Martin Logan Dynamo 500?

[Chicago mom]

Hello all,

It's been a number of years since I regularly was on this forum, but now that I'm looking to upgrade my home theater I need some serious advice. We moved to a new house last year and it's time to get the family room electronics in order. Contrary to stereotypes, this is my job to figure out!

So....

I currently have a Denon 2805 receiver and Paradigm 5 fronts and center. The home has in ceiling speakers which absolutely stink so I need to figure out something there - it would be tough to re-wire to use my Paradigm rears. Overall, my gear is around 8-12 years old so I'm looking to get the new tech on receiver, TV, DVD and so on. Old gear will go to basement now that we have one. With a one year old toddler running around, I'm debating whether to retire my 15+ year old Paradigm floor standing fronts (love them though!). Usage is both music and home theater, although nowadays mostly home theater. I appreciate good quality sound/picture and tend to buy a bit above average stuff, but not crazy high end. Family room / kitchen is big open room with fireplace in corner, approximately 15 feet from TV to couch.

So let me get to the sub......

I never had one, only 5 channel. In doing some research, I went to Magnolia/Best Buy and they had the Martin Logan Dynamo 500 for $300. Sounded good, seemed like a good deal. So I bought it, in part because of the good deal and also felt the sales guy deserved at least a bit of a commission for all his help in talking through TV's, receivers and other stuff. My questions are:
- In general how do folks feel about this sub in general and matching the Paradigms?
- Given that I'm still up in the air on replacing rest of speakers or not, and will definitely be swapping the receiver/TV etc, should I wait and do all at once? Or will the Dynamo be ok for most future applications?

Thanks!

 

[Seth=L]

The Dynamo is a very good subwoofer for the money, it will definitely be fine with your speakers. You don't have to worry about timbre matching or brand matching subs to speakers. As long as the subwoofer is of good quality and it can pick up where the speakers leave off there won't be a problem. The Dynamo should be fine for future applications in all but the largest rooms. Being that the Dynamo is a sealed subwoofer it probably isn't going to knock your house down but it should fill in the low end nicely. Given that you have never had a subwoofer before I think you'll be surprised at what it can do though.

 

[soapboxpreacher]

I had a dynamo sometime ago and I did like it. My room was not as forgiving with placement so I wasnt able to get the most out of it. I tried it in both down firing and front. It was solid overall but my 12" velodynes did a better job. I like a 12" drive a little better. I liked the 500 better for music then home theater. It just cant get quite low enough. It is very tight, accurate and precise. I did like the sound from it quite a bit but overall for me the location in my room wasnt ideal I believe for the 500. If you have it near a corner you will probably have better luck. Speaking of which how big is your room?

I really like the martin logan subs...but for me I would end up with a 700 or a 1000 because of the demand of a home theater. They both go a little lower and have a little more output...but 300 bucks is a really sweet deal...very tempting!!!

 

[Chicago mom]

Thanks for the replies folks.

In terms of room size, it's pretty big - a combined family room / kitchen on main level. I would say about 15-20 feet x 35-40 feet. But the main listening area is basically 15x15. There is an angled fireplace in the corner itself but I can but the sub in between that and my main AV equipment. So basically near the front right, or the front left.

Going to hook it up this morning and give it a try....interested in what it will add to the system!

 

[soapboxpreacher]

Let us know how it goes...that is a big room. What is your breakdown: Music to Home Theater ratio?