Motion 12

Powerful floorstanding speaker with a Folded Motion™ tweeter, dipole mid-range, ported dual woofers, and black real-wood veneer.

Launched in 2010

Price when discontinued:
$1,199.95

Press

MartinLogan Motion 12 7.1 Loudspeaker System Review

"Music just flows through this system. Effortlessly. Detail galore with a very smooth top end. You can crank this system very loud...The MartinLogan Motion 12 7.1 loudspeaker system, however, is worth every single cent of its asking price"

—Chris Boylan, 4/4
Read the full review»


MartinLogan Motion Speaker System Reviewed

"I was impressed by just how comfortable these speakers were playing at high volumes, and in fact often sounded better at these levels. If you want a home theater and music system to rock on a budget, these are speakers to seriously check out. Their high efficiency and low impedance help them maximize output from receivers, allowing one to have the volume and dynamics found in truly great home theaters and music systems at a budget price."

—Dr. Ken Taraszka, Home Theater Review
Read the full review»


Awards

Specifications

Specifications are subject to change without notice

Frequency Response

40-25kHz

Recommended Amplifier Power

20-300 watts
per channel

Nominal Impedance

4 ohms. Compatible with 4, 6 or 8 ohm rated amplifiers.

Vertical Dispersion

80° x 80°

Sensitivity

92 dB @ 2.83 V/m

High Frequency Driver

1" x 1.4" (2.6cm x 3.6cm) Folded Motion™ Tweeter
with 5.25" x 1.75" (13.3cm x 4.4cm) diaphragm.

Crossover Frequency

300 Hz & 3.0 kHz

Low Frequency Driver

Two 6.5" (16.5cm) paper cones with cast aluminum baskets.

Cabinet

Ported with dipole mid-range

Low Frequency Driver Properties

Non-resonant asymmetrical chamber format.

Midrange Driver

5.25" (13.3cm) dipole paper cone with cast aluminum baskets.

Crossover Components

Custom air core coil and low DCR steel laminate inductors. Polyester film capacitors in series and low DF electrolytic capacitors in parallel. Overall system thermal/current protection.

Binding Post Inputs

Push style with banana jacks

Weight

36 lbs. (16.3 kg)

Dimensions

42.8" x 7" x 14.1"
(108.7cm x 17.8cm x 35.8cm)

Customer Reviews For Motion 12

Please, Sign in or Sign up to add comments.

Cal Nielsen

  • Thursday, December 29, 2016

Incredible
A friend of mine gave me a pair of Motion 12's that needed a new midrange because of shipping damage. I purchased a new driver with the help of their excellent customer service for a very reasonable price and I hooked them up and must say I was amazed at the clarity, depth and imaging they put out. I play only vinyl on my Bang Olufsen 5500 turntable with MMC2 cartridge and I'm rediscovering my record collection. The prescence these speakers put out make me feel like I'm in the room with whatever I'm listening to. I couldn't be happier and highly recommend Martin Logan!

LoungeRat

  • Monday, March 25, 2013

Mind Blowing
I've been blessed with an ear for detail and as a musician who's spent time on both sides of the stage and studio I've trained myself to critically listen to everything. I've also been cursed in that I hear the imperfections in most audio equipment. After purchasing these speakers I've found that for the first time in my life I've been able to stop listening for high points and low points in a piece and instead just start emotionally engaging. After spending a few weeks listening to my Motion series fronts and surrounds and letting them start to loosen up a bit I can honestly say if you're told these are "budget" speakers you're being misled. This is not a watered down version of something else or disguised attempt to sell a brand name via shortcuts. These speakers give a stereo image in a tremendous way. I'm able to sit and listen and pinpoint, almost in a three dimensional field, where each instrument and voice is in the mix. I'm able to listen to each instrument and hear how it should sound individually rather than trying to simply decide if the sum total works well together. If you want real proof - try putting on Led Zeppelin's "Since I've Been Loving You". If you can't hear John Bonham's kick drum pedal squeaking you're not hearing everything you should! While this is a great value, like most products it's not for everyone. They will not make bad records sound good, and I would say they tend to be a bit on the bright side. For the majority of my music preferences and for movies that lends a helping hand. If you find yourself trending to hard rock or rap music though you're probably not going to get quite the enjoyment out of these that I have. While these seem to be a great 2-chan contender and the bass was quite solid, to really "feel" the lower frequencies you should consider adding a sub. These are not Electrostats. I did really enjoy the sound of Electrostats and think you owe it to yourself to spend a while in front of a pair but didn't feel the added price was warranted in my listening environment. Additionally, the sweet spot for the Motions was noticeably more forgiving and in a wide room such as mine it was an added bonus. If you are in the market for an entry-level audiophile speaker I'm sure you've researched enough to know to give these or the newer 20/40's a listen. If you're on the fence about whether or not to buy "real" speakers or go for a home-theater-in-a-box option to save money I would strongly, strongly encourage you to skimp elsewhere. The Motions will change how you hear sound forever.

