In this review, we will be comparing two different types of subwoofers by MartinLogan. MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O is a In-wall speaker whereas the Dynamo 12 is a Subwoofer speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features of MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O and MartinLogan Dynamo 12 first before getting into our more detailed comparison.
MartinLogan Dynamo IW-OMartinLogan Dynamo 12
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 Dynamo IW-O and MartinLogan Dynamo 12 have a totally different setup: the MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O features 2 x 8-inch drivers whereas the Dynamo 12 features 1 x 12-inch drivers.
Frequency Response
Dynamo IW-O has a frequency range of 30-190Hz whereas Dynamo 12 has a frequency range of 22-200 Hz. With a minimum frequency of 22Hz, the Dynamo 12 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Dynamo IW-O'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 In-wall class in our database.
Low Frequency
In-wall Speakers
High Frequency
In-wall Speakers
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 Dynamo IW-O's and MartinLogan Dynamo 12's external dimensions. MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O has external dimensions of 485.4 x 272.5 x 104.1mm () whereas MartinLogan Dynamo 12 has external dimensions of 425.5 x 400.1 x 455.6mm ().
MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O is 127.6mm narrower and 351.5mm less deeper than MartinLogan Dynamo 12 but it is also 59.9mm taller.