In this review, we will be comparing Silver 500 7G and Motion 60XTi, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Monitor Audio and MartinLogan.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and MartinLogan 60XTi first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G | MartinLogan 60XTi |
|---|
| Brand | Monitor Audio
United Kingdom · founded 1972 | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II | 1.25 x 2.4" Folded Motion XT |
|---|
| Midrange | 3" | 6.5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8" C-CAM RST II | 2 x 8" Aluminum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 27-35k Hz | 35-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90.5 dB | 94 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 80-250 watts | 20-400 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 22.53kg / 49.6lbs | 30.00kg / 66lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 42-11/16" x 12-11/16" x 15-7/16"
1085.0 x 323.0 x 393.0mm | 46-3/16" x 9-1/16" x 15-9/16"
1174.0 x 231.0 x 396.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and MartinLogan 60XTi 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* |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G |
MartinLogan 60XTi |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
Good |
(* 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 Silver 500 7G and Motion 60XTi are 3-way speakers.
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7GMartinLogan 60XTi
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G |
MartinLogan 60XTi |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1.25 x 2.4-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 3-inch |
1 x 6.5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
2 x 8-inch
|
Silver 500 7G features a 1" gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II Tweeter, a 3" Midrange and 2 x 8" C-CAM RST II Woofer. On the other hand, the Motion 60XTi features a 1.25 x 2.4" Folded Motion XT Tweeter, a 6.5" Midrange and 2 x 8" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 400Hz and 2200Hz.
Frequency Response
Silver 500 7G has a frequency range of 27-35k Hz whereas Motion 60XTi has a frequency range of 35-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 27Hz, the Silver 500 7G can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Motion 60XTi's min frequency of 35Hz.
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
Silver 500 7G is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the Motion 60XTi which has a nominal impedance of 4 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 60XTi can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Silver 500 7G sensitivity is rated at 90.5 dB and the Motion 60XTi's is rated at 94 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the MartinLogan 60XTi a more sensitive speaker compared to Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G, 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 60XTi can handle a max power of 400 watts RMS, whereas Silver 500 7G has a max power handling value of 250 watts RMS, 150 watts less than the Motion 60XTi.
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.
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Silver 500 7G and Motion 60XTi features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
MartinLogan 60XTi's Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Silver 500 7G and Motion 60XTi have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
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 Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G's and MartinLogan 60XTi's external dimensions. Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G has external dimensions of 1085.0 x 323.0 x 393.0mm (42-11/16 x 12-11/16 x 15-7/16inch) whereas MartinLogan 60XTi has external dimensions of 1174.0 x 231.0 x 396.0mm (46-3/16 x 9-1/16 x 15-9/16inch).
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is 89mm shorter and 3mm less deeper than MartinLogan 60XTi but it is also 92mm wider.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and MartinLogan 60XTi in scale.
Comparison image of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G and MartinLogan 60XTi 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 Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is approximately 1269.4cm2 / 196.8inch2 and base area of the MartinLogan 60XTi is approximately 914.8cm2 / 141.8inch2. The Silver 500 7G requires 39% more surface area than the Motion 60XTi 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 Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G weighs 22.53kg / 49.6lbs and the MartinLogan 60XTi weighs 30.00kg / 66lbs. This makes the Motion 60XTi 33% heavier than the Silver 500 7G.
Here is a comparison of how Silver 500 7G and Motion 60XTi's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G
What's in the Box of Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Silver 500 7G:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Outrigger feet
- 4 Rubber feet (pre-installed on outrigger feet)
- 4 Spikes
- 4 Bolts
- 4 Machine screws
- 2 Foam port plugs
- 2 Hex-keys
- Owners Manual
- Important Safety Instructions
What's in the Box of MartinLogan 60XTi?
Here are the items that come with the Motion 60XTi:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- 2 Grilles
- 4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)
- 4 Spike feet (w/ nuts attached)
- 2 Feet stabizers
- 4 Bolts
- Hex-key
- Users Manual
- Warranty/Registration Information
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Low Frequency Response |
27 Hz
vs
35 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 High Frequency Response |
35k Hz
vs
25k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
1085mm
vs
1174mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Price per pair* |
3200USD
vs
3750USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Max Input Power |
400 watts
vs
250 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Sensitivity |
94 dB
vs
91 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
 Base Surface Area |
914cm2
vs
1269cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G |
MartinLogan Motion 60XTi |
| Brand |
Monitor Audio |
MartinLogan |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
80-250 watts |
20-400 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90.5 dB |
94 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
4 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
27-35k Hz |
35-25k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
C-CAM RST II |
Aluminum |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1.25 x 2.4" |
| Tweeter Type |
gold dome C-CAM with Uniform Dispersion (UD) Waveguide II |
Folded Motion XT |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
3" |
6.5" |
| Crossover Frequency |
n/a |
400Hz and 2200Hz |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
| Suggested Break-in Period |
n/a |
Allow 72 hours of break-in at 90 dB |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1085.0mm (42.7") |
1174.0mm (46.2") |
| Width |
323.0mm (12.7") |
231.0mm (9.1") |
| Depth |
393.0mm (15.5") |
396.0mm (15.6") |
| Weight |
22.53kg (49.6lbs) |
30.00kg (66lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
MDF/Wood veneer |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Oak |
Gloss Black, Matt White, Red 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 |
No single best speaker here - they are built to different priorities, and the right one depends on your room, your amplifier and what you listen to.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G digs deeper - 27Hz against 35Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | B | MartinLogan 60XTi is more sensitive (94dB vs 91dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | A | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom | B | MartinLogan 60XTi takes more power (400W vs 250W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | MartinLogan 60XTi is easier to place; Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | depends | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G: bi-amping; MartinLogan 60XTi: bi-amping. MartinLogan 60XTi sits in a wider range (18 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | A | Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G is cheaper - $3,200 against $3,750, about 15% less. |
A Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G B MartinLogan 60XTi
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?
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 35Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate MartinLogan 60XTi 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.