MartinLogan has announced seven new Motion Series loudspeakers for music and home cinemas. The new line of modern, multi-application speakers uses the same technology as previous generations of the Motion Series, updated with a modern new design.

The Motion Legacy

The Motion Series is inspired by the performance of MartinLogan’s high end electrostatic loudspeakers and features their Folded Motion tweeter and hand-built crossovers.

Folded Motion® Tweeters

MartinLogan’s signature Folded Motion tweeter has an extremely low mass diaphragm that “squeezes” air, thus demanding significantly less excursion than the typical 1-inch dome tweeter. Its folded design allows for a much larger surface area (compared to that of a regular 1-inch dome tweeter), and, say, Martin Logan, “controlled dispersion characteristics and vanishingly low distortion”.

Motion 60XTi, 50XTi, and 35XTi feature Folded Motion XT tweeters, with a 40% larger radiating surface and 80×30-degree controlled dispersion.

Aluminum Cone Mid-Frequency And Bass Drivers

Custom built, low-distortion drivers pair high-power magnet structures with aluminum cone diaphragms. A unique concave dust cap design reinforces the strength and rigidity of the cone while reducing break up modes. The use of aluminum for cones maximizes rigidity and strength of the drivers without adding excessive weight. An added benefit of aluminum is its thermal conduction capability which allows cones to serve as efficient heat sinks for voice coils.  To deliver accuracy in the critical midrange, mid-frequency drivers feature a specially engineered “stiff” suspension.

Floorstanding Motion models utilise 2.5-way designs that feature woofers positioned low in the cabinet and close to the floor. This deliberate design addresses a phenomenon known as floor bounce where sound reflected off the floor (from drivers positioned high on a cabinet), and those aimed directly at the listener interfere with each other.

Proprietary Vojtko™ Crossover Networks

Premium Motion Series speakers feature proprietary Vojtko crossover networks using polypropylene and low-DF electrolytic capacitors, custom-wound inductors, and thermal and current protection. Vojtko crossovers are named after MartinLogan’s chief audio technologist, Joe Vojtko. His unique approach to crossover design is as big of a part of the “MartinLogan Sound” as are electrostatic and Folded Motion thin-film driver technologies. Vojtko crossovers are designed in such a way that all drivers are kept within their optimal frequency range and balanced with one another. The drivers themselves are as much a part of a Vojtko crossover as are capacitors and resistors. Before the design of any crossover begins, drivers are carefully selected or designed to operate within a very intentional frequency range and with precise and predictable performance parameters. Vojtko crossovers are always built from high-quality parts, and care is taken to avoid overly complex topologies. The final (and most critical) aspect of a Vojtko Crossover is that final voicing is conducted in a space that is indicative of a real-world environment.

Modern Design 

Discreetly hidden behind fabric wrapped magnetic grilles, the Folded Motion and aluminum cone drivers are held  in place beneath matte black trim that masks tweeter and woofer mounting hardware for a clean, modern aesthetic. Solid cabinets, designed to eliminate fidelity robbing vibrations, are constructed from 18mm (0.7-inch) MDF with 31mm (1.2-inch) thick front baffles. Motion 60XTi and 50XTi feature additional internal bracing.

These new Motion Series speakers are available in three finishes and matching metallic trim, gloss black with black grilles and gunmetal grey trim, matte white with silver grilles and silver trim, and red walnut with black grilles and champagne trim.

Custom 5-Way Tool-less Binding Posts

Gold-plated 5-way tool-less binding posts assure a stable connection while accommodating a wide range of connections. Select models feature two sets of binding posts accommodate bi-wire connections.

Floorstanding speakers:

Motion 60XTi:  Folded Motion® XT tweeter, 6.5-inch aluminum cone midrange driver, and dual 8-inch aluminum cone woofers with rear-firing bass ports. $1599.99/each (US) and $1,849.50/each (CAD) retail.

Motion 40i:  Folded Motion® tweeter, 5.5-inch aluminum cone midrange driver, and dual 6.5-inch aluminum cone woofers with a rear-firing bass port. $1,099.99/each (US) and $1,349.50/each (CAD) retail.

Motion 20i: Compact floorstanding speaker featuring a Folded Motion® tweeter and dual 5.5-inch aluminum cone woofers with a rear-firing bass port. $849.99/each (US) and $1,099.50/each (CAD) retail.

Bookshelf speakers:

Motion 35XTi: Folded Motion® XT tweeter and 6.5-inch aluminum cone woofer with a rear-firing bass port. $649.99/each (US) and $799.50/each (CAD) retail.

Motion 15i: Folded Motion® tweeter and 5.25-inch aluminum cone woofer with a rear-firing bass port. $399.99/each (US) and $499.50/each (CAD) retail.

Center channel speakers:

Motion 50XTi: Folded Motion® XT tweeter and dual 6.5-inch aluminum cone woofers with a rear-firing bass port. $999.99/each (US) and $1,199/each (CAD) retail.

Motion 30i: Folded Motion® tweeter and dual 5.5-inch aluminum cone woofers with a rear-firing bass port. $749.99/each (US) and $899/each (CAD) retail.

MartinLogan’s new Motion Series speakers will begin shipping October 2019.

PMC Distribution

PMC will be distributing the new Motion series in the UK from October, prices as follows (price per pair apart from centre speakers, which are priced singly):

UK MSRP (inc. VAT):

Motion 15i      bookshelf                     £795

Motion 35TXi  bookshelf                     £1195

Motion 30i      centre channel            £695

Motion 50TXi  centre channel            £945

Motion 20i        floorstanding                £1595

Motion 40i      floorstanding               £1995

Motion 60TXi  floorstanding               £2995

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