MartinLogan Dynamo 1600X vs MartinLogan Dynamo IW S Detailed Comparison

MartinLogan Dynamo 1600X vs MartinLogan Dynamo IW S Comparison

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MartinLogan 1600X

Powered Subwoofer | 20-200 Hz

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MartinLogan Dynamo IW S

Passive In-wall | 35-190 Hz

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MartinLogan 1600X

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MartinLogan Dynamo I...

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MartinLogan 1600X

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MartinLogan Dynamo I...

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MartinLogan 1600X vs MartinLogan Dynamo IW S Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing two different types of subwoofers by MartinLogan. MartinLogan Dynamo 1600X is a Subwoofer speaker whereas the Dynamo IW S is a In-wall speaker.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of MartinLogan 1600X and MartinLogan Dynamo IW S first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	MartinLogan 1600X	MartinLogan Dynamo IW S
Brand	MartinLogan United States · founded 1982	MartinLogan United States · founded 1982
Driver	15" Polypropylene	2 x 8"
Amplifier	900 watts RMS	—
Enclosure	Sealed	—
Frequency response	20-200 Hz	35-190 Hz
Impedance	—	8 ohms
App control	Yes	—
Weight	25.91kg / 57lbs	12.11kg / 26.6lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	20-1/16" x 17-15/16" x 18-1/2" 510.0 x 456.0 x 470.0mm	19-5/16" x 10-15/16" x 4-1/2" 490.5 x 277.8 x 114.3mm

MartinLogan 1600X

MartinLogan Dynamo IW S

Woofer

Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.

The sections below take each area in turn: driver and amplifier, frequency response, physical size and connectivity.

Drivers

The efficiency of a subwoofer is directly proportional to the total radiating are squared hence the woofer quantity and diameter.MartinLogan 1600X and MartinLogan Dynamo IW S have a totally different setup: the MartinLogan 1600X features 1 x 15-inch drivers whereas the Dynamo IW S features 2 x 8-inch drivers.

Frequency Response

Dynamo 1600X has a frequency range of 20-200 Hz whereas Dynamo IW S has a frequency range of 35-190 Hz. With a minimum frequency of 20Hz, the Dynamo 1600X can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Dynamo IW S's min frequency of 35Hz.

Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Subwoofer class in our database.

Low Frequency

Subwoofer Speakers

MartinLogan 1600X

MartinLogan Dynamo IW S

Min

Average

Max

High Frequency

Subwoofer Speakers

MartinLogan 1600X

MartinLogan Dynamo IW S

Min

Average

Max

Physical Specs

The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare MartinLogan 1600X's and MartinLogan Dynamo IW S's external dimensions. MartinLogan 1600X has external dimensions of 510.0 x 456.0 x 470.0mm (20-1/16 x 17-15/16 x 18-1/2inch) whereas MartinLogan Dynamo IW S has external dimensions of 490.5 x 277.8 x 114.3mm ().

MartinLogan 1600X is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 178.2mm wider, 19.5mm taller and 355.7mm deeper than MartinLogan Dynamo IW S.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of MartinLogan 1600X and MartinLogan Dynamo IW S in scale.

Comparison image of MartinLogan 1600X and MartinLogan Dynamo IW S Size and External Dimensions

Reasons to choose MartinLogan Dynamo 1600X over MartinLogan Dynamo IW S

Speaker Type	Powered vs Passive	Built-in amplifier
Woofer Size	15 inches vs 8 inches	Larger woofer
Low Frequency Response	20 Hz vs 35 Hz	Generates deeper bass
High Frequency Response	200 Hz vs 190 Hz	Generates higher frequency

Reasons to choose MartinLogan Dynamo IW S over MartinLogan Dynamo 1600X

Number of Woofers	2 vs 1	More woofers
Height	490mm vs 510mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Base Surface Area	317cm² vs 2143cm²	Takes less floor space
Price per pair*	1600USD vs 2000USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Size, drawn to scale

Both subwoofers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.

One scale for both, standing on the same floor and pushed back to the same wall, so the bigger one visibly takes more of the room.

MartinLogan 1600X needs about 575% more floor area. MartinLogan 1600X stands 356mm further into the room. MartinLogan 1600X is 20mm taller.

MartinLogan 1600X vs MartinLogan Dynamo IW S Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	MartinLogan Dynamo 1600X	MartinLogan Dynamo IW S
Brand	MartinLogan	MartinLogan
Speaker Type	Powered Subwoofer	Passive Subwoofer
Impedance	n/a	8 ohms
Frequency Response	20-200 Hz	35-190 Hz
Amplifier
Watts RMS (Continuous)	900-watt RMS	n/a
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	2
Woofer Size	15"	8"
Woofer Composition	Polypropylene
Tweeter Size	-	-
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	No
Firing Direction	bottom	n/a
Physical Specs
Height	510.0mm (20.1")	490.5mm (19.3")
Width	456.0mm (18")	277.8mm (10.9")
Depth	470.0mm (18.5")	114.3mm (4.5")
Weight	25.91kg (57lbs)	12.11kg (26.6lbs)
Enclosure	Acoustic Suspension
Available Colors	Satin Black	n/a
Grille	Yes	n/a
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Other
Parts Warranty	3 Yrs w/ Registration	5 Years
Labor Warranty	3 Yrs w/ Registration	5 Years

Verdict

Two quite different sizes of subwoofer. Room volume decides this more than anything else on the page: a big driver in a small room is wasted, and a small one in a large room is worked to death.

Area	Better	Why
Bass depth	A	MartinLogan 1600X goes deeper - 20Hz against 35Hz. Under 20Hz is felt more than heard - the bottom of a pipe organ and the bottom of a film mix.
Driver area	A	MartinLogan 1600X moves more air: 15" against 2 x 8" is 1.76x the cone area, not the 1.33x the diameters suggest. More area means the same output with less excursion, and less distortion with it.
Cabinet size	depends	MartinLogan Dynamo IW S is about 86% smaller by volume. In a subwoofer that is a real trade rather than a preference: box volume is how you get output low down without a bigger amplifier.
Warranty	B	MartinLogan Dynamo IW S carries 5 years on parts against 3 years. A subwoofer amplifier works harder than anything else in the system, so this is not a throwaway line.
Price	B	MartinLogan Dynamo IW S costs less - $1,600 against $2,000, about 20% less.

A MartinLogan 1600X B MartinLogan Dynamo IW S
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both subwoofers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.

Which should you choose?

The usual trade-off: MartinLogan 1600X measures better, MartinLogan Dynamo IW S costs about 20% less. In a normal room, placement will make a bigger difference than the gap between these two. If placement is the constraint - a corner, behind a sofa, under a desk - MartinLogan Dynamo IW S is the one that will actually go there, and a well-placed small subwoofer beats a badly-placed big one every time.

One thing outweighs everything above: where the subwoofer stands. Room modes can add or remove 10dB or more at a given seat, which is far larger than any difference on this page. Before spending more, try the sub in two or three positions - the crawl test, where you put it in the listening seat and crawl the room to find where the bass sounds best, costs nothing and usually beats an upgrade.

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