MartinLogan XT F100 Floorstanding Speaker Review!

gene

gene

Audioholics Master Chief
Administrator
MartinLogan's XT F100 Floorstanding Speakers are a 5-driver, 3-way design that recently underwent a significant upgrade featuring a new waveguide and revamped drivers from its predecessor Motion series. The New XT F100 from MartinLogan is an aesthetically pleasing design with top-notch build quality, making it a $4,500 pair of speakers worth recommending.

Pros
  • Great build quality and looks
  • A good value for what you get
  • Good bass and dynamics
  • They sound neutral
Cons
  • They don’t measure as pristinely as the best speakers on the market
  • They may be a difficult load for lower end receivers
Quick Summary
So, throw on your favorite tunes, give these a spin, and let them serenade their way into your shortlist—because, honestly, there isn't much competition for these audio maestros! This is why the MartinLogan XT F100s won our 2023 Mid-Price Tower Speaker of the Year!

ML-F100.jpg


Read: MartinLogan XT F100 Floorstanding Speaker Review
 
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S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Very nice review, Matthew! It's nice to see MartinLogan can make a decent speaker. I would love to see a head-to-head comparison of this versus their electrostats.
 
Mikado463

Mikado463

Audioholic Spartan
Very nice review, Matthew! It's nice to see MartinLogan can make a decent speaker. I would love to see a head-to-head comparison of this versus their electrostats.
I applaud ML for continuing to upgrade their 'dynamic' line of speakers just as they have done with their stats. If one has the room and the patience, their stats can perform magic. To this very day one of the best demos I've listened to was through a pair of CLX's

Matthew, thanks for your review
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
Very nice review, Matthew! It's nice to see MartinLogan can make a decent speaker. I would love to see a head-to-head comparison of this versus their electrostats.
But Shady, you must know better, and I am certain you do. That is clearly not a very good speaker.

Let's start at the bottom. There is a ripple in the impedance curve at 150 Hz, where there is audible trouble. So clearly the cabinet is not properly braced.

Of concern to me is the impedance curve and phase angles. That speaker is going to be a receiver buster. I am suspicious that the crossover could be in resonance. If it is that speaker is going to bust a lot of gear.

Then we get to the choice of Kevlar for the midrange. I have found this to be a poor choice. B & W used it to not good effect, and the results were always audible. I would bet that cone is breaking up around 2K. A peak of the magnitude shown is very bad news for classical users. The strings will have a somewhat strident tone and the brass will be coarse.

Frankly the top end is also a disaster. There are far better tweeters than that around for not much money. I suspect the wave guide and its reflections are largely responsible.

I just can't believe you rated this speaker above the Philharmonic BMR towers which measure superbly. To me the choice is clear, the BMR outclasses that Martin Logan by many a mile.

I can tell that if that were a design of mine it would not see the light of day in that form. It would be rectified or canned.
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
But Shady, you must know better, and I am certain you do. That is clearly not a very good speaker.

Let's start at the bottom. There is a ripple in the impedance curve at 150 Hz, where there is audible trouble. So clearly the cabinet is not properly braced.

Of concern to me is the impedance curve and phase angles. That speaker is going to be a receiver buster. I am suspicious that the crossover could be in resonance. If it is that speaker is going to bust a lot of gear.

Then we get to the choice of Kevlar for the midrange. I have found this to be a poor choice. B & W used it to not good effect, and the results were always audible. I would bet that cone is breaking up around 2K. A peak of the magnitude shown is very bad news for classical users. The strings will have a somewhat strident tone and the brass will be coarse.

Frankly the top end is also a disaster. There are far better tweeters than that around for not much money. I suspect the wave guide and its reflections are largely responsible.

I just can't believe you rated this speaker above the Philharmonic BMR towers which measure superbly. To me the choice is clear, the BMR outclasses that Martin Logan by many a mile.

I can tell that if that were a design of mine it would not see the light of day in that form. It would be rectified or canned.
The ripple in impedance is not necessarily due to cabinet resonance. Many times I think that enclosure resonance can be overstated as an audible artifact anyway. So I wouldn't hold that against the speaker unless I have heard it in person, which I have not in this case.

The impedance and phase angle are not optimal, but a decent amplifier should be able to handle that. I wouldn't run this speaker on a typical AVR.

I don't see severe problems at 2kHz. There is a rise in the response, but it's not severe, at least in the listening window, which counts for a lot more than the on-axis response. I would be a lot more concerned about the peak at 6kHz, which could possibly make this speaker somewhat sibilant. However, the directivity indexes suggest that this speaker is easy to EQ.

