MartinLogan Motion 60XTi Floorstanding Speaker Gloss Black (Each) - $1119

Waiting for the Neolith to go on sale, currently $119,999.98 pair.

https://www.martinlogan.com/en/product/neolith

Waiting for the Neolith to go on sale, currently $119,999.98 pair.

https://www.martinlogan.com/en/product/neolith

Ok guys, ordered, received, tested.
(AMP: Y.A6A and Tellurium Q Blue II cables, with no digital processing. Room ~35m2 with simple dumping to reduce reverb. Opinion after 24h "warmup")


The words below are only my personal opinion and I hope no one feels offended if feel differently than I do about the speakers.

The 40i sound !!!...... unbalanced.
They are super bright. The highs and mid-tones are tremendous (as for the whole Martin Logan family. I compared them with ESLs which had even more extreme, but the same characteristics). Super precise and astonishing. The vocals sound spectacularly with a lot of details and warmth. Tenors produce nice voicing with characteristic male vibrato.
They do sound very pleasant, with a wide stage, and precise stereo positioning (noticeably worse than ESLs though).
Downside - bass and barytons. There is hardly any bass in them, unfortunately. It's hidden in the background and you have to look for particular notes with your ears.
I prefer when the speakers produce a soft melodic bass than spread on the ground creating a fundament for the rest of the music. Here - you need a well-adjusted subwoofer to pair with the 40i. (It's way, way, WAY better than the ESLs though. Which in my experience were super dull, and passive (especially with dynamic rock music) despite 8" woofer speaker they have! ).
I find 40i very nice overall speakers for the price, they are not as effective as Klipsch or Polks with typical "V-sound-shape". MLs are linear, correct, precise, and detail as hell. Much better positioned toward Average consumers with an audiophile approach than ESLs. However, there is still something missing in the lower register...

the bottom line:
+ Precision
+ Vocals
+ channel separation and staging
+ phenomenal high and mid tones (for the price range)
- Sound dynamics (in comparison to Focals Aria)
- much worse bass and barytons (where for me the Monitor Audio are the kings)


All in all, considering the size of my room I ordered 60XTs to verify and compare with 40i.
If only I don't receive a dozen of negative feedback after this review - I can write my conclusions as well.

Let me know if you have any questions.
Cheers!

Ok guys, ordered, received, tested.
(AMP: Y.A6A and Tellurium Q Blue II cables, with no digital processing. Room ~35m2 with simple dumping to reduce reverb. Opinion after 24h "warmup")

MartinLogan recommends minimum 80 hrs burn-in. The bass will open up after about 100-120 hrs in my experience, and no, subwoofer is not needed - if you're not getting enough bass, the cause of it is your amp, not the speakers.