Seeking ML Motion system advice

[akgrown]

Greetings,

I'm currently in the market for home theater speakers, and after a few in-person evaluations at local hi-fi stores, I really enjoyed the ML Motion series when compared to DefTech ProCinema, GoldenEar SS 3 and 50, and Paradigm MilleniaOne systems. Speakers are definitely subjective, so no offense to anyone who may own those other systems or think less of the ML Motions - to my particular ears, they just sounded cleaner and more pure. The particular configuration I heard was a Motion 8 surrounded by Motion 4s in the front, and then ML ceiling speakers (not sure which model) in the rear.

I found this forum in hopes that someone could offer advice on the optimal configuration for a 5 speaker Motion system (I already have a couple subs, so just looking for 5.0). In particular, I'm considering the following options:

1) 1x Motion 8, 2x Motion 4 (front), 2x Motion 4 (rear)
2) 3x Motion 8 (L/C/R), 2x Motion 4 (rear)
3) Same two options above but substituting Motion FX in the rear

The room is 20' long and 18' wide, and has 10' ceilings, but also opens up on one side for a hallway/stairs. Due to existing wiring from previous owners, my plan is to mount the surrounds near the ceilings in the corners. Probably not ideal, but critical for ease of install and (more importantly) wife approval.

If anyone has opinions/advice on which configuration of the Motion speakers would suit me best, or other options to consider, I'd really appreciate it. In particular, I'd love to know if anyone has ever used the Motion 8s as L/C/R (curious if it affects the imaging, whether the L/R should be mounted vertically or horizontally for the best soundstage, and whether they're worth the extra cost over the 4s), and weighing the Motion FX vs Motion 4 for rear surrounds.

Thanks!

 

[twich54]

ak, welcome to the group.

You have a good size room, will your budget allow for larger front (L/R) speakers ? say Motion 20's or 40's perhaps ?

 

[akgrown]

Thanks, Dave! My budget would probably allow for a pair of used Motion 20s, but I'm not sure if I can get the wife to sign off on floor standing speakers. I had been looking at wall-mounted speakers both to facilitate wife approval and to keep them out of reach of our two year-old and our second child who is due this summer. That said, I will admit I was looking at Motion 10s and 20s last night... Do you feel like I will be underwhelmed by the 4s or 8s given the room size? Thanks again.

 

[JordanD]

Well there are the EFX which are wall mounting ESL's. Which if the budget will allow, would be a really good compromise. If not I would say use the Motion 8s for the L/R/C and do FX for rear. But what are you going to do about a sub woofer?

 

[akgrown]

Hi Jordan - unfortunately the EFX line is definitely out of my budget (but they do look sweet). Hopefully someone will chime in on the approach you mention (using 8s across the front) with regards to tweeter orientation and vertical vs. horizontal mounting in the L/R positions.

For subs, I have two options. One is an SVS SB-12 Plus, the other is from the now-defunct Elemental Designs and is their A3-300 with an upgraded 13" driver. The SVS sub is the more nuanced/musical option, and the ED sub is the one that feels like it might crack your ribs on certain movies. I plan to try each of them out with whichever system I install to see which performs the best with the room and speakers.

 

[JordanD]

Well as far as orientation goes the FMT is a more vertical dispersion if you are looking at the M8 laying down horizontally. So if you are mounting them vertically the dispersion will be more horizontal. It really depends on how the room in oriented in relation to speaker placement. The good news is that the speaker mounts that are supplied with the M8s do give you a little bit of play in terms of aiming the speakers so getting a more direct sound to the seated area should not be a big problem.

 

[twich54]

Do you feel like I will be underwhelmed by the 4s or 8s given the room size? Thanks again.

yes I do, my guess is there are decent offerings in the used market for 10's or 20's.......take the wife out to dinner, buy her some flowers......then remind her who is 'King of the Castle' !!

 

[akgrown]

Well as far as orientation goes the FMT is a more vertical dispersion if you are looking at the M8 laying down horizontally. So if you are mounting them vertically the dispersion will be more horizontal. It really depends on how the room in oriented in relation to speaker placement. The good news is that the speaker mounts that are supplied with the M8s do give you a little bit of play in terms of aiming the speakers so getting a more direct sound to the seated area should not be a big problem.

This is great information, thank you. I suppose a little trial-and-error never hurt, either, but the info you've provided on the dispersion characteristics is really helpful in the event I go with the M8s!

 

[akgrown]

yes I do, my guess is there are decent offerings in the used market for 10's or 20's.......take the wife out to dinner, buy her some flowers......then remind her who is 'King of the Castle' !!

Lol - yeah, she gives me a pretty wide berth on selecting home theater gear, so in return I try to keep her in the loop and pick my battles carefully. Those Motion 20s are really tempting though, and, as an added bonus, would put the L/R tweeters pretty much right in-line with the center channel based on where everything would be sitting. Can't go wrong with bigger/better/faster, right? In a couple of weeks I'll probably be looking at electrostatic panels...budget be damned.

Btw, just checked out your system - amazing. I'm intrigued by your turntable...I have an old B&O turntable that went tango uniform a while back and have been meaning to either get it repaired or find a replacement...never seen anything like your Aries 3 before. I have a small vinyl collection but really enjoy going "analog" on occasion. Cheers.

 

[akgrown]

Quick update - decided to go for the Motion 12s as my front L/R speakers. At $299/ea, seemed like a great bang for the buck deal. Still planning on Motion 8 center, and undecided about the rear surrounds.

 

[MickeyVee]

I have Motion 4's for my rears and they are surprisingly good.
Just for giggles when I got them, I disconnected my Vista's, hooked up the 4's and ran them in 2 ch mode with my Grotto i. Not bad at all and I'm seriously considering a setup like that for a budget basement system.