MartinLogan Motion 40i Theater System Review

Admittedly, their products sit outside of my budget, so I was over the moon to be able to finally get my hands and most importantly my ears on this set. And oh boy (spoiler alert), they are something. The revamped Motion Series is inspired by the performance of their ultra-high-end electrostatic loudspeaker and will be at home in a music or home cinema set up. All speakers in this line-up feature MartinLogan’s cutting edge Folded Motion tweeter and hand-built crossovers. Their dedicated in-house engineering and design teams utilize the latest, most advanced, innovative technologies in this category. Needless to say, getting to do this review was pretty much a lottery win for me.

If you haven’t heard of MartinLogan you’ve either been living under a rock or just not into hi-fi. You simply can’t miss their Masterpiece Series, electrostatic speakers. They are like nothing you’ve ever seen before. In my case nothing I’ve ever heard before either. The top tier speaker is the price of a hot-hatch and out of my price range. Fortunately, MartinLogan has other ranges that are more affordable. One of them, the Motion Series, is a more affordable range that lets you sample a slice of what MartinLogan has to offer. As part of this review I was sent; the Motion 40i floor-standers, the Motion 30i center channel, Motion 15i bookshelf taking care of the surround duties and the hefty Dynamo 1100X 12” subwoofer for the low end. MartinLogan’s Motion Series 40 Tower Speakers were previously reviewed by our staff writer Francisco Licon back in 2017 for a music-based set-up which you can read here. 

I had the opportunity to review this new set in both music and cinema configurations. The new Motion Series speakers are available in three luxurious 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-colored trim. The speakers arrived in a High Gloss Black finish as I was secretly hoping they would. There’s something sleek and sexy about high gloss finishes. It also elevates the usually humdrum nature of big chunky boxes.

The Motion Series of speakers sit just below MartinLogan’s electrostatic speaker line-up aiming to deliver a similarly high-level of performance but at a more affordable price tag. This newly released line is a case of evolution versus revolution. The previous Motion line-up has sold incredibly well and has been met with rave reviews so rather than mess with a good thing, MartinLogan has made aesthetic changes to the new line up. The Folded Motion Transducers remain the same as do the crossovers.

New to this range is the aesthetic overhaul and concave dust cap design that reinforce the rigidity of the midrange drivers. Two of the new models (60XTi and 50XTi not part of this review) received additional internal bracing. All of the speakers in the Motion i line feature cabinets with slightly tapered tops. This gives the impression that the speakers focus on pointing the sound towards the listeners head. In actuality, you can configure the 30i model to suit your listening position. Place the tapered side down to point them up towards you. Pretty nifty.

Introducing first (Bruce Buffer voice) the Motion 40i Floorstanding speaker! It’s still a relatively slim speaker with a small footprint given the power that it packs. It features the Folded Motion® tweeter, a 5.5-inch aluminum cone midrange driver, and dual 6.5-inch aluminum cone woofers with a rear-firing bass port located at the very bottom of the speaker. It stands at 42.49” H x 7.56” W x 12.81” D and weighs in at 45lbs. It’s recommended amplifier power is 20-300 watts.

On a recent trip to NYC, I took the opportunity to check out a local Best Buy which carried the previous Motion line-up, to get a sense of what was to come. The Motion 40s they had on display were a mid-sized, all-black affair and I was impressed with their stature. The Motion 40i that I received looked aesthetically different due to their updated grilles. Gone were the heavy looking metal grilles in place were two separate magnetic fabric grilles with plastic bracing. The upper grille covers the midrange driver and tweeter, and the other is for the two bass drivers. The upper grille features a cut-out portion where the tweeter resides. With the grilles off, which I preferred, has the 40i looking fairly similar to their previous iteration, save for the logo which is now stamped in a full-width gunmetal grey strip. 

The smaller double-woofer design is said to produce a vibrant, clean and accurate deep bass. My current floor standers are the B&W 683 which also feature aluminum bass drivers. The B&W 683 doesn’t sound overly metallic so I’m curious to see if the Motion 40i follows suit. The aluminum bass drivers also feature a unique concave dust cap design that reinforces the strength and rigidity of the cone. MartinLogan refers to it as the ‘Rigid Structured Dust Cap’.

