Martin Logan Motion 35XTi Review

The American Brand Martin Logan Motion 35XTi shelf speakers were of interest to me because I always wanted to know what would happen if I sawed off half of the column. What I mean by this is that I have already listened to floor standers from this Motion series: the flagship 60XTi and the more suitable 40i for my room. And these floor standers on the facade of the HF / MF sections are separated by a decorative strip with a logo, below which are the LF drivers.

Those speakers sound with their own character, demonstrating the ability to control a massive low-frequency flow. But it's unlikely that such a trick will be possible with shelf speakers, if only because 35XTi doesn't have such a volume of case.

The front side of today's shelf speakers very strongly hints that Martin Logan simply took the "magpies" and took away the entire low-frequency section. And this, on the one hand, seems to be true for the reason that there are very similar drivers here. But on the other hand, this simply cannot be, right?

This “stripped down” case retains absolutely all the same features of the older models of the Motion series: a strong and very high-quality knocked-down case finished with natural veneer, a facade with a massive aluminum panel, the same drivers, dual terminals for bi-wiring and a huge phase inverter at the back.

At the bottom is a 16.5 cm mid-bass driver with an aluminum cone and a molded polypropylene basket, as close as possible to the one on the mid-range link in the 40i. However, in the "magpies," that driver works exclusively as a mid-range driver and is loaded on a closed chamber, but here the mid-bass driver works in a non-resonant asymmetric chamber with a phase inverter and covers the range from 50 to 2200 Hz.

The HF section is powered by Hale's signature Folded Motion transducer with a large membrane area, lightning-fast response, and an unprecedented low level of distortion, covering everything from 2200 to 25000 Hz. Still, Martin Logan, like no other, the dog was eaten in films that emit sound.

And from behind, of course, these bookshelf speakers already look completely immodest - a large phase inverter and powerful terminals look quite impressive and even a little redundant. It seems like small speaker in appearance, but there is a “fat” right behind, and this, of course, is cool, there is some kind of American style in it.

The only thing that discouraged me was the completely simple iron jumpers on the terminals. Well, not even gilded, but just pieces of iron! And this is somewhat insulting for an audiophile, because these speakers are not actually cinema speakers, but musical ones, they sound very interesting, it turns out. I just want to shout: “Hey, Yankees, what are you doing, clamped the gilding to an audiophile? It’s impossible, just give audiophiles that gilding and oxygen-free copper, otherwise the sound is not like that! In general, they screwed up, of course, and I don’t know if I can forgive them for this.

And as for the sound, there is a surprise: these bookshelves sound with the same characteristic pressure, sometimes giving out some unimaginable weight and scale at low frequencies, just like floor-standing speakers. But this happens somewhat selectively - if floor standers generally "inspire" all the time, then bookshelves are much more delicate in most situations, and this, in fact, makes them more interesting.

And yes, there won’t be that punch that pierces your tired chest, so they are also safer for squishy ones. "Thirty-fifths" turn out to be quite intelligent and even in sound, they, it seems to me, are more subordinate to the demonstration of the beauty of details and textures than unbridled power.

Although not everything is so simple with power - on some things where there is a strong low-frequency component, like Andrew Bird's Sisyphus, the 35XTi easily show a big and massive drum and a fat, confident bass guitar. And at the same time, the vocals remain light, airy, and very open, with an abundance of details and a clearly defined space.

And in general, the open nature of the sound is right about them, they literally breathe music. Small Motions do an excellent job of drawing a rather large volume, bringing the vocalist close enough to you (but not under your nose), and the general space of the stage not only easily diverges in breadth without constraint, but at the same time, it can easily go somewhere far inland, beyond the speakers.

These compact speakers with such drama and, I would even say, with some pathos draw an intro that appears from somewhere in the depths, and then with a sharp wave of Dima Zilpert's guitar, you are simply washed off the couch along with skepticism about the fact that “there are good speakers, and there are shelves. Very emotional, very driving!

Verdict

The bottom line, these are pretty versatile, capable speakers that won't be too demanding on your amp. They are not fatiguing at all - you can listen to them for a long time, they will not take up much space, and will not empty your pocket too much.

Product Link:

You Can Grab One At Amazon Here: https://amzn.to/3HlVuYk