About the MartinLogan Dynamo™ 1500X

Soul-stirring bass
Soul-stirring bass

Shown in High-gloss Piano Black
Whether you're playing two-channel music or firing up the latest Hollywood action blockbuster in surround sound, MartinLogan's Dynamo 1500X is sure to move you — maybe even literally. With its high-excursion 15" woofer and beefy 650-watt amplifier, this potent subwoofer can fill your room with accurate, musical, low-distortion bass all the way down to 20 Hz. You'll hear, and more importantly, feel the "thwack" of a well-recorded kick drum or the impact of movie soundtrack explosions.
Tailor the bass precisely to your room
Every room has unique acoustic characteristics, so placing a subwoofer and dialing it in can sometimes be tricky. That's why MartinLogan offers their Perfect Bass Kit (sold separately; requires computer running Windows® XP, Vista, or Windows 7), so you can ensure that the Dynamo 1500X subwoofer sounds just right in your specific listening room. You connect the subwoofer to your Windows® PC, along with a microphone provided in the kit. The included software takes sound measurements in your listening positions and adjusts your subwoofer automatically, giving you perfect bass for your space, saving you a lot of time and guesswork.
Front-firing? Down-firing? You decide.
The Dynamo 1500X comes configured with the woofer facing downward, which makes sense for most folks who'll want to position it as a free-standing subwoofer in their listening rooms. But if you prefer to tuck this subwoofer into a hidden alcove or a cabinet, you can easily remove the feet and reattach them to orient the woofer so it fires forward into your room. For front-firing configurations, MartinLogan provides a grille to cover the woofer, plus 90-degree RCA adapters for making input signal connections.

Speaking of connections, this subwoofer's balanced XLR input is a nice touch. It lets you make a high-quality input connection from a home theater receiver or preamp with a balanced LFE output. Available in High-gloss Piano Black or Satin Black finishes.
Wish the Dynamo 1500X was a wireless sub? Check out the MartinLogan SW2-TRD wireless adapter kit.
Product highlights:
- frequency response: 20-200 Hz (±3dB)
- built-in amplifier delivers 650 watts of continuous power, 1300 watts peak output
- high-excursion 15" polypropylene woofer cone with cast aluminum basket
- sealed (acoustic suspension) cabinet with convertible front- or down-firing design
- continuously variable low-pass 40-150 Hz crossover
- rear-mounted continuously variable phase, volume level, and crossover controls
- auto on/off
- inputs: line-level/LFE RCA, balanced XLR LFE, 12V trigger, PBK (Perfect Bass Kit) connection
- included Energy Transfer Coupler (ETC) spikes can be used for tighter coupling between subwoofer and floor to enhance sound quality
- compatible with MartinLogan's optional PBK (Perfect Bass Kit) room correction system (requires computer running Windows® XP, Vista, or Windows 7)
- Satin Black finish
- 16-3/4"W x 18-5/16"H x 18-1/16"D
- weight: 52 lbs.
- warranty: 3 years (with product registration)
- MFR # DYN1500XD
What's in the box:
MartinLogan Dynamo™ 1500X owner's manual
- Powered subwoofer
- 10' AC power cord
- Cloth grille
- 4 Pre-installed rubber feet
- 4 Spiked feet
- 2 Right-angle RCA adapters
- User's Manual (En/Fr)
- Product Registration Card
Reviews (5)
Customer reviews for MartinLogan Dynamo™ 1500X
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More details on the MartinLogan Dynamo™ 1500X

