Super Smooth on Vocals and Musical
I've held off purchasing a soundbar because the audio quality isn't significantly different than the TV speakers. When I listened to the Vision Soundbard I was blown away. It is easy to install and tastefully designed. From an audio point of view - it is wonderful. The vocals for spoken word are clear and easy to understand. It also has a very smooth transition between its crossover point for the HF drivers. I did not purchase a sub to go with it and don't feel it will be necessary for the room I have it located. I had to back the bass off a touch as it is. The bottom end is smooth and round and as it transitions into mids there are no obvious distortions or odd harmonics jumping out. I'm a huge fan and recommend this to anyone wanting a great sounding soundbar. My only complaint is the cheap-assed remote. Yes I primarily just used it to setup the soundbar and then trained the soundbar to respond to my other remotes - but geesh is this thing cheesy. It lives in a drawer now. Having said that - I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. You won’t be disappointed.

Amazing!!!!!
The sound and the style of this sound bar are truly amazing!

Surprised and Happy!
I am one of those people who just wasn't ready to make jump into a soundbar setup. I was replacing an old sony 5.1 that still works but I wanted to clean up my living room and get something that was made after 2006. The bestbuy rep did a great job of showing us various soundbar setups. We originally looked at a sony 7.1 soundbar, then bose, and then samsung. He took us over to the Magnolia center in BestBuy and showed us the MartinLogan Vision. It was a clear difference in terms of sound and clarity. It had a sense of full sound. Let me explain.. Bose while it did a really great job simulating sound all over the room sounded empty. It was missing something. Samsung and Sony also did a decent job but when the volume was turned up you could hear the distortion. I watch a lot of movies and like them loud so there went those out the window. I still wasn't completely sold just yet. The Motion Vision is a stand alone soundbar with no subwoofer attachment like most setups. Don't get me wrong it woofers built in so it does have some bass, but I just happen to like more. The Best Buy rep then brings out two subwoofers the Dynamo 500w and 650w. The 650w 15" was incredible! Talk about BASS!! So I went with the slightly smaller version the Dynamo 12" 1000w(oh did I mention it hooks up wirelessly to the motion vision). I did spend a bit more than what I inteded to when I went looking for a soundbar but after setting this up at home.... WOW!! I will say you will have to tweak the setting to get the sound how you want it but I would say total setup was maybe 30 to 40 minutes. That includes me messing with the settings. I have great sound and thunderous bass! My wife says who needs a movie theater when I get the same sound and thunder at home. I couldn't be happier, the soundbar alone is great but I wanted more bass and boy did I get it.

Bose vs. Martin Logan
I purchased the Bose 1SR sound bar based on the Bose name. I was not satisfied with the overall sound quality. Thankfully I went to Best Buy to listen to the Martin Logan Motion Vision Sound Bar. The ML is so superior to the Bose. The ML has a much wider range of sound quality from music to dialogue to movies. The bass is incredible! The Bose sounds OK playing movies, but fails when it comes to normal listening and music. The ML even brings out great sound when listening to comercials and just about everything. So glad I returned the Bose and purchased the Martin Logan! The ML looks much better also.

DOES support IR codes for switching to a specific input source
A previous review stated that the motion vision didn't support the IR codes necessary to switch to a specific input source. This is inaccurate. While the remote supplied with the motion vision only has next/previous input buttons, the IR codes for switching to a specific input are supported and can be programmed into a universal remote like the Harmony Ultimate. Also, the motion vision is a fantastic sound bar all the way around.

Very Musical Soundbar
Recently set-up one of our small bedrooms for computer/multi-media use. Added a remarkable Sony 55 inch LCD. Shopped around in January 2013 for a soundbar. Narrowed the selection to the B & W Panorama 2 and the Martin Logan Vision soundbar. Frankly, it was difficult to demo the two in the typical Magnolia and similar audio-visual merchant vendor showrooms. The Panorama often sounded slightly better stage wise but there was a musical character to the Vision that I found potentially more pleasing. I have a pretty impressive sound system elsewhere in the house (Avalon speakers and Jeff Rowland preamp/mono amps etc.) so I wanted a musical sound in the bedroom but not at that same level. Well, after a couple of months of break-in of the Vision soundbar, Martin Logan Dynamo 700 subwoofer and Oppo BDP-103, the sound is outstanding -- extremely musical when playing CD's, Pandora and great watching movies (Blu-Ray; even DIRECTV) and foreign TV series (Scandinavian/French/English) off Netflix and HBO etc series; the subwoofer is very focused and impressive. I listed the ancillary equipment (left out my comparison of various optical audio cables and HDMI cables -- I found that they do make a difference) and the break-in time to emphasize that it took more time and effort than I thought to get a great sound. I doubt that one will be able to audition the Vision at its best in most showrooms. The mega-dollar audio showrooms that I have visited do not demo the Vision and Dynamo 700 but rather have systems that cost considerably more. However, unless you are setting up a sine qua non audio-visual room, I strongly recommend that you seriously consider the Vision and Dynamo 700 subwoofer. Also, Martin Logan has an extraordinary and patient support team that provides great assistance.

