in this video we're going to cover the vast choice of martinlogan motion speaker options to complete
your motion home theater system to read our full overview of the entire motion series be sure to
click the link down below to be taken to our full article on audioadvice.com now let's get started
if you're a lucky owner of a pair of martinlogan motion series towers or bookshelf speakers
and have been considering expanding into home theater you will be delighted to know martin logan
has you covered since their introduction in 2010 the motion series has delivered a pure transparent
sound their large electrostatics are famous for in a much more compact and cost effective package
one of the secrets is their folded motion tweeter design used in all of the models that gives you
that effortless sound of an electrostatic panel in a much more compact speaker martinlogan
also makes use of exotic materials super high quality crossovers and well-braced cabinets
this review is all about the other speakers you might consider adding to your main left and
right motion speakers to put together a perfectly matched home theater speaker system first we'll
start out with the center channel options in a home theater system the center channel speaker is
super important without a great center speaker you'll never be able to understand the dialogue
track if possible you'll get the most seamless sound stage across the front three channels
if the speakers are as close as possible to each other in design heck the ideal setup is to have
three of the exact same speakers across the front but for most people that is just not practical
the martinlogan motion lineup makes use of two different folded motion tweeters in the models
we think it's great they offer up two center channels with the different tweeters so you
have an exact match to the motion speakers you are using for your main left and right channels
for the motion models in the 40 20 or 15 series the motion 30i will be the center
speaker you should consider it has the same size folded motion tweeter as your main speakers
the dual five and a half inch woofers used are the exact same material as your speakers as well
they are aluminum cones with a vojtko crossover just like the one in your left and right speakers the
new i series offers up more finishes so you'll have a choice of gloss black matte white or red
walnut all with cosmetically matched fabric grills cabinet construction is super solid
on the 30i with internal bracing and the use of non-parallel walls to reduce cabinet resonance
vocals will sound just as effortless and free of any distortion as they do on your
main motion models with a sensitivity of 92db the 30i is very dynamic and able to handle some
of those large transients the audio engineers throw at the center channel from time to time
a side benefit of the cabinet design is you have two mounting choices the 30i has a flat
side and an angled side since it is a perfectly symmetrical design you can set it up either way
with zero change in performance but the different sides let you adjust it to your system setup
if it will be placed at or just slightly below ear level you want to put it on the flat
side on the other hand if you're placing it where most center channel speakers wind up
below ear level set it up on the angled side which will aim the sound up towards the listening area
and in either case be sure to use the little feet martinlogan includes with the speakers the 50xti
center channel uses the same larger motion tweeter found in the 60xt and 35xt series so if you have
one of these models for your main speakers this is without question the correct choice for you
just like the 30i you have the same cabinet finishes with the larger motion tweeter
the 50xti steps up to dual aluminum six and a half inch woofers with a bigger and even better
braced cabinet these offer bi-wiring as well which the 30i does not sensitivity jumps up to 94 db
which is pretty astounding for a center channel speaker dynamics really come to life with the 50xti
and that bigger motion tweeter just sounds so effortless some of you with the 20 40
or 15 models may wonder if the 50xti is a better choice than the exact matching 30i if you have the
room in the budget we would say yes using the level settings in your home theater receiver you'll
be able to account for its higher sensitivity and while the tweeter is not an exact match
we feel what you give up in the perfect match is made up for with its increased deep bass and
dynamic capabilities with dolby atmos and its incredible object-based surround sound surround
speakers are more important than ever martinlogan has a large range of choices with something for
just about any situation for dolby atmos you need at least one pair of lower surround speakers and
one pair of upper atmos speakers ideally you would have two pairs of lower and two pairs of upper
atmos speakers for a super immersive experience for the lower surround speakers they can be
either a stand mounted bookshelf type speaker a wall mounted smaller speaker or an in-wall
architectural speaker martinlogan has two stand mounted choices if you have the space in your room
