MartinLogan Motion 20i is a 2-way Passive Bass Reflex Floor-standing speaker by MartinLogan. It features a 1.0 x 1.4" Folded Motion Tweeter and 2 x 5.5" Aluminum Woofer. The speaker has a frequency range of 46-25k Hz and a sensitivity of 90 dB. MartinLogan 20i has an MSRP of 2000$ per pair but can often be found around 1600$ per pair.
Room Size Suitability
The size of the room where you plan to use the MartinLogan 20i is a crucial factor in your decision. We have assessed its suitability for various room sizes based on its dimensions and maximum power output:
| Listening Environment* |
Suitability |
| Near-field | Bad |
| Small Room | Poor |
| Mid-size Room | Good |
| Large Room | Good |
| Very Large Room | 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.)
MartinLogan's Motion Series of Loudspeakers
Motion 20i is a member of MartinLogan's Motion series of Passive speakers. Below you can see the main specs of these speakers.
MartinLogan Motion Series Speakers
MartinLogan Motion Series Speakers
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Frequency Response of the MartinLogan 20i Speaker
MartinLogan 20i has a Frequency response range of 46-25k Hz at ±3dB and Power Range of 20-200 watts. With a minimum frequency of 46 Hz, Motion 20i delivers moderate bass depth so depending on your use case, you might want to consider adding a subwoofer to your system.
To focus on the subwoofers that are in a similar price range with MartinLogan 20i, check out the Powered Subwoofers under $2000. Alternatively, find the Full list of Powered Subwoofers regardless of the price.
Here we have a comparison of how Motion 20i's Low and High frequency values compare with the average, max and min Low and High frequency values in its class.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
High Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Among the speakers in our database with a max MSRP price of 2000$ (Pair), these are the 5 Passive Floor-standing speakers that have the deeper bass levels than the MartinLogan 20i's 46Hz:
MartinLogan 20i's Folded Motion Tweeter
Crossover frequency of the MartinLogan 20i?
The Crossover frequency of the Motion 20i is set to 500Hz and 2600Hz. This is the threshold frequency where the higher frequency signals over this level are sent to the tweeter and the lower-frequency signals are sent to the woofer by the crossover component.
MartinLogan 20i Crossover is set to 500Hz and 2600Hz
Impedance and Sensitivity
MartinLogan 20i's nominal impedance level is
4 ohms and has a sensitivity of
90 dB.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Nominal Impedance of the 4 Ohms means that the MartinLogan Motion 20i is a difficult to drive speaker from nominal Impedance perspective, make sure that you choose an amplifier than can provide 4 Ohms for this speaker.
Many AVRs (audio/video receiver) in the market may have difficulty when the speakers dip below the 4 Ohms levels (this may cause clipping or even physical damage), so we recommend to not pair the MartinLogan Motion 20i with an AVR but use an Integrated Amplifier instead.
Sensitivity
90dB of the MartinLogan Motion 20i is an average sensitivity for stereo speaker so it is neither easy nor difficult to drive Sensitivity wise.
Check the amplifiers that are in a similar price range to the MartinLogan 20i:
Input Type
Motion 20i has Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts type connectors and lets bi-amping/bi-wiring. Bi-wiring can enhance the overall transparency of your loudspeakers by using separate speaker wires for the low and high-frequency drivers from a single amplifier. Bi-amping, on the other hand, involves using separate amplifiers for the high and low-frequency drivers, potentially resulting in a greater dynamic range and reduced distortion.
MartinLogan 20i Back View
MartinLogan 20i's Custom 5-way bi-wire tool-less binding posts terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Recommended Break In
Allow 72 hours of break-in at 90 dB.
MartinLogan 20i External Dimensions and Weight
MartinLogan 20i has external dimensions of (Height x Width x Depth) 35-5/8 x 6-7/8 x 12-1/16inch (905.0 x 175.0 x 307.0mm ).
Base Surface Area
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base area of MartinLogan 20i is approximately 537.3cm2 / 83.3inch2.
To get a better perspective on the real life size of MartinLogan 20i, let's compare it with a standard size Compact Disc which has a diameter of 4.7inch (120mm).
MartinLogan 20i Speaker Size Compared to a Compact Disc
Here we place the MartinLogan 20i virtually next to a standard width amplifier and turntable on a media center to get a better idea about the size.
MartinLogan 20i Floor-standing Speaker next to a Media Stand
WeightThe MartinLogan 20i weighs 15.00kg / 33lbs per piece. Here is a comparison of how Motion 20i's weight compares with the average, max and min weights in its class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
Weight
Floor-standing Speakers under $2000
How does the MartinLogan 20i compare to the MartinLogan Motion 40i?
One of the natural alternative to the MartinLogan 20i is the Motion 40i which is located one step higher in MartinLogan's Passive Floor-standing selection.
Here is a scaled size comparison of these two speakers to give you an idea how their external dimensions compare:
Comparison image of MartinLogan 20i and MartinLogan 40i Size and External Dimensions
Check the Detailed Comparison of MartinLogan 20i vs Motion 40i for more details.
Cabinet type and Materials
MartinLogan 20i has a
Bass Reflex type cabinet and a MDF/Lacquer finish. Bass Reflex type loudspeakers (aka Ported, Vented or Reflex Port) have enclosures that uses a port, hole or vent cut into the cabinet. Ported designs are generally more efficient than the Sealed designs.
MartinLogan 20i - Side View
Speaker Feet
MartinLogan 20i comes with the parts below which you can use to secure your loudspeaker on the surface that you are putting on:
4 Rubber feet (pre-installed) 4 Spike feet (w/ nuts attached) It is always recommended to use some kind of feet under all types of speakers. Besides limiting the movement of the speakers, it also compensates for non-flat surfaces and limits the contact surface area of the speaker. Rubber based feet also help isolating the vibrations within certain frequency ranges.
Port Position
MartinLogan 20i is a rear-firing port speaker so you have to make sure you leave enough space between the back of the speaker and wall or bookshelf so that it has room to breathe.
Available colors
MartinLogan 20i is available in Gloss Black, Matt White and Red Walnut.
MartinLogan 20i Colors
Does the MartinLogan 20i come with a Grille?
Motion 20i comes with magnetic grilles. The purpose of the grille is to protect the delicate driver elements from external impacts while still allowing the sound to pass as clearly as possible. Since the included grille of the Motion 20i is magnetic type, it is very easy to put it on and off.
MartinLogan 20i with Grille
What's in the Box of MartinLogan 20i?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Motion 20i:
Floorstanding loudspeaker2 Grilles4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)4 Spike feet (w/ nuts attached)Users ManualWarranty/Registration Information
Recommended Accessories
Here is a list of accessories that we think you may need for the MartinLogan Motion 20i.
User's Manual
For more information about how to setup, use and maintain the MartinLogan Motion 20i, use the direct link below to download the official manual document:
Download User Manual for MartinLogan 20i
Official Brochure
Here is a link to download the official brochure for the MartinLogan Motion 20i speaker:
Official Brochure for MartinLogan 20i
Official Product Page
Official manufacturer's product page for the MartinLogan Motion 20i speaker can be found below:
Official Product Page for MartinLogan 20i
Warranty
5 Years of parts warranty and 5 Years of labor warranty is generally provided by the manufacturer.