Features & specs
Enclosure | Acoustic Suspension | |
Woofer Size (inches) | 15 | |
Woofer Composition | Polypropylene | |
Firing Direction | Down/Front | |
Amplifier Output (watts) | 650 | |
Frequency Response | 20-200 Hz | |
Connections | ||
Preamp-Level Inputs | Yes | |
Speaker-Level Inputs | No | |
Speaker-Level Outputs | No | |
Wireless | Optional | |
Controls | ||
Low-Pass Crossover Freq | 40-150 | |
High-Pass Crossover Freq | N/A | |
Phase Switch | Yes | |
App Control | --- | |
Remote | --- | |
Other Info | ||
Height (inches) | 18-5/16 | |
Width (inches) | 16-3/4 | |
Depth (inches) | 18-1/16 | |
Weight | 52 lbs | |
Speaker Parts Warranty | 3 Yrs w/ Registration | |
Speaker Labor Warranty | 3 Yrs w/ Registration | |
Amplifier Parts Warranty | 3 Yrs w/ Registration | |
Amplifier Labor Warranty | 3 Yrs w/ Registration |
Product Research
Features
Dynamo Series Powered Subwoofer: The MartinLogan Dynamo 1500X powered subwoofer features advanced MartinLogan engineering including a 650 watt (1300 watt peak) amplifier and a 15" low distortion woofer with a powerful magnet structure to deliver huge excursion and output while preserving subtle bass detail. XLR, RCA, and 12-volt trigger inputs guarantee connection flexibility while simplifying system integration. It can be configured as a down-firing or front-firing powered sub.
Advanced, Ultra-Efficient 650-Watt Amp: The Dynamo 700w's ultra-efficient, high-power amplifier uses variable audio tracking power supplies to drive its class AB output stage. With lower distortion and less noise than typical Class D switching amplifiers, this advanced design allows the amplifier to operate at much higher efficiencies than a typical class AB amplifier, delivering a true 650-watts of continuous power (1300-watts peak).
Powerful, High-Excursion 15" Woofer: The Dynamo 1500X powered sub features advanced MartinLogan design concepts. A high-resolution, low-distortion 15" polypropylene woofer delivers huge excursion and sound output while preserving minute bass details, all without a hint of distortion. The cone material's exceptional damping properties ensure the smooth, non-resonant response necessary for seamless blending with MartinLogan electrostatic panel and Folded Motion driver technologies in their loudspeakers.
Inverse Mathematical Equalization (IME) Filtering: An IME filter is derived from the inverse of the unfiltered driver response. Precision IME filtering yields extremely accurate low-frequency response; far superior to that provided by the simple second-order high-Q filters typically found in subwoofers in this price range.
Sealed Cabinet w/ Internal Bracing: On the outside, the Dynamo 1500X's cabinet is constructed from the finest composite material for acoustic integrity. Inside, critically placed structural cross-bracing acts an excellent baffle for the woofer while the added rigidity keeps cabinet-induced resonances and non-linearities to inaudible levels. As a result the MartinLogan Dynamo 1500X maintains a smooth, consistent response regardless of music or movie source material.
Perfect Bass Kit (PBK) Ready: Although correct placement plays a key role in optimizing subwoofer performance, positioning a subwoofer often requires compromises. Not anymore, thanks to MartinLogan's Perfect Bass Kit (839PBK, sold separately). The Dynamo 1500X is MartinLogan's first powered sub to feature PBK room correction. PBK uses a computer and microphone to listen throughout the listening environment and tailor the sub's performance to the unique acoustic properties of a room; resulting in clean, powerful bass down to 20Hz.
Front-Firing or Down-Firing Configuration: To maximize performance when installed inside of a cabinet or other discrete installation, the Dynamo 1500X's standard down-firing configuration easily converts into a front-firing orientation; no tools required. A grille cover and 90-degree RCA adaptors are provided for use in front-firing applications. Dimensions:
- Down-Firing Orientation (default): 16.75" (w) x 18.3125" (h) x 18.0625" (d)
- Front-Firing Orientation: 16.75" (w) x 19.3125" (h) x 18.0625" (d)
Seamless System Integration: Comprehensive connection options, low-pass filtering, and phase control make integrating the Dynamo 1500X subwoofer into a multichannel home theater or stereo music setup simple and seamless. The main left/right line-level inputs feed into a precision low-pass filter with a cut-off frequency variable from 40 to 150 Hz. For systems in which the AV receiver supplies the low-pass crossover, the Dynamo 1500X offers an LFE input (via either XLR or RCA) that bypasses its internal filters. The phase control can be set to 0, 90, or 180-degrees. Additionally, a 3.5mm trigger input allows your AV receiver to turn the Dynamo 1500X on/off via a 12V trigger connection.
Energy Transfer Coupler (ETC) Spikes: The Dynamo 1500X comes with custom ETC spikes which can be used along with the pre-installed rubber feet to enhance stability on thick carpets, or create tighter coupling between subwoofer and floor to enhance overall sound quality. The spiked feet add 0.625" of height to the powered sub.
Auto Power On/Off: The powered subwoofer will automatically enter a power saving mode when no audio signal is detected. The subwoofer will automatically come out of power saving mode when an audio signal is detected.
Break-In Period: The Dynamo 1500X subwoofer requires approximately 50 hours of break-in at moderate listening levels before its optimal performance occurs. This will factor in on any critical listening and judgment.
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Customer Q&A
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This was my first sub upgrade in quite some time and this bad boy delivers. Loud in all the right places and very tight when it needs to be. Fills the whole house without shaking it unnecessarily. The upgrade to the gloss black is a must. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.
Ferris B. from Knoxville, TN