 1086mm shorter and 51mm less deeper than MartinLogan Motion XT F200 but it is also 261mm wider.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of MartinLogan Motion XT F200 and MartinLogan Motion XT C100 in scale.
Comparison image of MartinLogan Motion XT F200 and MartinLogan Motion XT C100 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 MartinLogan Motion XT C100 is approximately 2244.8cm2 / 347.9inch2. The Motion XT F200 requires 35% less surface area than the Motion XT C100 which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.