Those wanting to use somewhat higher quality cables need to be sure they are terminated with banana plugs. The Motion 4’s have some recessed binding posts that are easy to get at if you are stringing something similar to zip cord or the basic upgraded wire that a lot of home installers use. I would highly suggest one of these to round out a full range system based around the Motion speakers, whether it is two-channel or multi channel. Suffice to say for now, it’s another home run from MartinLogan, providing outstanding performance, value and perfect integration for the Motion 4’s. I also made use of one of their new Dynamo 700 wireless subwoofers that we will feature a detailed review on soon. The Motion 4’s also have a mounting flange for wall mounting, which should prove handy in a compact surround sound system. I used the speakers about 9 feet apart (2 feet from the side walls, 18 inches from the rear wall) on a pair of carbon fiber Whitworth stands, with a tiny bit of blu-tack between the speakers’ base and that of the stands. I used these speakers exclusively in my living room system to see how well they would work in a small environment. The Motion 4 has a rated sensitivity of 90db/1watt, but it is very easy to drive. Only about 5 x 5 inches and just over a foot tall, MartinLogan managed to stuff a 4 inch woofer with a folded bass port into this tiny, curvy enclosure along with the new tweeter. Because of its folded ribbon nature, this tweeter has the speed of a panel speaker, offering the transparency that MartinLogan is famous for, but in a much smaller form factor. The air motion driver has made a big comeback in the past ten years, showing up in flagship speakers from Dali and Burmester to name a few. While MartinLogan is well known for their electrostat speakers, they have been making great strides with their ATF planar tweeters over the past few years, the Motion series uses the same air motion technology for their tweeter that was made famous by ESS in the 1970’s. But at last year’s CEDIA convention, there was something that really blew me away, the final prototypes of MartinLogan’s new Motion series, especially when I saw how tiny they were. It’s always tough to hear anything decently at a show, even if the room is set up fairly well. I must admit, I’m almost never impressed with what I hear at audio shows, and it’s not for the manufacturers’ lack of trying.
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