Martin logan LX16

Are used speakers actually a good value?

I picked up a pair of Martin Logan LX16’s a little while ago to replace my Boston Acoustics Cr7’s. These are an out of production model. I am sure there are tons of reviews from years ago when they were new, but how do they stand up today?

Buying used equipment is a great way to save money, but how can one know if the equipment is actually a good value. There may be a reason that some items are out of production, perhaps the replacement is great deal improved. Perhaps other reasons as simple as updated appearance and naming replaced the older version. for these I think it may have been the later. The Motion 15i is the closest in comparison in the current line up. The tweeter appears to be the same if not slightly different in design, however both being a folded motion tweeter. The Mid Driver has a different appearance at least on the outside. It went from a bullet cone dust cover to a flat cover.

In my personal opinion the LX16 is great speaker that sounds much larger than it is. I am using my pair in a smaller room, and they fill it with sound. They can be a bit bright at times due to the folded tweeter. The highs though are crisp, fast, and extremely detailed. The lows do suffer, no more than most smaller speakers i have heard though. Mid frequencies fill in nicely, and do not seem flat or dull. If you are a bass head but prefer a smaller speaker in a smaller room a 10 inch powered sub should fill in nicely.

So how do the specs of the current offering from Martin Logan compare to something a little older?

Martin Logan Motion 15i

Frequency Response	60–25,000 Hz ±3dB
Recommended Amplifier Power	20—200 watts per channel
Horizontal Dispersion	80°
Vertical Dispersion	80°
Sensitivity	92 dB/2.83 volts/meter
Impedance	5 Ohms Compatible with 4, 6, or 8 Ohm rated amplifiers.
Crossover Frequency	2,700 Hz
High Frequency Transducer	1″ × 1.4″ (2.6cm × 3.6cm) Folded Motion Transducer with 5.25″ × 1.75″ (13.3cm × 4.4cm) diaphragm
Low Frequency Transducer	5.25” (13.3cm) aluminum cone with cast basket. Non-resonant asymmetrical chamber format. Rigid structured dust cap to reduce cone break-up modes.
Components	Custom air core coil and low DCR steel laminate inductors. Polypropylene film capacitors in series and low DF electrolytic capacitors in parallel. Overall system thermal/current protection.
Inputs	Custom 5-way tool-less binding posts
Weight	12 lbs. (5.4 kg)
Dimensions	11.4″ x 6.8″ x 9.5 “ (29cm x 17.3cm x 24cm)

Martin Logan Motion LX16

Frequency Response	60–25,000 Hz ± 3 dB
Dispersion	80° x 80°
Recommended Amplifier Power	20–200 watts
Sensitivity	92 dB @ 2.83 volts/ meter
Impedance	5 Ohms. Compatible with 4, 6, or 8 Ohm rated amplifiers.
Crossover Frequency	2,700 Hz
High Frequency Driver	1” x 1.4” (2.6cm x 3.6cm) Folded Motion Transducer with 5.25” x 1.75” (13.3cm x 4.4cm) diaphragm.
Low Frequency Driver	5.25” (13.3cm) aluminum cone with cast basket. Non-resonant asymmetrical chamber format. Rigid structured dust cap to reduce cone break-up modes.
Cabinet	Ported
Components	Custom air core coil and low DCR steel laminate inductors. Polypropylene film capacitors in series and low DF electrolytic capacitors in parallel. Overall system thermal/current protection.
Binding Post Inputs	Custom 5-way binding posts
Weight	12 lbs. (5.4 kg)
Dimensions (H x W x D)	11” x 6.5” x 9.5” (28cm x 16.5cm x 24.2cm)