using one of the martinlogan bookshelf speakers in the motion lineup is just a great choice either
the 15i or the 35xti are fantastic and on a solid speaker stand will serve up great surround sound
effects you can check out our guide to speaker placement on audioadvice.com to find the best
location for them depending on how many immersive surround sound channels you plan to go with
if space is at a premium or you'd like to spend a little less on the surround speakers the motion 4i
or 2i wall mounted speakers can be a good option these are fairly thin models that use the folded
motion tweeter and are much less expensive than the 15i or 35xti bookshelf speakers one thing
we really like about these is they have a pretty slick wall mounting bracket that is included with
the speaker ideally you want the lower level surround speakers to be close to ear level
but if the way your room lays out precludes this and you need to put them up higher the bracket
provides up to 30 degrees of tilt for those of you who want to make the surround speakers disappear
martinlogan gives you an in-wall architectural option with the electromotion iw martinlogan
has packed a lot of the same tech from the bigger motion speakers into the electromotion iw you'll
get the folded motion tweeter and an aluminum cone six and a half inch woofer these are perfect for
mounting on the sides as your main surrounds or even better add another pair in addition for rear
surrounds with the same driver tech used in the motion models you'll have a fantastic acoustic
match in the perfect world the upper dolby atmos speakers will be mounted in your ceiling firing
down towards your listening area for many people though this is just not practical as it requires
getting wiring into the ceiling this caused a new category of speakers to emerge that sit on
top of your main front or rear speakers and aim the sound up at the ceiling to have it bounce
back down into the listening area home theater receiver companies have made adaptions for this
new type of speaker in the software and you now tell your home theater receiver if you're using
the atmos speakers that aim up or ones that are mounted in the ceiling the martinlogan
afx comes to the rescue with their version of this speaker type and guess what yes it uses
the same great folded motion tweeter for another match to the rest of your martin logan speakers
the only caveat with the afx it is currently only comes in a glossy black finish so it might
not be a perfect match cosmetically if you have one of the new i models in a different color
we do have to say on a flat ceiling these work really well for dolby atmos upper effects
just sit them on top of your motion speakers make a quick connection and you'll have dolby
atmos in your home theater if you're able to get the wiring to your ceiling the electromotion r
is just a fantastic dolby atmos speaker it uses an eight inch aluminum cone with the folding motion
tweeter and has a vojtko crossover found in the other motion models the 8-inch woofer can put out
some seriously deep bass with a sensitivity of 92 db this guy can rock the drivers are angled inside
the enclosure so you can perfectly aim it at your listening position for amazing dolby atmos effects
we feel the electromotion r is the very best choice for a dolby atmos height speaker if you
own motion speakers you just have to be able to get wiring up to your ceiling and cut it in making
it more practical for new home theater build outs the electromotion ic is another in-ceiling model
that is great for dolby atmos if the electromotion r is pushing your budget it is basically the same
speaker with a six and a half inch aluminum woofer instead of the eight inch found in the r model
the folding motion tweeter is identical and you also get the same vojtko crossover they're a
little less dynamic with a sensity of 90 db but for small to medium-sized rooms they work great
as you can tell from all of these different choices martinlogan makes it
super easy to put together a perfectly matched home theater speaker system
no matter what kind of room limitations you may have in your space they are likely to have
a solution the sound you will get from a motion home theater system is something to be experienced
those folded motion tweeters are so fast and effortless that you'll be smiling ear to ear
as special effects whirl around your room dialogue from either of the center channels
is superb as well the final icing on the home theater cake is one or more subwoofers
we were so impressed with the martinlogan subwoofers we did a complete video on them you
can check out on our channel with the link below if you're beginning to plan out your home theater
be sure and check out our free home theater design tool on audioadvice.com and feel free
to reach out to us with any questions you have about what will work best in your room thanks
for watching if you enjoyed this video be sure to give it a like and subscribe to our channel to get
all the latest high-performance home audio and home theater content we'll see you next time you