Floorstanding loudspeakers — Emotiva Airmotiv XT1

The Airmotiv XT1 is a three-way tower in Emotiva's Airmotiv X loudspeaker range, the updated generation of the brand's long-running Airmotiv series. It is aimed at both two-channel systems and home cinemas in small to mid-sized rooms, and it uses a folded ribbon tweeter.

Key specs that matter

The driver complement is a 25 x 32mm Airmotiv folded-ribbon tweeter driven by neodymium magnets, a 4.5-inch woven glass-fibre midrange and three 5.25-inch woven-cone woofers. Frequency response is 45Hz to 27kHz, nominal impedance is 8 ohms, and Emotiva recommends amplifiers of more than 60W per channel. Each speaker measures 106 x 17.8 x 25.4cm without feet and weighs about 15.9kg.

Engineering and use context

A folded ribbon tweeter uses a pleated diaphragm that squeezes air out of its folds rather than pushing it forward like a dome, giving a large radiating area with very low moving mass and low distortion. In the Airmotiv X range, the tweeter is rotatable with an improved waveguide, so the speaker can be adapted to vertical or horizontal placement in different system layouts. The crossover uses film capacitors and air-core inductors and is mounted internally with efficient wire routing for easier servicing. The cabinet is built from HDF with a front panel over 25 mm thick in multi-layer construction, double window bracing and thick Dacron damping, and the midrange sits in its own asymmetric sub-enclosure with non-parallel walls to reduce internal reflections. The enclosure is rear-ported. Contoured trim rings conceal the driver hardware and help control diffraction around each driver, and a magnetically attached grille keeps the front clean. Outrigger feet with neoprene pads are fitted as standard, with adjustable spikes included for carpeted floors.

Pairing

Two sets of 5-way terminals permit split wiring or split amplification, with the woofer section and the midrange and tweeter section driven separately. The 8-ohm load suits most stereo amplifiers and AV receivers. All Airmotiv X models share matched tweeters and response targets with each other and with earlier Airmotiv speakers, so the XT1 can anchor a surround system with Airmotiv centre, surround and subwoofer models. The rear port needs some clearance from the wall behind. Emotiva backs the speaker with a five-year transferable warranty.

Alternatives

Emotiva's own Airmotiv XT2 is a larger tower in the same range for bigger rooms and higher output.