Martin Logan Dynamo Review

[jimgoings]

I just replaced my JBL PB-10 sub with a Martin Logan Dynamo. There aren't any reviews of it on the Net so far, so I thought I should post my thoughts here.

First of all, I am not an expert audiophile. I just hear something and if I like it, I like it. I can't compare the Dynamo sub against anything other than my old JBL PB-10.

My first impression of the unit was how small it was. Despite the fact that is has a 10 inch driver, the same as my old speaker, it is in a much smaller cabinet (less than 1 square foot). I hooked it up to all three inputs (LFE, FR, FL) via the Denon 3805 pre-outs. I set the low-pass crossover to about 60hz and set the gain to just under half.

I first played a DVD-A of "Enter Sandman". It was much crisper and cleaner sounding. The bass was deep, yet smooth. It's difficult for me to describe the new bass sound I was hearing other than to say it was silky sounding versus rough like sandpaper. The pounding bass drum in the song sounded extremely realistic and not exaggerated like my old JBL.

I wanted to give the bass a real workout, so I put in Fellowship of the Ring and watched the opening sequence. When Sauron implodes and the armies are destroyed by a expanding ring of force, the bass extends way down into the 20hz range, perhaps even lower. My old sub seemed to have a gap here where the sound didn't flow from higher to lower frequencies. This sub brought the feeling of the power of the ring right into the center of my chest cavity... I got chills. My wife (who thinks I'm a complete nut for spending so much money on my theater) eye got wide and a ear to ear grin emerged as she felt the bass deliver this scene with tremendous fidelity.

I then popped in the Avia setup disc and checked the low frequency sweep. The bass was clear and audible down to about 18hz, way lower than I expected. The specs say 25hz is the low-end, but I heard it down to 18hz which is consistent with what the dealer told me it would do (apparently they experimented quite heavily with the sub).

Confident that the sub was setup and working correctly, I put in my favorite concert DVD - Dave Matthews in Central Park. I chose Disc 2's "All Along the WatchTower" and cranked my 3805 up to -10db. The Martin Logan Dynamo brought new life to this song and nearly caused tears to well up in my eyes, almost ruining my macho image.

I realize this isn't exactly a technical review, but I can honestly say that the Martin Logan Dynamo has exceeded my expectations and rewarded me with a toothful grin everytime I hear it kick in.

Here's the link if you're interested: http://www.martinlogan.com/dynamo_speaker.html

 

[anamorphic96]

Thanks for the input. I have been wondering about this unit myself. At 599 it seems like a stellar deal consindering the Martin Logan reputation. I was always impressed with the other subs they make as well. Heard an HT demo once that scared the hell out of me. Also heard a small music set up that sounded stellar. Expensive but amazing.

I like the front and downfiring option as well.

 

[Joshr]

your room dimensions

What is your room size?

 

[jimgoings]

About 12ft x 19ft. One of the long walls has a 12ft open section that shares space with another room.

 

[Joshr]

Did you consider the slightly larger Grotto? What's the price difference?

 

[jimgoings]

Did not consider it and have never seen it. I compared a few subs briefly when I was buying my receiver, but I didn't make a decision. When I went back to the store on Monday, I listened to a few more subs (this time using the same receiver as the one I purchased) and decided that the Dynamo was a lot of bang for the buck so I took I took it home.

 

[inmypjs]

Interesting review. However, anything below 20Hz is inaudible to the human ear (maybe you meant that you felt the LFE). I also auditioned the Dynamo and I liked it except that the REL Q108e MkII, although it sports a smaller driver (8"), is more flexible when it comes to setup (I use my system both for HT and stereo listening). I also prefer the fact the REL is smaller and goes down deeper to 23Hz @ -6dB.

Be that as it may, I think that knucklehead who reviewed the Dynamo from Audioreview.com is smoking weed (that explains why his name is Screw Loose). Despite the good reviews he gave, he only gave the sub 2 stars out of 5. I think the Dynamo is an incredible sub for just $599. You can get this even at 10% off if you know how to negotiate (like calling every Magnolia Hifi or Tweeter store in your area and telling them to beat the other store's price)

 

[jimgoings]

You're probably right

You're probably right about me "feeling" the bass below 20hz rather than hearing it. However, I was really describing the smooth experience of sound as it transitioned lower and lower. You feel sound about 20hz as well as hear it, so it's probably best to say that the experience was smooth throughout all frequencies as they decreased.

I hope that makes sense.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

I demod a Descent. I've never heard the "smoothness" in a subwoofer like the ML. Granted, a $2000+ sub should sound smooth, but this one was remarkable. To insult just about everything else in the store, it was positioned about 6 feet from a side wall, no where near a corner. Three 10" woofers working in unison is some feat. I've yet to experience a SV Cyliner sub. If it's its anything close to the Descent, it's a bargain. Have any forum members compared the two?

 

[Audiophiliac]

comparison

I have listened to all the Martin Logan subs (the shop I work at sells them). They are phenomenal! I have also heard the SV sub in a fairly nice install we did recently. There is really no comparison! Martin Logan wins in just about every aspect. The only area the SV MIGHT come out a bit ahead is in sheer SPL at certain frequencies. It did decent on movies. We watched several scenes from different movies trying to "tweak" it to sound better. U571 was impressive on the SV. If it was in a dedicated theater setting, I can see it doing ok. But it is not a musical sub at all. And its size and shape are inconvenient to say the least.

The Martin Logan subs perform equally well with music and movie material. The Descent is obviously the cream of the crop. We removed the Velodyne HGS18 from our reference theater when we got a hold of the Descent. We have also had the B&W ASW800 and ASW850 in there and I liked the Descent better than them all.

The new theater room we are in the process of designing will have the Wilson Audio Watchdog sub. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of that! With the WATT/Puppy 7.0 and the Watch Center and surrounds, it should be stellar to say the least. With a full Classe front end and Runco DLP projection, it will be nice. I will bring pictures when it is complete later this year. We (I) have to make time to get everything wired and installed.

 

[9f9c7z]

Does a 283-lb Watchdog subwoofer really sell for $10,850?

 

[anamorphic96]

You think thats pricey check out the Krell Master Reference subwoofer.

 

[FimlFan69]

Human Hearing

Just a quick note about hearing range - the popular figures (and easy to remember) state that the range is 20-20k but several studies such as Sebastian Haskel and David Sygoda. Biology, A contemporary Approach. New York: Amsco, 1996 show that range down to 15 Hz. You may have been hearing and feeling.

That bit of nitpickery done - I just bought a Dynamo and I can't wait to plug it in!

 

[Davidt1]

Outstanding little sub! Although it's been said many times before, it's worth repeating that proper placement is essential to getting the best sound. I have been playing with mine for months before finding that it sounds best near field in the back of the room. Enjoy your new Dynamo.