MartinLogan - Motion Vision X 5.0-Channel Soundbar with Play-Fi Technology - Gloss Black

This sound bar is all about sound quality. It's made by Martin Logan. Martin Logan makes some of the most highly regarded speakers in the world, this is what they do. They aren't an electronics company that makes speakers to fill out their product offering...they just make speakers and they know what they are doing. The quality of the speaker components are very good. I love the sound of the AMT tweeter they use on their Motion series speakers, it produces extremely lifelike vocals and voices, not "shouty" like I've heard from many sound bars. It's a joy just to listen to music in stereo mode with this sound bar. If you want great sound quality this is your soundbar. I find it doesn't even need a subwoofer except when playing at epic volume. The downside is the ML is a speaker company...they don't know electronics. The electronics are bad. I have the problem that many have complained about with audio dropout when the source format switches (from stereo to 5.1 for example). Sometimes it drops out in the middle of a movie when there shouldn't even be format switching. I have no explanation for that. It's definitely annoying. Pretty much every other electronics maker figured out how to do this a decade ago, or more. No bluetooth but the Play-Fi app function is really good (and will stream much higher quality music than bluetooth). I use it with Amazon Music and it works great. Overall, I like the soundbar a lot because the sound quality is better than I ever imagined I could get from a soundbar. I'll live with the poor sound processing implementation to keep the great sound.

I really wish that this soundbar had gotten more coverage from reviewers when it came out, and I also wish that Martin Logan had done a follow up version with more modern technology. Let's start with a list of things that are lacking. First off, there are no HDMI capabilities at all. That means no ARC to allow this to seamlessly serve as if it was your TV speakers. However, this is largely overcome by a cool feature that allows this to be programmed to respond to commands from your TV (or any) remote. No Bluetooth. However, it does allow for hi-res music streaming through Play-Fi, and then presumably it is attached to a TV. No surround speakers. There is no way to seamlessly integrate surrounds into this system. I have used it with a kit from Best Buy and also with a receiver to gain surround sound, but my take is if surrounds are a must, look elsewhere. No sub included. This is a minor issue in my opinion as this soundbar digs shockingly low considering its footprint and small drivers. Even more notable is you can add any powered sub through a wired connection. Better yet, if you can snag an ML Dynamo 700w or 1000w sub they can pair wirelessly, or you can find a standalone ML wireless adapter that can allow you to pair any powered sub witelessly. Now on to what this does have. This section is far shorter, but in my opinion still leaves it as the best soundbar I have heard. It has great build quality and looks. Looks are subjective, but I doubt many will disagree with the super clean looks of this soundbar. Here is the big one though, the sound. This soundbar is the best sounding soundbar that I have ever heard. Twice it has uncovered minor issues with my $10k Paradigm Reference system because I switched back to this as a benchmark and the ML sounded better. Both times I was able to tweak the Paradigm system and get it back on top, but it made me realize that if space, finances, or anything else forced me back to this then I could be very happy, not just for movies, but for music. The 7.1.4 Samsung soundbar (system) I heard was a little better for movies, but this blew it away for music and stayed on top, at least for me.

I purchased this bar and the Sony HST5000. I spent hours switching back and forth between the 2. During World of Warcraft , Avengers Endgame and music. First I will say that the Sony has better bass and virtual surround but the room that it is used in, has vaulted ceilings and is a great room 22 feet long with only a bar separating the kitchen from the great room. So the back wall for the sound to bounce off of is around 35-40 feet. I ended up purchasing the ML Dynamo 800 to add that extra bass that the ML was lacking. The differences when running a sub with the ML are amazing. The highs and voices are extremely clear and clean. That is where the Sony truly lacks compared to the ML. The virtual surround is decent but not 100% like a 5.1 system, but it could be the room as well. I would absolutely recommend the ML sound bar, over the Samsung or Sony. Especially with the price drop that has happened. The menu to set this up can be a bit of a challenge at time, but once you get used to it, its not bad.

Everything you have heard/read about the Motion Vison X is TRUE!! This soundbar kicks all other products straight in the rear, of course it comes at a hefty price but you cannot expect quality to be cheap at all. The best part of the ML MV X is being able to use ANY type of subwoofer, wireless or wired. All I did was use the "sub out" input, provided in the rear of the soundbar, to connect my old subwoofer to my new soundbar. Whole family loves the set up, sound is crisp and clear, dialogues are clearly audible without sacrificing the explosive power it packs. Current set-up: Sony Bravia XBR65X930D + Sony SAWX700 subwoofer (wired) + ML Motion Vision X

Overall the speaker preforms very well. Voices are clear and actions scenes are surprisingly crisp considering the frequency ranges this unit is taking care of all by itself. You can get away without a secondary sub with this unit, but I think if you want the full dynamic range I would a sub to the package. The remote control is not great, it does not work well further than about 8 feet from the speaker. If you find this one on-sale, scoop it up!

For our new LG 4K TV, we started with a different sound bar and sub woofer. Neither the speech nor music was good. Best Buy recommended the MartinLogan, and were very helpful in raising up the TV on a stand so that we could accommodate the new sound bar in front. The sound is excellent for speech and music when properly set. The controls are a bit complicated, and seem to need continual adjusting, but no doubt we'll get the hang of it.

amazing speakers. Not cheap, but absolutely worth it. The clarity and depth are great at the low volumes as well as the highs. It’s bass is good but has an output so you can add a separate. I read review after review and the only negative people complained about was the price. But if you want a speaker you’ll love, this Martin Logan is it. I tried finding it cheaper around but Best Buy in store had it marked as low as anywhere. And then you get the benefit of the service Best Buy offers. Thx Best Buy and thx Martin Logan!

I like it a lots. The problem is the remote. The manufacturer, ML are doing their best to resend me another better remote. Finger crossed..