Audiophilepure

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“MartinLogan’s Dynamo 800X is the first subwoofer I’ve reviewed that combines digital control, signal connection, and room correction—all three wirelessly—in a small, powerful package. I heard no difference between the wireless and wired connections, and once I’d found good positions for the Dynamos, set their output level correctly, and identified their optimal crossover frequencies, their sound seamlessly blended with that of my Quad electrostatics, deepening the ESL-989s’ soundstages and deep-bass extension and expanding their dynamic range, and enhancing their three-dimensionality, all at a price far below that of larger subwoofers I’ve reviewed.”

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“A finely tuned sub such as the SuperSub X goes beyond mere extension and actually rebalances a system along more musically authentic lines. Capturing the realism of the concert hall is my goal. This is where the SuperSub X really shines. Partnering with the Revel M126Be it raised that compact’s performance by supplying a foundation that extends perceivably into the low 30Hz range, even touching the upper 20Hz range in my room. Bass quality was full-bodied yet controlled, exhibiting the requisite bloom and resonant sustain expected of deep lower octaves. In a brass ensemble track like Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man the bass drum not only had deeper pitch extension but also reverberant drum-skin textures and more graduated sustain. Similarly, during Rutter’s Requiem the pipe organ developed denser waves of bass energy projecting into the hall. Such low-frequency density aided in defining the soprano soloist’s position as well as the vast reaches of ambient space within the venue.”

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“Even used with comparatively tiny satellite speakers and a high crossover, bass integration is excellent, although I did find I got better results using a line-level input from my Yamaha AVR (bypassing its onboard processing), than via the LFE feed. My only real criticism of the way the SB-4000 behaves is a slightly odd one. This is a superbly controlled subwoofer, aided by some clever DSP, but there are times when I’d love to be able to make it a little more boisterous. Compared to the GoldenEar SuperSub XXL, which can be persuaded into great hulking slabs of unnecessary low-end if you ask it nicely, the SVS 
stays absolutely controlled. I’d almost like there to be a ‘Ludicrous’ setting in the SVS Bluetooth app (to join the Music and Movie presets), which I could select when I wanted to behave like a five-year-old.”

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“The Monolith 15” THX Ultra holds THX’s “Ultra” performance class certification, which means it should be able to help to present a THX experience in a 3,000 cubic foot room with a 12’ viewing distance from the screen. That is a big space to fill, and the laws of physics dictate that a large sub is needed for that task (or at least a whole lot of small subs). The 15” THX Ultra is such a behemoth that, at a glance, it does look like it might be up to the task, but the THX certification is verified proof, so no guessing is needed. However, the 15” THX Ultra is only certified for that level of performance in one of its operating modes: all ports open and EQ switch set to “THX.” It isn’t that other operating modes will perform significantly worse, it’s just that they don’t have very specific behavior needed to act totally predictable by the THX controlling processor otherwise.”