Motion 40i is said to deliver a classic broad soundstage of the Motion Series from a newly designed enclosure enhanced by the ‘slightest of modifications’, including the drive-stabilizing dust cap design, stiffened motor suspension, and low-mounted woofers to reduce an acoustically harmful 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. According to MartinLogan, without addressing these issues, listeners would experience bloated bass and fluctuations in sound levels throughout the critical midrange frequencies. It is believed therefore that the Motion 40i delivers a flat, balanced response through the bass and midrange regions, enhancing vocals and bass instruments. 

Two sets of binding posts accommodate bi-wire connections to increase signal carrying conductors and allow each portion of the crossover to be directly coupled to the amplifier. The speaker’s enclosure sports a reinforced baffle and a fabric grille. Although there are advantages to bi-wiring and bi-amping, for my theatre set-up I opted for a single wire.

The Folded Motion® tweeter and aluminum cone drivers are held securely in place beneath a matte black trim that masks the tweeter and woofer mounting hardware for a clean, modern aesthetic. The solid cabinets are constructed from 18mm (0.7-inch) MDF with 31mm (1.2-inch) thick front baffles and are finished in a classy high gloss finish.

Taking on the surround duties are a pair of the Motion 15i monitor speakers. Each featuring, you guessed it, a Folded Motion® tweeter and a 5.25-inch aluminum cone woofer, concave dust cap, and a rear-firing bass port. These are high-performance and designed to deliver refined sound with stunning dynamic range and ‘jaw-dropping’ clarity. The speaker’s cabinet sports a reinforced baffle and is finished with the same fabric grille. Each Motion 15i measures 11.42” H x 6.81” W x 9.38” D and weighs 12 lbs.

To complete the theater package, the addition of the Dynamo 1100X subwoofer. The Dynamo features a 12-inch high-excursion polypropylene driver with an inverted surround and cast aluminum basket. A built-in Class-D amplifier generates 650 watts of power and can knock out 1,300 watts (peak) when called upon. It’s a sealed cabinet design and rated to dive down to 22Hz (±3dB). Given that it’s not ported, it is built to be configured in a front or down-firing position and you can switch between said configurations without tools!

The subwoofer can be controlled via an app that is free to download on your smartphone (iOS and Android). Anthem Room Correction (ARC®) is also onboard should you choose to use it. You can also pick up an SWT-X Wireless Receiver & Transmitter (sold separately) and make the sub a wireless affair. Compared to my B&W 610 it’s a monster, completely dwarfing it in size. I set the subwoofer to ‘local’ and let calibration be handled by my receiver. 

Unboxing the speakers was a cinch. The Motion 40i weighs just 45 lbs., ten pounds less than my B&W 683 s1. After gently bringing the boxes down to my theatre room, I was able to unpack and position them by myself. The 30i and 15i arrived in smaller boxes and were light. The Dynamo 1100X Subwoofer arrived in a large box and weighs 46 lbs. The box dimensions made the subwoofer a tad harder to move around but not bad either. The speakers were connected via banana plugs to my Marantz sr6009 receiver. The Motion 40i pair were placed about 2 meters apart on either side of my wood media unit. The 30i center speaker was placed dead center on top of the media unit, just below my wall-mounted tv. The unit is about 19” high placing it a bit below ear height – setting the speaker with the angled bottom, tilts the face upwards so that it fires directly towards my listening position. The Dynamo 1100X was placed in the front left corner of my room in the downward-firing position. 

MartinLogan recommends a solid 90hrs of break-in time, and luckily, I was heading up to the cottage for the weekend. So, once I had everything set up and calibrated, I left it running on HBO for the weekend.

Well damn. Seriously. Damn! I wasn’t sure what to expect honestly. I love my B&W S1 set up – 683 as fronts, 686 as rears, HTM 61 as the center, and a 610 for the low end. It plays loud and although the bass is solid, the one drawback is the center. The HTM 61 is a massive center featuring the same FST midrange cone as the 683 towers, but as much as I hate to admit, it doesn’t quite fit. I had to increase the overall volume of the center channel to compensate for the lack of clarity. Conversely, re-calibrating for the MartinLogan set-up, I had to bring the center level back down with the Motion 30i. The overall cohesion of the Motion 40i in the package is startlingly good. Dialogue is extremely clear, I think in part due to the Folded Motion® tweeters throughout. Added to that, the equally sized drivers on the 30i and midrange driver on the 40i. 