Before you buy
4.8 stars, so close to 5 you can taste it. First - If you can find a better sounding powered soundbar for less money, be sure to pass it on. If you are serious about sound, though, a sub is a must, imo, although many, many people would never miss one. I prefer the sound when the "wall mount" setting is selected, vs the "on shelf" setting. Be prepared to experiment. While this kind of bass extension is unheard of in most soundbars (btw, literally correct so not really a pun, kind of like a pun), it sounds better if the job is shared with a sub. Overall, I am very happy with the purchase, but want to share something that might be helpful to some shoppers. Specifically, how I worked around the one shortcoming that I care about. Setup - I am using the Motion Vision for video and audio playback. Sources include a cable box and two disc players, that play most formats of video and audio discs. One player also streams video and audio via the Internet and DLNA. Goals - Listen to music without having the TV on and program my Harmony remote so that any listening and viewing activity can be automated via pressing one menu selection. Oh yes, and have a pleasing visual impact. Which leads us to... The lack of IR codes for selecting specific inputs - The IR codes are for "next input" and "previous input". What this means is that if you have a 3rd party remote such as a Harmony, you will not be able to automate selecting the appropriate input. For those of you who don't care about this, you can skip my "solution". When I added the Motion Vision to the Harmony remote, buttons for selecting each of the inputs were also added. Sadly though, they were "show" buttons, meaning that they gave you the satisfying feeling of selecting the inputs, without the actual ability to do so. ;) Solution - Plug all of the sources into a remote controled 5 port HDMI switch, plug the output of the switch into an audio de-embedder, plug the audio output from the de-embedder into the Motion Vision and plug the video output from the de-embedder into the TV. The Harmony remote now controls the switch as desired and any of your normal listening and viewing functions can be programmed on the remote. $100 later - The switch was about $40 and the de-embedder was about $60. This also leaves two HDMI ports for future expansion. I bought a Kinivo switch and a KanexPro de-embedder and both do what they are supposed to do. Other brands are available. Even with the additional $100, I'm totally satisfied with the value/dollar ratio. So far, everyone who has listened to it is impressed and everyone who has seen it is impressed.

Soundbar Does Not Do It Justice.
The ML Vision Soundbar is astonishing with its audio reproduction, and even its movie audio processing. It should be in a category all its own. Deep bass, even without connecting a Dynamo through the Vision's built in wireless sub connection, and its rich audio reproduction will take all your favorite hits and make you feel front row. Thank you Martin Logan, Will

Back to the Future
In the 70's and 80's, I used to visit high end independent audio stores with my father. He was an audiophile without the checkbook necessary to truly indulge, but I remember Martin Logan from those trips to the store and those gorgeous electrostatic loudspeakers. I hadn't even thought of Martin Logan until I heard this beautiful sound (if that's even possible at Best Buy) emanating from below a huge plasma screen TV. I've been searching for a sound bar to ale my woes of listening to the built-ins of my HDTV. The sound bar needed to be minimal, so that my lovely wife wouldn't mind the not-so-lovely looks of one more piece of electronic equipment in the house. Despite knowing better, I've stuck with Bose for my audio needs for more than 20 years. Unfortunately, I thought their sound bar was too synthetic in sound quality, over-engineered, and I really did not want to deal with a subwoofer taking up floor space, so I decided to try the Motion Vision. I can say, even after only six hours of ownership, that I made the right choice. The Motion Vision has astounding audio reproduction and has filled my living room with warmth and joy. I don't miss the subwoofer at all, as the bass is absolutely breathtaking from this unit. I can finally hear dialogue from my movies and I even took some time to watch a concert on Palladia, and it sounded great! The design is elegant, organic, and quite simply, the best sound bar I have found. For those looking for amazing sound reproduction, without the hassle of a high-end 5.1 or 7.1 system, this unit does more than take care of business. Thank you, Martin Logan for taking me back in time.

No Compromises
I recently moved to a new apartment in California, and while the space fits all my needs, the walls are irregularly placed, making speaker wire particularly cumbersome... Not to mention the fact that, as a renter in California, I can't really mount anything to the walls. So recently, I've been looking at soundbars to replace my older surround sound system, and decided on the Martin Logan Motion Vision. It's one of the absolute best purchases I have ever made. Before hearing the ML Motion Vision, it really disappointed me to have to "settle" for a soundbar, rather than a full-fledged surround sound system. Sure, most soundbars are at least an upgrade from your television's built-in speakers... But the "enveloping surround sound" that they usually advertise is full of baloney, and even when you listen to a decent soundbar, there's still one problem... It still sounds like a soundbar. Tinny, or not enough bass, muddy, unclear separation between channels... The list goes on. But when I ran into the Motion Vision, my opinion of what a soundbar could be changed completely. Honestly, in the right room (not the high warehouse ceilings and wide open spaces of big box retailers - though, it sounds pretty good there), it puts some surround sound systems to shame. Crystal clear high range, deep bass - both with no distortion, even when cranked to 11... Amazing separation of channels that envelops you completely... And the best midrange (dialogue) I've ever heard from almost any home theater speaker, particularly for a soundbar. That's the thing... For the first time ever, I didn't have to "settle" for a soundbar... It puts my old surround system to shame. It's also a snap to set up. The option to add a subwoofer is nice, but not a necessity for anyone without a high-end sub... There's more than enough bass here, you can feel it in your lungs. Sure, it could have used some HDMI inputs, but the connectivity options are fine and shouldn't be a deal breaker for anyone. The Motion Vision is all about audio quality, and it delivers. This is the best soundbar ever made, period. And buying it doesn't feel like a compromise... It's an upgrade.