Johnson

  • Wednesday, March 20, 2013

motion 12 with dynamo 10
I am very impressed with the sound quality of the motion 12 tower speakers. the high to low end is what every tower speaker should be!! put together with a dynamo 10 and a denon AVR-1613 the motion 12 speakers sound amazing..... I will definetly be a return customer to martin logan and look foword to future products ....... O. J.

warrensongs

  • Wednesday, March 13, 2013

better than JBL
What a treat to get these speakers and at a great price!

Oceanside

  • Monday, April 23, 2012

Impressed
It's my first time owning this product, and I am very satisfied, very difinitive sounding, bass note and mid-range and high range very precise and crisp. i most defenitly recomend this product to anyone who enjoys music.

lonerwulf

  • Thursday, March 1, 2012

sound quality superb
I listen to these in the store and though well if they are half as good as here the will sound great at home. I was wrong they were twice what I heard in the store. Probably due to how I have set them up. Either way they are really nice speakers. I am still breaking them in I can't wait to push them. If you are still on the fence stop wasting your time and pay the price you will not regret these speakers!

revaiah

  • Saturday, February 25, 2012

Motion 12 Floorstanders
Excellent speakers. I bought them recently and using them with my Denon AVR 1911. Initially I was apprehensive noticing their impedance, had an opinion that motion 12s will fry my Amp. I have been using them for the last one week continuously (5-6 hours at a stretch). I do not see Denon getting hot, it runs cool. Extremely nice midrange and mind blowing tight bass. Awesome combination of crossover, drivers and the cutest looking enclosures. A must audition for music and movie lovers

Leon K.

  • Monday, February 20, 2012

Motion 12
Just the best!

gainiac

  • Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Martin Logan 12/8/4 System. Blew the competition away.
I've been a rock musician for over 30 years. I mention this only to say that I'm quite acustomed to loud music. I went to my local BB dealer with the hopes of purchasing a medium sized room HTib system while ideally getting as much power for the money as I could. The salesman initially showed me a competitors 5.1 system in their demo room, which I took home and thought I enjoyed but truly felt was less than adequate. I returned the following day, out of a need to also upgrade my receiver, and in speaking with a store manager, I asked to demo some other options. He put on ML Motion 12's, 4's with an 8 center and a Dynamo 700. I actually laughed out loud. I immediately had him put on MY system I had just purchased, and we A/B'd them with various DVD's/Blue Rays for over an hour. I cannot overstate how completely FLOORED I was. My new system died right there in that room. The musical tones that came from the ML system were more than incredible for the size. The width, the dynamic range in this system is very powerful. A few expletives came out of my mouth during a number of loud scenes from Avatar. The top end was so focused, cut the room easily, the mids so lively, the sub so big, musical, very fast, I absolutely just HAD to have this setup at home. Needless to say I brought the other system back immediately, and purchased the 4's and 8 right away. I have been building my system, with the final piece being the Motion 12's I added this evening. It's insane. I truly love this system! Thank you, ML!

BHoltfreter

  • Sunday, October 9, 2011

Superb!
I have been enjoying these pair of Motion 12 for a couple weeks now. The highs are great and the lows are as well. Before I had a pair of Sony three way dual 8 inch woofers. Their highs were okay and the lows were not that impressive. With the Motion 12 I could turn my powered subwoofer off if I wanted and still enjoy smooth deep bass with great highs as well.

Emmanuel S.

  • Monday, September 19, 2011

Motion 12
absolutely amazing speakers for price.

yoppster

  • Thursday, July 28, 2011

Kicks Butt
Purchased the Motion 12 speakers (2ea) along with the Motion 6 center speaker & Dynamo 700 subwoofer to go with my Denon AVR 1912 amp & all I can say is wow! It really is the bomb also have two kenwood suround speakers (sorry M/L) & this system is the talk of the town. Was glad I was turned on to Martin Logan they kick butt!!