I didn't rate this speaker above the Philharmonic BMR HT Tower. I only control the ratings for the reviews that I write, and the ratings are up to individual reviewers. I think this speaker is probably listenable on its own and would be made better by EQ. I did hear one of the bookshelfs for the ML Motion series and I really did not like them, but these look much better than those. While these F100s would not be my first choice at this price point, I don't think they are awful, at least from what I can see from this review.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
The ripple in impedance is not necessarily due to cabinet resonance. Many times I think that enclosure resonance can be overstated as an audible artifact anyway. So I wouldn't hold that against the speaker unless I have heard it in person, which I have not in this case.

The impedance and phase angle are not optimal, but a decent amplifier should be able to handle that. I wouldn't run this speaker on a typical AVR.

I don't see severe problems at 2kHz. There is a rise in the response, but it's not severe, at least in the listening window, which counts for a lot more than the on-axis response. I would be a lot more concerned about the peak at 6kHz, which could possibly make this speaker somewhat sibilant. However, the directivity indexes suggest that this speaker is easy to EQ.

I didn't rate this speaker above the Philharmonic BMR HT Tower. I only control the ratings for the reviews that I write, and the ratings are up to individual reviewers. I think this speaker is probably listenable on its own and would be made better by EQ. I did hear one of the bookshelfs for the ML Motion series and I really did not like them, but these look much better than those. While these F100s would not be my first choice at this price point, I don't think they are awful, at least from what I can see from this review.
My experience is different then, I find even a small rise at 2 KHz to be highly objectionable, whereas a slight dip is of no consequence. A rise there is quite enough to upset the high strings especially and the brass like trumpets. It can also make cymbals sound 'splashy'. Matthew did apparently hear that 150 hz issue.

I think though the real issue is that impedance phase angle issue, dropping to a 2 ohm level with the phase angle entered into the equation makes it is unsuitable as a mass market device. That is in the price range where it is going to be used with receivers, and I would bet this will end up being costly to people who can't afford it.

Billy Woodman told me to be very careful of crossovers that do that. He told me it was a real tip to serious crossover design problems that should be investigated thoroughly.

As you know, I'm trouble averse, and reliability is always front and center of what I design and spec. out. For me that would be an absolute avoid, unless investigated thoroughly. In my experience those curves are very unlikely to be innocent.
 
Mikado463

Mikado463

Audioholic Spartan
Thanks Shady and TLS for your feedback / comments ! While I agree with TLS's thoughts in principal and how they would apply in practice I also agree with Shady in the sense that even if a speaker does not measure 'superbly', when paired with good amplification and set up properly the results can in fact be quite good.
 
mono-bloc

mono-bloc

Full Audioholic
Just what do you expect, It's a budget priced entry level speaker. You will pay extra for perfection
 
gene

gene

Audioholics Master Chief
Administrator
But Shady, you must know better, and I am certain you do. That is clearly not a very good speaker.

Let's start at the bottom. There is a ripple in the impedance curve at 150 Hz, where there is audible trouble. So clearly the cabinet is not properly braced.

Of concern to me is the impedance curve and phase angles. That speaker is going to be a receiver buster. I am suspicious that the crossover could be in resonance. If it is that speaker is going to bust a lot of gear.

Then we get to the choice of Kevlar for the midrange. I have found this to be a poor choice. B & W used it to not good effect, and the results were always audible. I would bet that cone is breaking up around 2K. A peak of the magnitude shown is very bad news for classical users. The strings will have a somewhat strident tone and the brass will be coarse.

Frankly the top end is also a disaster. There are far better tweeters than that around for not much money. I suspect the wave guide and its reflections are largely responsible.

I just can't believe you rated this speaker above the Philharmonic BMR towers which measure superbly. To me the choice is clear, the BMR outclasses that Martin Logan by many a mile.

I can tell that if that were a design of mine it would not see the light of day in that form. It would be rectified or canned.
The problem with making ASSumptions on how a speaker sounds solely on measurements without actually hearing them can lead one to believe listening tests aren't even needed. Just buy with a graph. I spoke with Dan Roemer of Perlisten about this topic. It's fairly easy to make a speaker produce good CTA-2034 measurements and still sound like ass. The ML F100s speakers actually sound very neutral. Matt told me he put them up against his Perlisten S7c inwalls and they were very close in performance and neutrality. I've heard the F100s in several rooms and thought they sounded very good. The bass is their strong point since the woofers are low to the ground and the port is on the floor, which minimizes ground bounce. Also factor in the speaker fit and finish is excellent. It's the first time I'd recommend a Motion series product. Their bookshelf is a different story as James Larson found out. We rejected that speaker and asked MartinLogan to resubmit once they tweak the crossover to tame the highs. Last I checked they were making a running change. Not sure the status on that.

