MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O vs MartinLogan Dynamo 400 Detailed Comparison

MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O vs MartinLogan Dynamo 400 Comparison

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MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O

Passive In-wall | 30-190Hz

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MartinLogan 400

Powered Subwoofer | 30-200 Hz

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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

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MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O vs MartinLogan 400 Speaker Comparison

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 400 is a Subwoofer speaker.

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

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

MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O

MartinLogan 400

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

Frequency Response

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

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

MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O

MartinLogan 400

Min

Average

Max

High Frequency

In-wall Speakers

MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O

MartinLogan 400

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

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 Dynamo IW-O and MartinLogan 400 in scale.

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

What's in the Box of MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of Dynamo IW-O:

In-wall subwoofer
Grille
Cutout Template

What's in the Box of MartinLogan 400?

Here are the items that come with the Dynamo 400:

Powered subwoofer
6.5-feet AC power cord
User-feets Manual

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

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)

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 Dynamo IW-O vs MartinLogan 400 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O	MartinLogan Dynamo 400
Brand	MartinLogan	MartinLogan
Speaker Type	Passive Subwoofer	Powered Subwoofer
Impedance	8 ohms	n/a
Frequency Response	30-190Hz	30-200 Hz
Amplifier
Watts RMS (Continuous)	n/a	75-watt RMS
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	2	1
Woofer Size	8"	8"
Woofer Composition		Polypropylene
Woofer Surround Material	Thermal Plastic Rubber (TPR)	n/a
Tweeter Size	-	-
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	No
Firing Direction	n/a	bottom
Physical Specs
Height	485.4mm (19.1")	385.0mm (15.2")
Width	272.5mm (10.7")	339.0mm (13.3")
Depth	104.1mm (4.1")	388.0mm (15.3")
Weight	6.80kg (15lbs)	12.95kg (28.5lbs)
Enclosure		Bass reflex
Available Colors	n/a	Satin Black
Grille	n/a	Yes
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	No	n/a
Other
Parts Warranty	5 Years	3 Yrs w/ Registration
Labor Warranty	5 Years	3 Yrs w/ Registration

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	A	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	A	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	B	MartinLogan 400 costs less - $500 against $1,398, about 64% less.

A MartinLogan Dynamo IW-O B MartinLogan 400
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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