MartinLogan Dynamo 800X powered subwoofer Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog Sources: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply & Ittok tonearm, Spectral MC cartridge; Day-Sequerra 25th Anniversary FM Reference FM tuner.
Digital Sources: Bryston BCD-1 CD player, BDP-3 media player with IAD soundboard & Glider MPD Control, BDA-3 DAC, Oppo digital BPD-103 universal BD player; Lenovo P50 ThinkPad computer running Windows 10 Pro (64-bit), Bryston Windows USB driver; JRiver Media Center 23; Roon Core v.1.4 (build 300) stable (64-bit).
Preamplification: Bryston TP-2 30 step-up transformer; Sutherland Engineering KC Vibe phono stages; Sutherland Engineering Vibe head amplifier; Bryston BP-26 & BP-173, Mark Levinson ML-7 (with L-3A board for medium-output MC cartridges) preamplifiers.
Power Amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.534.
Loudspeakers: Quad ESL-989.
Cables: Digital: Bryston 75-ohm (BNC to RCA), Wireworld Starlight (coaxial). Interconnect: Bryston, Pure Silver Cable (balanced, XLR), Mark Levinson Silver, Red Rose Silver One, Totem Acoustic Sinew (single-ended, RCA). Speaker: Coincident Speaker Technology CST 1, Pure Silver Cable R50 (biwire double ribbon), QED X-Tube 400, Ultralink Excelsior 6N OFJC. AC: manufacturers' own.
Accessories: JL Audio CR-1 electronic crossover; Apple iPhone 6 (iOS v.12); Studio Six iTestMic & Audio Analyzer App v.10.7.11 & AudioTools; Torus Power RM 20 power conditioner; Salamander Designs Synergy System Audio Core equipment rack.
Listening Room: 13' L by 11.5' W by 8' H with flat ceiling, sparsely furnished with IKEA area rug, overstuffed chair. Alcove (6' by 2.5' by 7') in rear wall filled with desk & books. Windows in front wall covered with closed blinds. Rear of room opens to upstairs hall through 7' by 4' doorway.—Larry Greenhill

COMPANY INFO
MartinLogan
2101 Delaware Street
KS 66046
(785) 749-0133
ARTICLE CONTENTS

COMMENTS
gcvanwinkle's picture

I found this information from Harman interesting:

https://www.harman.com/sites/default/files/multsubs_0.pdf

I'm planning on implementing a two subwoofer setup with subs on opposites sides of the room as shown in the document

GC Van Winkle

Bogolu Haranath's picture

Stereophile 2008 article 'The science of subwoofing' by DO is also helpful ....... Everything you always wanted to know, but were afraid to ask :-) ..........

Bogolu Haranath's picture

If the loudspeaker manufactures incorporate powered subwoofers like the GoldenEar Triton Reference (Stereophile Class-A full range), it would be a good idea :-) ........

larrylgreenhill's picture

Thanks to GC Van Winkle for alerting me to the excellent slide lecture from the Harman engineer.

avanti1960's picture

the feet attach to "another" surface? How about they attach to the rear surface- you know the ones with the power connections, wired audio connections and manual adjustments?
So then with a front firing setup, the controls and connections will be facing down, under the subwoofer. Are the feet tall enough to fit the power cable, banana plugs, etc? All the cables need to feed downward and exit under the feet to the rear of the unit?
What an absolutely horrible design. I sure hope it sounds good down firing.
If I were reviewing this subwoofer this aspect of the design would have certainly been mentioned and admonished.

avanti1960's picture

I just purchased a pair of these subwoofers based on this review and so far they have integrated really well and sound excellent. A little "dry" sounding but hopefully they will bloom just a little as they wear in. MartinLogan recommends at least 50 hours before any critical listening is done.
With respect to the front firing setup requiring the connection and control panel to face the floor- it turns out that there really aren't any issues with doing this.
The controls are app based and the power cable has a 90-degree connector which gives plenty of room for the cable to exit under the unit and out the back. Same with the banana plugs for high level connections.
It would have been nice to have this outlined in the review at least to calm any concerns but all is well with this particular design application.
Thank you for the review which was a key factor in purchasing them and I am very happy with the results.
Tony, Suburban Chicago area.

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