Yes they are a difficult load to drive but not for a good Anthem amplifier. I've seen most set ups running these with Anthem electronics, not a cheap AVR.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
The problem with making ASSumptions on how a speaker sounds solely on measurements without actually hearing them can lead one to believe listening tests aren't even needed. Just buy with a graph. I spoke with Dan Roemer of Perlisten about this topic. It's fairly easy to make a speaker produce good CTA-2034 measurements and still sound like ass. The ML F100s speakers actually sound very neutral. Matt told me he put them up against his Perlisten S7c inwalls and they were very close in performance and neutrality. I've heard the F100s in several rooms and thought they sounded very good. The bass is their strong point since the woofers are low to the ground and the port is on the floor, which minimizes ground bounce. Also factor in the speaker fit and finish is excellent. It's the first time I'd recommend a Motion series product. Their bookshelf is a different story as James Larson found out. We rejected that speaker and asked MartinLogan to resubmit once they tweak the crossover to tame the highs. Last I checked they were making a running change. Not sure the status on that.

Yes they are a difficult load to drive but not for a good Anthem amplifier. I've seen most set ups running these with Anthem electronics, not a cheap AVR.
I agree with you partially. Certainly with current measurements you can have a speaker measure well, but not be a particularly good speaker. However, I do think measurements do uncover defects. The problem is that measurements are incomplete, especially in the area of power response versus frequency. However, my experience is that when measurements do uncover an issue, more likely that not it will be audible, and that is especially true of frequency response errors in the speech discrimination band.

This is where speaker testing is different from amp testing for instance. When you get an amp on the test bench you test it right to the point of destruction where the distortion curve gets just about vertical. You can not do that with a speaker, but only infer it from experience of the design concept.

The problem with many speaker designers is, they so frequently do not take on board the power resources required in the power spectrum of most program

You can only really get a handle on this by getting a deep understanding of where the fundamental frequencies lay in the audio spectrum of common instruments and the human voice. Most of the power is going to be required in the cluster of the fundamentals, but harmonic envelopes can not be ignored either.

This is a major area where speaker evaluation differs from amp testing. On the bench you can test it at full power throughout the audio range. Pretty much it will develop max power at any frequency you choose. Obviously a speaker will not to that and can not be tested that way without destroying it.

What this amounts to is that I have learned to take an musicalogical approach, for want of a better word, to speaker design. This leads me to devote power resources differently to a lot of others. This really is the nub of the limitations of speaker measurement, and sets it quite apart from measuring other parts of the reproducing chain.

Lastly the confounding instrument is the pipe organ which is essentially unique in being able to produce huge spls. across the whole musical spectrum and all at once! So that instrument is the speakers designer's biggest challenge. They are kings and lords of the castles, and hard to satisfy.
 
gene

gene

Audioholics Master Chief
Administrator
I agree with you partially. Certainly with current measurements you can have a speaker measure well, but not be a particularly good speaker. However, I do think measurements do uncover defects. The problem is that measurements are incomplete, especially in the area of power response versus frequency. However, my experience is that when measurements do uncover an issue, more likely that not it will be audible, and that is especially true of frequency response errors in the speech discrimination band.

This is where speaker testing is different from amp testing for instance. When you get an amp on the test bench you test it right to the point of destruction where the distortion curve gets just about vertical. You can not do that with a speaker, but only infer it from experience of the design concept.

The problem with many speaker designers is, they so frequently do not take on board the power resources required in the power spectrum of most program

You can only really get a handle on this by getting a deep understanding of where the fundamental frequencies lay in the audio spectrum of common instruments and the human voice. Most of the power is going to be required in the cluster of the fundamentals, but harmonic envelopes can not be ignored either.

This is a major area where speaker evaluation differs from amp testing. On the bench you can test it at full power throughout the audio range. Pretty much it will develop max power at any frequency you choose. Obviously a speaker will not to that and can not be tested that way without destroying it.

What this amounts to is that I have learned to take an musicalogical approach, for want of a better word, to speaker design. This leads me to devote power resources differently to a lot of others. This really is the nub of the limitations of speaker measurement, and sets it quite apart from measuring other parts of the reproducing chain.

Lastly the confounding instrument is the pipe organ which is essentially unique in being able to produce huge spls. across the whole musical spectrum and all at once! So that instrument is the speakers designer's biggest challenge. They are kings and lords of the castles, and hard to satisfy.
yea agreed. Most measurements done on loudspeakers are never done to the point to see how they "misbehave". It's why I always prefer speakers with way more dynamic range than I tend to use in my listening space. I personally feel a speaker that is more effortless at very high SPL tends to also sound more effortless when not stressed compared to another similar speaker with less dynamic range. I listen for this on high dynamic music and I'm very susceptible to compression and harshness in brass instruments and female vocals.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
yea agreed. Most measurements done on loudspeakers are never done to the point to see how they "misbehave". It's why I always prefer speakers with way more dynamic range than I tend to use in my listening space. I personally feel a speaker that is more effortless at very high SPL tends to also sound more effortless when not stressed compared to another similar speaker with less dynamic range. I listen for this on high dynamic music and I'm very susceptible to compression and harshness in brass instruments and female vocals.
I agree in everypoint you make there.

