MartinLogan Dynamo 700W Review (Updated 2023)

Small, But Powerful

Unfortunately the Dynamo 700W has been discontinued but we've kept the original review below. If you're currently in the market for a new sub, the SVS 3000 is one of the most highly rated substitutes

SVS 3000 Micro

MartinLogan Dynamo 700W (Original Review)

What We Like

What We Don’t Like

Quality is the name of the game when dealing with MartinLogan products. The Dynamo follows suit, with gorgeous design, rock-solid performance, and a tiny footprint. Despite a misleading name, this is one of the best subwoofers under $1000.

Design

The Dynamo 700W borrows some design ideas from other subwoofers. Most notably, the transcendent placement of the woofer. While bottom-firing in stock configuration, the subwoofer can transform into front-firing mode by removing the feet and flipping the box on it’s side. When front-firing, MartinLogan gives a removable cloth grille to cover the woofer. You may not want to do that though, with the iconic MartinLogan signature gracing the center of the cone. Other than that, the box is black, with rounded edges to add a premium feel.

I love the look of the Dynamo 700W. MartinLogan products look beautiful and this subwoofer is no exception to that. The only issue is branding on the front of the box. In the down-firing configuration, it poses no issue. When flipped up, the logo sits on the top of the box, breaking the clean look of the subwoofer. It’s not horrible, but a removeable badge would have been welcome.

Features

Flashy features don’t show up here. However, there are things to appreciate.Yes, the transformative nature of the subwoofer add both to aesthetics and performance, standing out as a key feature. The selling point is the built in wireless receiver. Don’t freak out, that doesn’t mean you can control the sub from your couch. Instead, the receiver allows cableless installation with the included SWT-2 wireless transmitter. Phase reversal, tunable crossover, and auto signal sensing show up, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

For me, the wireless integration is above par. While MartinLogan isn’t the first to come up with the idea, they are the first to implement it properly. The included wireless receiver unlocks the true power of the subwoofer, not hiding behind a $100+ premium to unlock the full feature set. Props to MartinLogan for providing their customers with everything they need to experience their purchase fully.

Performance

Most of what I’m about to say should go without saying, but I’ll put your nerves to rest. This subwoofer sounds stunning. Here’s why: The 10-inch delivers massive bass with very little distortion. MartinLogan has gone on about their IME filtering, that flips the typical driver response and uses that to filter. In short, that means the low-end response stays consistent no matter where you decide to filter.

The design of the Dynamo 700W allow you to decide what you prefer in the performance realm. Changing to front or bottom firing will change the sound. One doesn’t sound better than the other necessarily, but the flexibility is welcome.