New Center - 50XTI vs ESL-C?

[NorCalAnthony]

Obviously an apples to oranges comparison here but I just saw that the Motion 50XTI's are being closed out and can be had for $780 at Best Buy right now and the store nearest me also happens to have a NIB ESL-C for $1400 that a customer canceled and is being marked down because they aren't supposed to carry that model in their store (according to the sales guy). Unfortunately they had already sold their floor model 50XTI and wouldn't set up the ESL-C in their listening/demo room so I wasn't able to listen to either and compare them myself so I was hoping to hear some opinions/advice from folks who own these.

Currently I have a Motion 30 center channel that was fine with my in-ceiling surrounds (ML-62i and ML-67i) that I put in 6 years ago but since adding the SLM XL fronts and FX rears last year the 30's sounding like it isn't quite up to par any more so I've been thinking about upgrading it. I'm just not sure if the ESL-C would be worth the $600+ price jump with it being the only electromotion speaker in the room. The full system is a 5.2.4 (the speakers I mentioned plus a pair of SVS SB2000 Pro's) powered by a Denon 6700 and we mainly use everything for watching movies/TV with occasional music listening in an oddly shaped living room for reference.

 

[Robert D]

I'd buy the esl-c if i were you. $600 more is a small price to pay long term. Since you use your system mostly for home theater, you wont be wasting your money. The center channel is the most important speaker. The suggested retail of that speaker I see is $2000. That's a good deal as long as you get the full new warranty. Martin Logan stands behind their warranty. I have personal experience with that.

 

[Fidji99]

Think about it “not even 1 dollar per day difference over 2 years”

I would also go as high as possible with the level of C speaker.

 

[user 49612]

Dont buy the ESL C. I owned it and dont recommend it. Buy a 50 or better yet get one from the new motion lineup. THEY are good

 

[NorCalAnthony]

Thanks for the feed back so far everyone.

@TiBoneFramer what about the ESL C did you not like? In my searching around online I saw someone say something similar about it not being worth the price jump (better just not not substantially) but most of the reviews are from people using a full set of electromotions and nothing really center channel specific... And I did see the new Motion models but the 50XTI equivalent (XT C100?) is priced at $1500 and I hadn't been able to find many details about it yet that explains why it'd be worth twice the closeout price of the outgoing model.

 

[Robert D]

I personally use the Focus center channel and it's very good. Much better than my older Theater i i was using prior. I don't have experience with the others.

 

[user 49612]

Thanks for the feed back so far everyone.

@TiBoneFramer what about the ESL C did you not like? In my searching around online I saw someone say something similar about it not being worth the price jump (better just not not substantially) but most of the reviews are from people using a full set of electromotions and nothing really center channel specific... And I did see the new Motion models but the 50XTI equivalent (XT C100?) is priced at $1500 and I hadn't been able to find many details about it yet that explains why it'd be worth twice the closeout price of the outgoing model.

I have owned ESL C, Focus And no Illusion.

The best? Illusion. No question. My favorite? Focus. It’s true, I like the illusion better and Focus, but all I mean by this is Focus sounds the best per dollar. Wasn’t finicky and just plain sounded GREAT!

(to defend Illusion…bigger, betters sound. With ARC no competition. Wide seating area. The most clear, natural, controlled, real life center ever. Focus lacked dynamic and shear composure in comparison, as well as some magic. But angel the Illusion wrong, ARC incorrectly, or even without my calibration on it…plus price and SIZE…focus is the easy sell. Just works)

The one I DIDNT like was ESL C. No bass response (talking 150-80.) Vocals sound like they are coming from the back of the cabinet and making their way out. Lacked power. Single sweet spot unless really far back. Sounded stifled, easy over pushed.

Does that mean it’s a bad speaker? NO! I just don’t like it. It still sounds good, but I wouldn’t buy another. It’s for the person who has never heard ESLs, knows no better and just bought ESL X and C for their LCR.

The new Motion line is just fantastic. Cabinets, the drivers and crossover parts, and the tweeter, man the tweeter is great. You can get about 20% off MSRP if you use the right dealer, maybe better. So $1500 is my bet over $1300 that is not for me at all

 

[JonFo]

The recommendation is to match based on tweeter design / size, and given the rest of your speakers are folded-motion based, I'd say the 50XTi (on close-out) is the best value and match. The new C100 might be even better, but probably not worth the price delta.

 

[MisterB]

I’ve owned both (well, the older 50XT). Sold the 50XT to buy the ESL C. Call me crazy, but I preferred the 50XT. The ESL C sounds too laid back, too diffused for me. And like TiBone said, no bass. I actually cross it over at 90Hz to try and improve dialogue clarity. It absolutely does not match the performance of my 11A’s. Which I know it’s probably not supposed to being part of the ElectroMotion line rather than the Masterpiece line. Would love to upgrade to the Focus, but I don’t have the room for it. With room calibration, I do find the ESL’s blend well enough with the Folded Motion tweeters, but if the ESL C would be your only panel, I struggle to see any advantage of it over the 50XTi.

 

[codesx100]

I have to agree with as the others said. I had the old 50XT before going to ESL-C. Wish I never did. The 50XT was better. Go with the 50XTi and save up to get a C18 eventually. The C18 is a total game changer.

 

[Robert D]

Sounds like a definitive answer, go with the 50XT. Here is an idea, not sure what your space situation is like, you could buy two 50XTs and it would be about the same cost as the other speaker you were considering. If you have room, you can put one under the screen and one over top of it, or have two of them side by side. Just an idea. Thats a good price on those. Has anyone here ever run two of those? I know lots of people use two center channels. Ive never tried it before myself, but can see doing it in the future.
Also not sure if you have an amp for an extra speaker.

 

[Fidji99]

Sounds like a definitive answer, go with the 50XT. Here is an idea, not sure what your space situation is like, you could buy two 50XTs and it would be about the same cost as the other speaker you were considering. If you have room, you can put one under the screen and one over top of it, or have two of them side by side. Just an idea. Thats a good price on those. Has anyone here ever run two of those? I know lots of people use two center channels. Ive never tried it before myself, but can see doing it in the future.
Also not sure if you have an amp for an extra speaker.

There are endless discussions on this topic on AV forums. Consensus seems to be, that this is not something you want to do [side by side for sure not], unless you have AV processor capable of handling speaker arrays [basically having ability to send the same signal with its own trim/delay and EQ to multiple speakers]

XT50 is a fine speaker, proper placement and setup will help a long way to get the most out of it. I would suggest to experiment with sealed BR and put Xover at 80Hz