BLWJ

  • Sunday, October 10, 2010

Home Theater Must.
I have listned to other front speakers and I would put these against any of them.

kocean

  • Thursday, September 16, 2010

Lovely sound! I listen to them primarily for stereo sound, and am very pleased!
I've paired the Motion 12 towers, with a Dynamo 1000 sub, and am amazed by the sound quality. I listen to a very wide variety of music, and once the speakers burned in, they are very versatile. My first impressions were that they lacked in the mid/low end, but about 30 hours in, they began sounding worlds better for ambient/electronic music. They sounded good for jazz, classical, and Ray Charles esq. music right from the start, but with time they really opened up. I highly recommend them for all genres. They have changed my life, and anybody I let have a listen, tells me that they've literally ruined their listening experience on anything but them.

mcacamo

  • Thursday, July 22, 2010

Unbelievably Accurate
Motion 12's are unbelievably accurate for outstanding sound reproduction. I have my pair hooked up to a Pioneer SC-9540 class E amp, and on pure direct it is incredible audio. The folded motion tweeter out preformed all the other speakers that I have extensively researched and demoed. Most titanium and aluminum tweeters have a narrower range of accurate reproduction before the highs start to feel uncomfortable to listen to. I listened to eva casidy with various speakers and i found that the motion 12's had the most present sound. The mid-range is another factor of why i chose them. Taking it off pure direct and putting it to 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio/DTS-High resolution audio, it gave me an entire realm of incredibly accurate tones and balanced range. I have a much better time listening to music rather then watching a movie, but none the less, these speakers are worth the extra dollars. I could not be more happy with my motion 12's.

mcacamo

  • Thursday, July 22, 2010

Unbelievably Accurate
Motion 12's are unbelievably accurate for outstanding sound reproduction. I have my pair hooked up to a Pioneer SC-9540 class E amp, and on pure direct it is incredible audio. The folded motion tweeter out preformed all the other speakers that I have extensively researched and demoed. Most titanium and aluminum tweeters have a narrower range of accurate reproduction before the highs start to feel uncomfortable to listen to. I listened to eva casidy with various speakers and i found that the motion 12's had the most present sound. The mid-range is another factor of why i chose them. Taking it off pure direct and putting it to 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio/DTS-High resolution audio, it gave me an entire realm of incredibly accurate tones and balanced range. I have a much better time listening to music rather then watching a movie, but none the less, these speakers are worth the extra dollars. I could not be more happy with my motion 12's.

mcacamo

  • Thursday, July 22, 2010

Unbelievably Accurate
Motion 12's are unbelievably accurate for outstanding sound reproduction. I have my pair hooked up to a Pioneer SC-9540 class E amp, and on pure direct it is incredible audio. The folded motion tweeter out preformed all the other speakers that I have extensively researched and demoed. Most titanium and aluminum tweeters have a narrower range of accurate reproduction before the highs start to feel uncomfortable to listen to. I listened to eva casidy with various speakers and i found that the motion 12's had the most present sound. The mid-range is another factor of why i chose them. Taking it off pure direct and putting it to 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio/DTS-High resolution audio, it gave me an entire realm of incredibly accurate tones and balanced range. I have a much better time listening to music rather then watching a movie, but none the less, these speakers are worth the extra dollars. I could not be more happy with my motion 12's.

BigErn

  • Monday, June 28, 2010

"Outstanding!"
I've had the Motion 12s over a month now and would sum up my experience as nothing less than amazing. The Motions were replacing an aged pair of VMPS Minitower 2a's. As the VMPS's were a much larger 4-way rig I worried that some of the depth and presence may be lost by this transition. After a month with the MLs, I can honestly say the Motion 12s have blown me away. Even the most demanding highs and mids are reproduced with effortless accuracy and stunning brilliance via the Folded Motion tweeter and dipole midrange. The wide dispersion characteristics generated by the open enclosure create a warm feeling as the music wraps around you. The lows are nicely handled by the dual 6 1/2" woofers which are fast and not overpowering. Whether its music or soundtrack, 2-channel or integrated into a home theater, the MartinLogan Motion 12s are a wonderful choice. For audio enthusiasts that want the high-end experience without the high-dollar price tag, Motions are the only way to go.