MartinLogan Motion Series 2023 Guide

MartinLogan was born over 40 years ago with the goal of building a better electrostatic speaker. Previously electrostatic transducers could really only effectively deliver sound to one person in a room, as they had tight, highly sensitive crossovers. MartinLogan created an innovative curved design which allowed better sonic dispersion through space. MartinLogan expanded that innovation with the creation of the Monolith, a hybrid loudspeaker which featured a curved electrostatic panel and a 12” dynamic woofer, and delivered the best aspects of electrostatic and dynamic drivers in one unit. 

MartinLogan’s bread and butter has always been electrostatic and hybrid floorstanding speakers, but as they innovated over time, they introduced a number of different options for home theater. The recently updated 2023 Motion and Motion XT lines epitomizes MartinLogan’s innovation and expansion of their speaker line. The core technology in both is the Folded Motion Tweeter (FMT) and the Folded Motion Waveguide, which are designed to provide the sort of fast, resolving treble and extension associated with electrostatic speakers.

Motion 2023 Series

If you’re looking to move beyond “home theater in a box” style speakers, the Motion Series is a great entry point into high end audio as the most affordable line of MartinLogan high performance loudspeakers. The key components used in the Motion 2023 series are the Gen2 Obsidian FMT, Woven Fiberglass Midrange, and Aluminum Bass Drivers.

The F10 and F20 are the two floorstanding models in the Motion Series, with the F20 being the biggest and most capable speaker in the Motion Series. Its larger cabinet has improved acoustic properties, and it also houses two 6.5” Aluminum Bass Drivers which deliver a powerful dynamic low-end and bass extension down to 35Hz. The F10 features a similar driver configuration in a smaller package – with the biggest difference being that the F10’s bass drivers are 5.5” instead of 6.5” and the bass comes up just short of the F20, extending down 38Hz.

The Motion Series is rounded out with the C10, B10, and MP10. The C10 is a center channel specifically designed to complement the F10 and F20 in a surround sound configuration, with 2 5.5” Woven Fiberglass midrange drivers and the Gen2 Obsidian FMT. For a smaller space, the B10 uses the same 5.5” midrange driver and FMT in a simple bookshelf design. You can use them by themselves (preferably with a subwoofer) or as a side or rear channel. If you’re looking specifically for a bookshelf sized speaker to serve as side or rear channels for your surround system, the MP10 uses the same drivers as the B10, but in a smaller cabinet with the option for wall mounted or angled setups.

Motion XT 2023 Series

Motion XT provides the pinnacle of MartinLogan dynamic driver based loudspeakers. The Folded Motion XT Tweeter provides the closest thing to the extension and transparency of electrostatic treble, without a fully electrostatic design, and the midrange is further upgraded with Nomex Kevlar Cone drivers.

F200 and F100 take the basic ideas from the Motion Series, and refine the core technology into something bigger and better. F100 features three 6.5” aluminum bass drivers along with the 6.5” Nomex-Kevlar midrange and the Gen2 Obsidian Folded Motion XT Tweeter. F200 focuses on extending the dynamics and low-end performance in general, with three 8” bass drivers that deliver exceptionally forceful and clear low-end all the way down to nearly subwoofer levels at 27Hz.

For smaller spaces B100 provides a bookshelf option which uses the midrange driver and tweeter of the F100 without the low-end drivers. B100 is highly capable in a standalone setup for a two-channel desktop or smaller listening space (preferably with a subwoofer), and is well balanced for use as a rear channel in a surround system with the F100 or F200. C100 uses the same tech to provide a perfect center channel complement in a Motion XT Setup.

The Bottom Line

40 years after they launched their first speakers, MartinLogan hasn’t stopped innovating, and the Motion and Motion XT series are a great example of that. Even down to the MP10 at the $499, MartinLogan is building on the technology that they developed for their flagship loudspeakers costing tens of thousands of dollars. If you’re looking to upgrade your two-channel or surround system, MartinLogan makes a strong argument for choosing the Motion and Motion XT series to transform your listening space.