Customer Ratings & Reviews

While perhaps the argument could be made that the center channel is the most crucial home theatre component, it is sometimes overlooked. Ironically, it is here that the majority of what you hear requires a speaker that can keep up with the main channels, yet is strong enough to isolate the dialog. As such, I was excited to test the Martin Logan C10 center channel speaker. With its compact size and relatively small dimensions, I was excited to see how it would perform. The C10 was fairly straightforward to setup. In the box, you will note a set of four adhesive feet that you can install on the bottom of the speaker. In addition, there is also a grill that installs on the front of the speaker. As expected, the center channel only has one set of terminals on the back of the speaker. Physically, the C10 is much more compact than my other center channel at 19 inches wide. However, it is a bit taller at roughly 7 inches. The C10 also has a good amount of weight to it at 23 lbs. The C10 also sports a nice glossy black aesthetic and matches perfectly with my other speakers. Overall, the C10 has exceptional build quality and is quite attractive in person. Before I discuss my testing results, I first would like to mention that all the results here will more than likely differ from what your personal experience, especially given the wide range of common variables such as room size, layout, different receivers, cables, speaker placement, and your personal sound interpretation. For my testing, I used a Pioneer Elite receiver VSX-LX303. All speakers were connected via custom cut lengths of Audioquest X2 speaker wire. For playback, I used my Sony X800M2 4K bluray player; the player and my Sony A90J OLED TV were respectively connected to the receiver via two Audioquest Cinnamon 8-10K HDMI 5 FT cables (MODEL: HDM48CIN150). Additionally, I increased center channel to +5.0db in the receiver settings. Lastly, I made sure distance was set to 6 ft and impedance was set properly to 4 ohms. For my test, I tested two different movies. My first movie that I tested was The Mummy (1999), which features a 48 KHz / 24 Bit DTS: X 7.1 track that is really a treat to hear. The C10 does an excellent job of separating the dialog off the two front speakers. A good example is at the 11:29 mark where you can hear “whoa” directly from the C10. In addition, the C10 is able supplement the sounds heard from the main front channels. Another good example of the wonderful clarity of C10 is at the 23:49 mark where the horse cry is heard over the C10. The sound is clear and crisp. Lastly, a good portion of the dialogue starting from 25:08 was exceptional. You can hear everyone speaking clearly, but the piano in the background is sitting perfectly in the mix. The C10 certainly does not disappoint. Lastly, during the gunfight around 49:30, the gunshots are perfectly placed on the C10. Highs and middles are consistent throughout. Furthermore, I was pleasantly surprised as usually when things get hectic in a movie the dialogue tends to get bottled down by the action. The C10 did an excellent job. For my second test, I swapped to the recently released 4K disc of Training Day (2001). This would be a good test as the movie received a big audio upgrade to Dolby Atmos. The opening dialog at the start of the movie is fairly low in the mix but the C10 did a stellar job on clarity. I had to bump up my volume just a few notches but I was able to hear what was being said. Moving on to the coffee shop at around 6:00 mark, the dialog was crystal clear and was perfectly isolated on the center channel. Another good example is at around 27:03 where the honking horns are heard perfectly on the C10 as well as the main channels. Additionally, the bullets hitting the floor at 40:32 are extremely sharp. Lastly, C10 does an incredible job of separating every bullet from 46:42 – 47:05. The clarity is just off the charts during this section, as C10 and the mains are bouncing off each other. All in all, the C10 performed as expected. In conclusion, the C10 is an exceptional choice for a center channel speaker. Physically, it is small enough that it can fit in a more space restricted home theatre system, yet doesn’t seem to sacrifice sound quality. Highs and middle frequencies are excellent. Furthermore, while every speaker was firing, I could distinctly make out what was coming off the C10; clarity was top notch and dialog was perfectly centered and isolated. Overall, everyone should be pleased with the C10. Thus, the C10 comes recommended.

In reviewing this MartinLogan C10 center channel speaker, I was pleasantly surprised by the acoustics it was able to achieve. It outputs excellent vocals and bass, in a relatively compact package for the levels it is able to output, with it's centered tweeter and two midrange drivers. The aesthetic is pleasing, with a multitude of colorway options to help it blend and look more like art in any setting. When testing this by itself, it outputs highly accurate sound reproduction, especially with music and at high sustained levels. I found that when pairing it into a 5.1 setup of the same line of ML speakers, F10's and MP10's, movies were slightly off, with too much bass, and needed tweaking, as the dialogue was a bit underpowered, but once corrected, it was pristine and beyond impressive theater quality. This is all processing related, and this center channel will do all that you ask of it, and more. Able to accurately blend in even the most powerful of front left and right towers. If you want to find yourself completely immersed in the sound, whether it be in your living room, den, or especially a theater room, then look no further. The C10 is an excellent value and quality design, capable of filling even larger rooms.