Motion Series - speaker review - 2.1

[Jungle Jack]

Hello,
These do seem perfect Speakers for Height Speakers for Audyssey DSX or PLIIZ in an existing all ESL 5.1 setup.
Cheers,
JJ

 

[magic12kenneth]

Thanks Dave for the suggestion. That is one option or I go for Gallo Strada. How's the sound quality when listening in low-volume?

Ken

 

[hobbes2702]

Kenneth,

I know you had some question on avsforum.com. I posted my review over there but I will think it here as well in case you missed it. I covered a few of your specific question. Here is the link

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1209469&page=2

 

[hobbes2702]

I know some don't like to link so here is my review in full. Keep in mind that I had know way of adding extra amplification to the speakers so it was only the receivers powering them.

Speaker Brand: Martin Logan
Speaker Model: Motion 12
Equipment: Onkyo TX-NR3007, Pioneer SC-27, Denon AVR-4310, Onkyo TX-SR807, Pioneer VSX-21TXH, Denon AVR-2310
Test Material (Music): Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile, Al Green - Lay It Down, Yo-Yo Ma - Classic Yo-Yo, Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms, Kings of Leon - Only By The Night, Band of Horses - Cease to Begin, Wolfmother - Wolfmother

So I tested these mostly with music. I gave them a run through with a few movies but this is mostly a music review. I have been waiting for these speakers to break in so I can really get a feel for them and I gotta say I was pretty impressed.

I started a little soft with some Yo-Yo Ma. This recording is a great indication of the midrange that a speaker can do. I was extremely impressed. The mids were incredibly clear as were the highs. I have heard that the knock on these is their bass response but I was very happy with it. It was clear and tight and did not overpower the music as a deftech speaker would for example. I then went to the Nine Inch Nails and while I understand what people are saying about the bass on a song like this that is why you have a separate sub. ON this recording the bass was lacking. I have heard the same recording on the Prefaces and they performed better in the bass department but their mids and highs were no match for the clarity that the Motion 12 showed. And in my opinion the Prefaces were always a little bit boomy in the bass. I then went on to some Kings of Leon, Band of Horses and Wolfmother. Band of Horses really showed how much these speakers can shine. For those who don't know Band of Horses plays a kind of alt-country and it really shined. Mids and highs again were just amazingly clear for a speaker in this price range and the imaging was much better than you would expect. Again the bass was clean and tight and if you are really looking for pure sound in your music these did a great job without a sub. I used a Rel T-2 and found it to be a little to much for these speakers and overall I liked the sound much better without the sub on this style of music. Overall these speakers gave a very live feel to most music which is something you don't usually find in a speaker in this price range. There was just an incredible amount of depth in the sound for a 750 dollar speaker. I, for one, was impressed to say the least.

One question I have heard is how would they perform with different speakers and this was one thing that concerned me going in also. Martin Logan has traditionally been very power hungry despite the company saying that any receiver will do fine. These however seemed to do fine with most receivers but it appears they will also be slightly power hungry although not as much so as the Prefaces or any of the ESL speakers. The lower model Onkyo and Pioneer performed well and still gave a very good sound considering their relatively low power numbers. The Denon however struggled but in my opinion this is more a problem with this years Denon models than the speakers as even the 4310 was noticeably worse than the comparable Onkyo and Pioneer models. Overall though they performed pretty well with most of the receivers but as always more power is going to mean more sound.

Another question was about low volume listening but that is a knock that I just don't understand. The speakers did really open up at higher volumes but what speakers aren't that way. The low volume listening in my opinion sounded about how it should. I had no problem with it and personally felt that it was pretty comparable at low volumes to most speakers I have heard. I certainly would cite that as a negative of the speaker.

I listened to a few movies and the speakers did well for that also but of course a sub will be necessary. Any regular movie watcher will need a sub with almost any set but these seemed to need a sub really matched to them more than most speakers.

Overall I was very pleased with what I heard from the speakers. A little light on the bass for rap or electronic music and movies but other than that a very live and pure sound. If anyone is looking for a versatile speaker that will sound good with many different components and isn't looking to break their bank than this is a good way to go. These were quite impressive and I would highly recommend them to my customers and you all. Great speaker for the price and in my opinion are a better overall sound than the comparable Prefaces also from Martin Logan.

 

[twich54]

Alright the Motion's and Sub are all packed up and ready to ship back to M/L.......so where's my buddy Tim's (MiTT) review of his 5.1 set-up ?? did I miss it ??

 

[MiTT]

I'm still trying to work on it, but I've been busy looking after my folks and closing Q1 at the office. Maybe I can get it finished this weekend....

 

[JMAUSGP]

I got the Motion 4s this weekend and replaced a coulple of Bose 161s that were in the back room system.

As I think it has already been said, the Motion 4s are really good for the money. A bit light in the bass, but with a sub woofer, they shine in the upper registers and provide that clear, airey sound.

For movies and music in multi-channel they really are amazing for the money.

 

[jdmfish]

Alright the Motion's and Sub are all packed up and ready to ship back to M/L.......so where's my buddy Tim's (MiTT) review of his 5.1 set-up ?? did I miss it ??

Just curious - any reason these are going back? Were they loaned to you for the review?

I'm seriously considering these (M4's) and a sub for my 2.1 as well.


EDIT: Found in another thread that you and MiTT got to review them.. :banghead:

I know you like them, would you buy them if you had $500 to purchase a pair of speakers? What other speakers ~$600, would you also consider? This is for just myself, in a small apartment.