Getting a really effortless speaker that can hold in own in the softest pianissimo to the concert hall forte is a formidable design undertaking and few make the grade.
That requires a lot of resources, and most of those need to go well above 80 Hz. You would not guess that from some posts!

I often point out that marketers are a real curse. You can see them at work in this design. Must be three way, need lots of drivers, and AMT tweeters are the vogue and a waveguide is a must.

One thing that is actually very clear to me is that, the tweeter on that unit is not very good, and I will be frank it's bad. But its the trend you know. The fact that a simpler cheaper dome would perform far better cuts no ice with the marketer guys.

There is a lot wrong in the audio industry at the moment I feel, and this design exudes a lot of its symptoms.
 
B

brian6751

Audioholic Intern
Thanks for the review Matthew. I have had the bigger F200's in my setup for several months now and agree with what you and Gene have written. One really should not buy a speaker based only on how its measurements look. These speakers sound really good and also take EQ well. Personally, I would rather have a bit brighter speaker that can be EQed down than a warm speaker that you would need to add boost to make it brighter. I have several EQ profiles that I switch from; some are EQed flat, others are only EQed 500Hz and lower. There is actually very little audible difference when switching back and forth but I like having the option.

Great review, as usual!
 
BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
The problem with making ASSumptions on how a speaker sounds solely on measurements without actually hearing them can lead one to believe listening tests aren't even needed.
Calling someone A$$ indirectly - Wow, So Much "professional" and "polite"!
It's the first time I'd recommend a Motion series product. Their bookshelf is a different story as James Larson found out. We rejected that speaker and asked MartinLogan to resubmit once they tweak the crossover to tame the highs.
This small quote speaks volumes about the brand's ability to consistently deliver good-sounding speakers despite its heavily promoted and sold overfits in local B&M stores.
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
So…..
1. +/-3dB Response. Bass 40Hz at-5dB, 30Hz at -10dB.
2. Impedance 4 ohms
3. “successfully driven by a moderate Marantz integrated amp”, which means 80 Watts per channel
4. Sounds good

Not the best, but put all that together and it seems like a good sounding speaker that can be driven successfully with an 100 WPC amp or AVR.
 
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Mikado463

Mikado463

Audioholic Spartan
I agree in everypoint you make there.

Getting a really effortless speaker that can hold in own in the softest pianissimo to the concert hall forte is a formidable design undertaking and few make the grade.
That requires a lot of resources, and most of those need to go well above 80 Hz. You would not guess that from some posts!

I often point out that marketers are a real curse. You can see them at work in this design. Must be three way, need lots of drivers, and AMT tweeters are the vogue and a waveguide is a must.

One thing that is actually very clear to me is that, the tweeter on that unit is not very good, and I will be frank it's bad. But its the trend you know. The fact that a simpler cheaper dome would perform far better cuts no ice with the marketer guys.

There is a lot wrong in the audio industry at the moment I feel, and this design exudes a lot of its symptoms.
I had to quote TLS here as a reference in agreeing with him on some of the marketing nonsense at Logan. When I went on their website that showed the speakers in a setting where a TT was part of setup but was placed in a 'cubby' so small it couldn't be operated, LOL !

I also agree with AcuDef in that a 100 wpc(8ohm) amp should be sufficient so long as it has 4 ohm and lower stability. Wonder what the the speaker drops to at the lower octaves ?
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
So…..
1. +/-3dB Response. Bass 40Hz at-5dB, 30Hz at -10dB.
2. Impedance 4 ohms
3. “successfully driven by a moderate Marantz integrated amp”, which means 80 Watts per channel
4. Sounds good

Not the best, but put all that together and it seems like a good sounding speaker that can be driven successfully with an 100 WPC amp or AVR.
Don't bank on it. When you factor in the phase angles it drops to 2 ohms. This is the sort of load that causes receivers to blow, and people can't figure out why.

Honestly though you don't need a speaker that complex with that many drivers to get -5 db at 40 Hz. A simpler better design could easily do the job. This unit has marketers leading engineers by the nose written all over it. Peter Walker told me he was often asked if Quad could have a marketing department. He just barked NO, and left it at that. As usual he was absolutely on target.
 
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