opinions on Martin Logan Depth i for HT

[dk10438]

Hi
I have an opportunity to buy a yr old ML Depth i with the Cherry finish for about 1000. I have been set on either the PB12NSD or the XV15 but this deal seems to be pretty good. I had been considering the Outlaw and the Hsu but fit and finish are are somewhat important to me as is what is under the hood so to speak, ie the drivers in the SVS and PSA were much more robust appearing.

Regardless, I'd like to hear opinions on what people think about the ML being used primarily for HT. ie is this a purely musical sub or is it going to produce enough bass for HT in a 3000 CF room. TIA

 

[Steve81]

On the face of things, the Depth would appear a bit more comparable to the PSA XS-15 than the two models you mentioned. Both are sealed subwoofers which helps make things a bit more apples to apples.

FWIW, compared with the XS-15, the Depth will have a bit less cone area, (3-8" drivers versus a single 15"), less amplifier power (300w continuous/500w peak vs 500w/1000w) and a slightly smaller enclosure. Of course, we have no hard measurements of the Depth to say with a great degree of precision how it performs relative to anything else; still, I'd daresay the picture is less than rosy in terms of SPL for the $$$.

Something else worth checking is to make sure the ML has a transferable warranty as well.

 

[dk10438]

granted that the ML is more comparable to the sealed versions from PSA and SVS. However, 1000 is a steep discount off of MSRP. Not sure how much they typically sell for but I still think that this is a pretty good buy. 3 eight inch woofers will have more surface area than a 12 inch cone. And since I am concerned about cosmetics, I think the cherry finish is much more attractive and will have much greater WAF than the PSA or SVS. And if I don't like it, I'm pretty sure I can sell the ML for very close to what I paid for it.

 

[Steve81]

However, 1000 is a steep discount off of MSRP. Not sure how much they typically sell for but I still think that this is a pretty good buy.

A lot depends on the warranty. If the warranty isn't transferable, then its not worth $1000, at least IMO. If it is, then its a matter of cosmetics vs raw output capability. FWIW I can sympathize with not wanting an ugly subwoofer, and I understand the value of good fit and finish. A couple other options in the more attractive category I'd toss out there are dual SB12-NSDs for $1150 shipped or the Aperion Bravus II 12D for $900.

3 eight inch woofers will have more surface area than a 12 inch cone.

True enough, but its perhaps worth noting that the PB12-NSD comes darned close to delivering the output of a Velodyne DD18+ around its tuning point. That should give you a good idea of the added efficiency a ported alignment confers around tuning.