 

[JMAUSGP]

If you go to a Best Buy with a Magnolia Room, you can listen to the Motion 4 and match it up against like priced speakers.

That way your ears can tell you what your heart wants to know.

 

[twich54]

would you buy them if you had $500 to purchase a pair of speakers?

Truthfully I'd save my money till I could afford a sub to go with these, or start out with them knowing as funds permit you'll need to add a sub. The combination that I listened to msrp'd for $1500 I believe.

What other speakers ~$600, would you also consider?

Can't honestly say because I haven't listened to any others in that range lately, FWIW though I bought my Totem Arro's as a 'demo' from my dealer for $600 a couple years back, I consider them to be a very fine 'small foorprint' pair of speakers.

This is for just myself, in a small apartment.

Again, FWIW, 'Tonepub' found the Motion 4's to perform admirably in a small enviroment, regardless I'd still add a sub.

 

[jdmfish]

Truthfully I'd save my money till I could afford a sub to go with these, or start out with them knowing as funds permit you'll need to add a sub. The combination that I listened to msrp'd for $1500 I believe.



Can't honestly say because I haven't listened to any others in that range lately, FWIW though I bought my Totem Arro's as a 'demo' from my dealer for $600 a couple years back, I consider them to be a very fine 'small foorprint' pair of speakers.



Again, FWIW, 'Tonepub' found the Motion 4's to perform admirably in a small enviroment, regardless I'd still add a sub.

I will be adding a small sub, regardless, though I was planning on a 8" model (HSU, etc.)

I like the non-traditional look, a lot, not that there's anything wrong with the traditional look, either. I have a few non-BestBuy ML dealers I plan on going to, but I'm still in the "research" part of the game.



Thanks for your time. :cheers:

 

[Jungle Jack]

Hello,
Speaking of Best Buy's, many BB/Magnolia's are blowing out the Prefaces for as little as 600 Dollars a pair. (1500 MSRP) In addition, some BB/Magnolia's are heavily discounting Sources as well.

Definitely trust your ears, but the Preface and Source are much more expensive Speakers with the Source even being an Electrostatic Model for prices not much higher than the Motion. Especially in the case of the Prefaces being blown out for 900 Dollars off. Certainly worth to call and see if there are either of these Models available in your area.
Cheers,
JJ

 

[tonepub]

Truthfully I'd save my money till I could afford a sub to go with these, or start out with them knowing as funds permit you'll need to add a sub. The combination that I listened to msrp'd for $1500 I believe.



Can't honestly say because I haven't listened to any others in that range lately, FWIW though I bought my Totem Arro's as a 'demo' from my dealer for $600 a couple years back, I consider them to be a very fine 'small foorprint' pair of speakers.



Again, FWIW, 'Tonepub' found the Motion 4's to perform admirably in a small enviroment, regardless I'd still add a sub.

I'd still add a sub too and said so in the review.

The ACI sapphires are great, but ACI is no longer in business. And those are much bigger speakers that really need a $600 pair of Sound Anchors to sound their best, so it's getting considerably more expensive than a pair of Motion 4's...

 

[jdmfish]

Thanks guys.

 

[slowGEEZR]

...
The ACI sapphires are great, but ACI is no longer in business. ...

Oh, say it ain't so. I guess I shoulda bought that demo pair for $1100, at RMAF.

 

[esquire415]

Pardon the ignorance but I've gone on hiatus so I have been behind when it comes to Martin Logans. I was at Best Buy/Magnolia last week in San Carlos and I notice that they no longer carry the Fresco i, Preface and other speaker models of Martin Logans. I don't know how long it has been but they were carrying these smaller, more conventional looking speakers from ML. Just learned that they came out with the new Motion series. So is this new Folded Motion transducers replacing the ATF transducers and that's why they are discontinuing the other models? Is this "new" technology an advancement of the ATF? I really like the looks of the Mosaic and the Fresco (I think the Preface looks ugly but at $600/pr is quite a bargain...i may be too late for the party but there may still be some Frescoes out there) and maybe ML will revive those models to utilize the Folded Motion technology.

 

[SteveInNC]

So is this new Folded Motion transducers replacing the ATF transducers and that's why they are discontinuing the other models? Is this "new" technology an advancement of the ATF?

From all appearances, the Folded Motion transducer is the same technology as the Heil Air Motion Transformer, which has been around at least since the late 70s/early 80s. ML even quotes the same "8 times surface area" of a conventional cone/dome speaker associated with the AMT. I still own some ESS AMT-1C speakers from that period. Heils are very efficient, but some say that they're too bright. I imagine that ML has improved on the design and probably addressed that issue.

I'm less enamored of the Folded Motion Cascading Bass Port - it looks an awful lot like the snake oil that Bose has been pushing for years. I am not a speaker designer however, so appearances may be deceiving.

Heil actually had an AMT version of a bass driver - it was used on the ESS "Transar" line of speakers, but required a large physical space to implement, and frankly wasn't that impressive in terms of delivering punch. It had a transducer at the bottom that pushed four rods up through a stack of emitter elements, with each emitter having a forward and backward output, looking somewhat like two clamshells stacked in an "S" orientation, facing opposite directions with a membrane between the two cups.

edit: I found a picture of a Transar at Audio Asylum. For scale, it's about five feet (1.5 meters) tall:

The thing at the top-center is the conventional mid/high-range AMT. The things under that are the stacked clamshell emitters for the bass driver. The box at the bottom is the driver that pushes the rods for the bass driver(s).

For some reason, the image won't display in-line despite "IMG" tags, oh well.