MartinLogan Dynamo 400 vs MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O Detailed Comparison

MartinLogan Dynamo 400 vs MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O Comparison

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MartinLogan 400

Powered Subwoofer | 30-200 Hz

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MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O

Passive In-wall | 30-190Hz

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MartinLogan 400

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MartinLogan Dynamo I...

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MartinLogan 400

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MartinLogan Dynamo I...

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MartinLogan 400 vs MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing two different types of subwoofers by MartinLogan. MartinLogan Dynamo 400 is a Subwoofer speaker whereas the Dynamo IW-O is a In-wall speaker.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of MartinLogan 400 and MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	MartinLogan 400	MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O
Brand	MartinLogan United States · founded 1982	MartinLogan United States · founded 1982
Driver	8" Polypropylene	2 x 8"
Amplifier	75 watts RMS	—
Enclosure	Ported	—
Frequency response	30-200 Hz	30-190Hz
Impedance	—	8 ohms
Weight	12.95kg / 28.5lbs	6.80kg / 15lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	15-1/8" x 13-5/16" x 15-1/4" 385.0 x 339.0 x 388.0mm	19.11" x 10.73" x 4.1" 485.4 x 272.5 x 104.1mm

MartinLogan 400

MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O

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 400 and MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O have a totally different setup: the MartinLogan 400 features 1 x 8-inch drivers whereas the Dynamo IW-O features 2 x 8-inch drivers.

Frequency Response

Dynamo 400 has a frequency range of 30-200 Hz whereas Dynamo IW-O has a frequency range of 30-190Hz.

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 400

MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O

Min

Average

Max

High Frequency

Subwoofer Speakers

MartinLogan 400

MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O

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 400's and MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O'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 MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O has external dimensions of 485.4 x 272.5 x 104.1mm ().

MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O is 66.5mm narrower and 283.9mm less deeper than MartinLogan 400 but it is also 100.4mm taller.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of MartinLogan 400 and MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O in scale.

Comparison image of MartinLogan 400 and MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O Size and External Dimensions

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 MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O?

Here are the items that come with the Dynamo IW-O:

In-wall subwoofer
Grille
Cutout Template

Reasons to choose MartinLogan Dynamo 400 over MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O

Speaker Type	Powered vs Passive	Built-in amplifier
High Frequency Response	200 Hz vs 190 Hz	Generates higher frequency
Height	385mm vs 485mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Price per pair*	500USD vs 1398USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Reasons to choose MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O over MartinLogan Dynamo 400

Number of Woofers	2 vs 1	More woofers
Base Surface Area	283cm² 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.

MartinLogan 400 needs about 364% more floor area. MartinLogan 400 stands 284mm further into the room. MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O is 100mm taller.

MartinLogan 400 vs MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	MartinLogan Dynamo 400	MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O
Brand	MartinLogan	MartinLogan
Speaker Type	Powered Subwoofer	Passive Subwoofer
Impedance	n/a	8 ohms
Frequency Response	30-200 Hz	30-190Hz
Amplifier
Watts RMS (Continuous)	75-watt RMS	n/a
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	2
Woofer Size	8"	8"
Woofer Composition	Polypropylene
Woofer Surround Material	n/a	Thermal Plastic Rubber (TPR)
Tweeter Size	-	-
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	No
Firing Direction	bottom	n/a
Physical Specs
Height	385.0mm (15.2")	485.4mm (19.1")
Width	339.0mm (13.3")	272.5mm (10.7")
Depth	388.0mm (15.3")	104.1mm (4.1")
Weight	12.95kg (28.5lbs)	6.80kg (15lbs)
Enclosure	Bass reflex
Available Colors	Satin Black	n/a
Grille	Yes	n/a
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	n/a	No
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	evenly matched	Effectively the same reach (30Hz vs 30Hz).
Driver area	B	MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O moves more air: 2 x 8" against 8" is 2x the cone area, not the 1.41x the diameters suggest. More area means the same output with less excursion, and less distortion with it.
Cabinet size	depends	MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O is about 73% 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-O 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	A	MartinLogan 400 costs less - $500 against $1,398, about 64% less.

A MartinLogan 400 B MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O
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 Dynamo IW-O measures better, MartinLogan 400 costs about 64% less. In a normal room, placement will make a bigger difference than the gap between these two. 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 $1,398 for one of the other, which is worth a thought. If placement is the constraint - a corner, behind a sofa, under a desk - MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O 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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