Integrated for Martin Login Motion 60’s?

@audiostick Amp shopping, for me, was about 3 or 4 years ago, now.  So, I'm not sure which Luxman I spent time with.  If I recall correctly, it had pale yellow VU meters.  So, I guess that would have been either the L-550 or the L-590.  My short list came down to either the MAC MA5200 or the MF6si.  I would have loved to A/B both of them in the same sound room with the same equipment but, alas, that wasn't possible.  It was a difficult decision.  They are both great amps.  The sound room I A/B'ed the Luxman and MAC in was more like my sound (living) room at home.  The sound room I auditioned the MF in was much larger, had higher ceilings, hardwood floor, brick walls and was like and old refurbished factory building.

With respect to the speaker placement issue, I do not believe the ML Motion 60XTi  need to be placed that far away from the wall behind them.  I think 2 or 3 feet would be sufficient in this regard.  What I was referring to was the space behind the listening position (i.e.  space behind your head).  I've read reviews of speakers with AMT tweeters where the reviewers actually recommend a good amount of open space behind the listener so as to avoid listening fatigue.  In other words, if your listening position is, for example, a couch up against a wall immediately behind it, this might not be a good thing.  I actually did do some serious seat-time with the ML Motion 60XTi in two different shops.  One listening room had a wall approximately 4 or 5 feet behind the listening position.  After about 30 minutes of music at concert levels, my friend and I started to develop noticeable headaches (listening fatigue).  After about 45 minutes, it was time to switch to a different pair of speakers.  However, this shop used a 60 watt NAD integrated that I think may have been a Class D design.  This might have been a factor, as well.  The shop that my friend and I auditioned the ML Motion 60XTi in that used the Simaudio had a listening room with a good 9 to 10 feet behind our listening position.  We were there a good 3 hours, if not more, listening to music at concert levels and had absolutely no problems with listening fatigue.  We had a very similar experience in yet another shop where I auditioned a pair of Triangle Australe EZ speakers.  That shop had a huge sound room with, easily, 20 feet of space behind the listening position, if not more.  Amplifiers used there where all MACs.  One was a big tube stack and the other was the MA5200.

Hope this helps!

audiostick

Excellent suggestions as above. The ML Motion 60XTI are very easy to drive.

You cannot go wrong with Luxman, McIntosh or Music Fidelity. Keep me posted as you demo these Integrated Amp(s).

Happy Listening!

@oldaudiophile  - I’m kind of surprised more people have not recommended Luxman.  I’m wondering if it is because they are not a good match for the Motion 60’s, or just because people have found Integrateds that they like better.  I do realize that they are more money, and I would probably be looking at used vs new for the units we’ve all discussed here.

Thanks for clarifying listening position vs speaker placement. Yes, I had mis-understood.  Listening position for me is much easier to adjust!  The 60’s are currently out about two feet, and chairs are out probably at the 6’ distance.  I just need to actually take time to sit down and listen.  When I do find time to sit, I am usually in the same chair.  Now you’ve got me thinking about trying some different seating positions in the room.

I’m using a Peachtree Nova 300 right now which is class “D”.  The Nova is everything it was promised to be, but I’m really interested in hearing what class “A” or “A/B” will do for the my Motion 60’s. 

Thanks again for all of your input!

@audiostick By all means, experiment with speaker placement and seated listening position in your room.  Always good to determine optimum placement.  Assuming you are using the proverbial standard triangle placement approach, I would suggest that your seated listening position be, al least 7 to 9 feet away from those ML, provided you can swing this and still keep a lot of open space behind you.  I'm sure this will render better imaging & soundstage than 6', which I think is a tad too close for those or any great pair of towers.  I also suggest that you try this:  instead of immediately toeing the ML in, to the listening position, try pointing them straight out, first.  Do some healthy listening there and, then, experiment with toe-in to see which position your ears prefer.  I have a hunch you may very well prefer the straight-out positioning because those speakers have very good off-axis response.

A final two cents worth regarding your amp shopping for the ML.  Don't skimp on amp power (i.e.  watts RMS but, more importantly, power/current supply).  ML states the impedance as 4 Ohms and compatible with 4, 6, or 8 Ohm rated amplifiers.  I've read a few reviews indicating they are really a 6 Ohm nominal load speaker.  Even though they are very efficient or sensitive (i.e.  94 dB/2.83 volts/meter), they'll play best with an amp that can feed them the current they need.  This is why they sounded so wonderful with the Simaudio Moon Neo 340i IX, which has a huge power supply and doubles its 100 watt 8 Ohm output into 4 Ohm.  I understand the reticence with regard to the options or add-ons (DAC; phono stage; etc.).  However, if you shop around, for new or used, and do some good old fashion dickering, maybe you could get what you want for 5K or a little under.

Good Luck!

I recently did a pretty long audition / comparison between the $10K Luxman and Pass integrated and the Audio Research $6K integrated.

I found the Luxman to be very detailed, shy on midrange, with very little rhythm and pace… it sounded “high end” because of the preponderance of detail. The Pass in comparison was sooo much better balanced with  good midrange bloom and really surprising rhythm and pace and nice punchy but accurate bass. The Audio Research was simply stunning to me with huge midrange bloom and rhythm and pace. The latter is my cup of tea… really musical. It may not be for everyone… but the Pass was probably great for nearly every system. It had no faults. The Luxman would work in a system that was overly warm and bass heavy. But I don’t think yours. Hence I think Luxman will work only under very specific situations and personal values.