For a musical biopic, there were a lot of quiet scenes. The contrast between the loud and quiet is this movie was extreme, but not once did I need to adjust the volume up or down to compensate. The cohesion between the speakers was remarkable. It was a fully immersive sound experience. The recreated Live Aid scene at the end of the movie just rocked. The vocals, instruments, and effects were artfully controlled, and I got lost in the movie.  

Thanks to my daughter Winnie, I’ve seen this over 100 times, so what’s one more with a new system. Well, it’s a better movie now, from the opening moments to the most frenetic scenes and the excellent score from Daniel Pemberton. Everything sounded better. Part of the credit must go to the improved cohesion of the center channel to the floorstanders and yes, the more powerful Dynamo 1100X dug noticeably deeper than I previously heard. But something more, I found myself less aware of what speakers were doing and where they were. I was merely watching, immersed, listening and enjoying the ride.

Seriously how would I not review a theatre package without Endgame? I bought this on iTunes and streamed it through my Apple TV 2. My obvious nerd bias aside, it’s a monumental action-packed blockbuster. I made sure to check my subwoofer levels before getting this one going. When Captain Marvel flies the marooned Tony Stark back to Avengers HQ in the opening moments of the movie, the rumble nearly took all of the hanging pictures off the walls. I lowered the volume of the sub -4db on my control app to avoid any further rattling. There were lots of dynamic moments, the Motion theatre package skillfully handled the explosive scenes and transitioned to the quiet moments with ease. The sound was never overly bright if anything it was marginally restrained, which bodes well for long periods of listening without any fatigue. As I write this, just off to the left of center, I note how articulate the sound remains. Perhaps not as clear and focused as it is in the calibrated sweet spot, but noteworthy how well the system is balanced.

I tried the first half of the movie with the B&W 610 in place and watched again with the Dynamo 1100X. The Dynamo easily bested my B&W 610 as far as extension and clarity. It also sounded and felt bigger and added greater depth to the presentation without muddying up the bottom end. For Endgame, it was just what the doctor ordered. I’m not sure how I’m going to go back. Ignorance truly is bliss sometimes. 

Ivy Lab x Two Fingers “Orange”

I love Ivy Lab. I also hate them so much. Every time I hear one of their tracks it makes me rethink my music-making prowess. Orange is a stomper of a track that gets your head bobbing. The drums and bass are highlighted well on this system. 

Benny L “Vanta Black (instrumental)”

I simply couldn’t resist. Honestly, it wouldn’t be a review without some future bass. And I held off on playing this until the system was properly warmed up. Boy was I glad I did. The 40i floor standers backed by the Dynamo 1100x pounded out this tune until my wife couldn’t take it anymore and ‘politely’ asked me to turn it down. The kids were sleeping after all. Well, they were.

Nuyorican Soul “Nuyorican Soul”

For a hoot, a took the Motion 15i pair over to my DJ set up to see how they handled some music. As expected, they retain that natural and neutral character of the 40i but with a smaller soundstage. They performed admirably with the Nuyorican Soul LP, presenting a detailed image with lots of energy and clarity. The low end had a respectable weight, for all that the 5.25-inch driver could muster.

This isn’t a budget system. It’s a step-up from my entry-level system and all in will run you about five grand (CAD) all in. Should a 12-inch 650-watt sub be too big for your listening room you could save a few bucks and get a smaller sub, you’re in luck MartinLogan offers them too. What you get is a serious value for your money. Beautiful, thoughtfully designed speakers with a sound that begs you to plant yourself on the couch and watch movies for hours on end. And that might be the only negative point, you might need to budget in the additional cost of a personal trainer, to get your ass off the couch. 

The updated Motion 40i system truly is a spectacular package. It blows away my current set-up in terms of cohesion and clarity without sounding clinical and sacrificing the fun. And at the end of the day, a fun system is what you want when you’re at the movies. I found myself simply watching, enjoying, and not picking apart what I thought I was hearing. The highlight for me was how the Motion 40i disappeared and let the sound take center stage.