In this review, we will be comparing Dynamo 400 and ASW610, two Powered Subwoofer speakers from MartinLogan and Bowers Wilkins. Being Powered subwoofers, they both have built-in amplifiers so you don't need an external power amp or an integrated amp to power them. Let's have a brief look at the main features of MartinLogan 400 and B&W ASW610 first before getting into our more detailed comparison.
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.Both MartinLogan 400and B&W ASW610 have a single woofer setup however the MartinLogan 400's woofer is 8-inch whereas the B&W ASW610 features a 10-inch woofer.
Frequency Response
Dynamo 400 has a frequency range of 30-200 Hz whereas ASW610 has a frequency range of 27-140 Hz. With a minimum frequency of 27Hz, the ASW610 can go slightly deeper then the Dynamo 400's min frequency of 30Hz.
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
High Frequency
Subwoofer Speakers
Cabinet Type
The MartinLogan 400 has a Bass reflex type cabinet. On the other hand the B&W ASW610 have Acoustic Suspension type enclosure. Acoustic Suspension aka Sealed type subwoofers have enclosures that are sealed hence no ports or holes exists on the cabinet. Sealed designs helps to provide more accurate and tight bass responses compared to ported designs.
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 400's and B&W ASW610's external dimensions. MartinLogan 400 has external dimensions of 385.0 x 339.0 x 388.0mm (15-1/8 x 13-5/16 x 15-1/4inch) whereas B&W ASW610 has external dimensions of 321.0 x 312.0 x 394.0mm (12-5/8 x 12-1/4 x 15-1/2inch).
B&W ASW610 is 27mm narrower and 64mm shorter than MartinLogan 400 but it is also 6mm deeper.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of MartinLogan 400 and B&W ASW610 in scale.
Comparison image of MartinLogan 400 and B&W ASW610 Size and External Dimensions
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the MartinLogan 400 is approximately 1315.3cm2 / 203.9inch2 and base area of the B&W ASW610 is approximately 1229.3cm2 / 190.5inch2. The Dynamo 400 requires 7% more surface area than the ASW610 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a subwoofer may become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often to find the optimal positioning, also known as 'Subwoofer Crawling'. The MartinLogan 400 weighs 12.95kg / 28.5lbs and the B&W ASW610 weighs 12.55kg / 27.6lbs. This makes the Dynamo 400 3% heavier than the ASW610.
Here is a comparison of how Dynamo 400 and ASW610's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Powered Subwoofer class.
Weight
All Subwoofer Speakers
What's in the Box of MartinLogan 400?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Dynamo 400:
- Powered subwoofer
- 6.5-feet AC power cord
- User-feets Manual
What's in the Box of B&W ASW610?
Here are the items that come with the ASW610:
- Powered subwoofer
- Grille
- 6.5-feet AC power cord
- 4 Rubber feet
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Lock-nuts
- Manual
- Bowers & Wilkins brochure
- Warranty Information
 High Frequency Response |
200 Hz
vs
140 Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Price per pair* |
500USD
vs
899USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
 Woofer Size |
10 inches
vs
8 inches
|
Larger woofer |
| Low Frequency Response |
27 Hz
vs
30 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Height |
321mm
vs
385mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1229cm2
vs
1315cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
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.
Near-identical footprints. MartinLogan 400 is 64mm taller.
| General |
MartinLogan Dynamo 400 |
Bowers & Wilkins ASW610 |
| Brand |
MartinLogan |
Bowers Wilkins |
| Speaker Type |
Powered Subwoofer |
Powered Subwoofer |
| Max Amplifier Output |
75 watts |
200 watts |
| Frequency Response |
30-200 Hz |
27-140 Hz |
Amplifier |
|
|
| Watts RMS (Continuous) |
75-watt RMS |
200-watt RMS |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
1 |
1 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
10" |
| Woofer Composition |
Polypropylene |
Paper/Aramid Fiber |
| Woofer Surround Material |
n/a |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
- |
- |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
No |
No |
| Firing Direction |
bottom |
front |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
385.0mm (15.2") |
321.0mm (12.6") |
| Width |
339.0mm (13.3") |
312.0mm (12.3") |
| Depth |
388.0mm (15.3") |
394.0mm (15.5") |
| Weight |
12.95kg (28.5lbs) |
12.55kg (27.6lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass reflex |
Acoustic Suspension |
| Available Colors |
Satin Black |
n/a |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
3 Yrs w/ Registration |
2 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
3 Yrs w/ Registration |
2 Years |
A ported subwoofer against a sealed one. That is the most consequential line on this page: it decides how the bass rolls off, how it behaves in a small room, and how much output you get for the size of the box.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass depth | B | B&W ASW610 goes deeper - 27Hz against 30Hz. A real difference, though most music has little content below 30Hz. |
| Amplifier power | B | B&W ASW610 has the bigger amplifier - 200W against 75W RMS, about 4.3dB more on tap. In a large room that is headroom before the DSP starts limiting. |
| Driver area | B | B&W ASW610 moves more air: 10" against 8" is 1.56x the cone area, not the 1.25x the diameters suggest. More area means the same output with less excursion, and less distortion with it. |
| Enclosure | depends | MartinLogan 400 is ported - a ported box gives more output low down for its size, at the cost of a steeper roll-off below tuning; B&W ASW610 is sealed - a sealed box rolls off gently and is usually the easier one to integrate in a small or awkward room. Neither is better in the abstract; ported tends to suit films and sealed tends to suit music, and both generalisations have exceptions. |
| Driver placement | depends | MartinLogan 400 fires down and B&W ASW610 fires front. A down-firing driver is more forgiving of a grille-less look and of a hard floor; a front-firing one is the safer choice on a thick carpet or a suspended timber floor. |
| Cabinet size | depends | B&W ASW610 is about 22% 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 | A | MartinLogan 400 carries 3 years on parts against 2 years. A subwoofer amplifier works harder than anything else in the system, so this is not a throwaway line. |
| Price | A | MartinLogan 400 costs less - $500 against $899, about 44% less. |
A MartinLogan 400 B B&W ASW610
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: B&W ASW610 measures better, MartinLogan 400 costs about 44% less. In a normal room, placement will make a bigger difference than the gap between these two. Films or music? If this is mainly a home cinema, MartinLogan 400 will hit harder for the money; if it is mainly for music in a normal-sized room, B&W ASW610 is usually the easier one to make sound right. Two small subwoofers beat one big one in most rooms - a pair evens out the room modes in a way no single box can, whatever its specs. At $500 each, two MartinLogan 400 cost about $1,000 against $899 for one of the other, which is worth a thought.
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.