MartinLogan Discrete Cinema Soundbar 85 - 3CH Passive Soundbar 85 Inch TV

MartinLogan Sized This Soundbar to Your 85-Inch Screen

Big TVs have a sound problem. Put a short soundbar under an 85-inch screen, and every voice comes from a narrow strip in the middle. The MartinLogan Discrete Cinema Soundbar 85 fixes that by running nearly the full width of the display. It is 74.1 inches wide and holds three separate speakers in one bar.

This is a passive three-channel soundbar. Inside are true left, center, and right channels, each wired on its own. Your AV receiver or amplifier does the work, so you keep the processing, room correction, and power you already trust.

Fifteen Drivers in a Bar Under Five Inches Tall

The Soundbar 85 is the largest bar in the Discrete Cinema family. It carries 15 drivers: three Gen2 Folded Motion Tweeters, one per channel, and twelve 4-inch woven fiberglass woofers. The woofers handle the midrange and upper bass, where dialogue and most effects live.

For all that, the cabinet stays small. It stands 4.76 inches tall and 2.37 inches deep, and it weighs 20 pounds. A low-profile wall bracket comes in the box. If you would rather hang the bar from the TV itself, the MartinLogan TV Mount Kit is sold separately.

Plan for Your Receiver, and Plan for a Subwoofer

Plan your amplification before you buy. The bar is rated at 4 ohms and works with amplifiers rated for 4, 6, or 8 ohms. MartinLogan recommends 20 to 280 watts. It is built for the front of a home theater, not deep bass, so pair it with a subwoofer.

How MartinLogan Packed Three Speakers Into 2.37 Inches

The tweeter is the heart of the design. Each Gen2 Folded Motion Tweeter uses a thin film diaphragm that measures 5.25 by 1.75 inches. Folding it lets that much surface fit into a 1 by 1.4 inch driver. A Folded Motion Waveguide shapes its output, and MartinLogan rates dispersion at 90 by 90 degrees.

Wide dispersion matters in a big room, because a 90-degree spread is meant to cover a broad seating area, not just the center seat. That helps the people on the ends of the sofa, too.

Why the Cabinet Is Aluminum, Not MDF

The cabinet is a sealed aluminum extrusion. Aluminum is strong enough for thinner walls than MDF, which frees up space inside. MartinLogan also isolates the three channels from each other within the cabinet. Left, center, and right stay separate from end to end.

A 2.5-way crossover splits the work between tweeters and woofers. Rated frequency response runs from 100 Hz to 25 kHz, ±3 dB. Sensitivity is 93 dB at 2.83 volts and one meter. That is efficient, so even a modest receiver can drive it well within its limits.

Pre-Wire It Before It Ever Touches the Wall

Installation is just as tidy. Removable Phoenix-style connectors with tool-free levers let you wire the bar on the floor, and recessed channels in the chassis hide the cables once it is hung.

Who Is This Passive Soundbar Best For?

• Owners of 85-inch class TVs — At 74.1 inches wide, the bar spans nearly the full screen, so the front soundstage lines up with the picture.
• Home theater fans with an AV receiver — You keep your own processing, room correction, and choice of amplifier.
• Anyone who wants a clean, low-profile look — At 2.37 inches deep, it sits close to the wall or mounts right to the TV with the optional kit.
• Custom installers — Pre-wire connectors and hidden cable channels make wall-mounted jobs neat and quick.
• Not ideal if you want left and right speakers spread wider than the screen — A single bar fixes the spacing. Three MartinLogan Discrete Cinema LCR9 speakers let you place each channel where you want it, mounted horizontally or vertically.

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Connect the Soundbar 85 to the front left, center, and right speaker outputs of your AV receiver or multichannel amp. Run three pairs of speaker wire to the removable Phoenix-style connector, minding the printed positive and negative marks. Then hang the bar on its wall bracket, or on the TV with the optional kit.

In your receiver’s setup menu, set the front speakers to Small and send bass to a subwoofer. The bar’s rated response starts at 100 Hz, so set the crossover there or one step higher. MartinLogan advises against mixing Discrete Cinema LCR and soundbar models across the front three channels. Three runs of wire in, one clean line under the screen.

Pairs Well With

Build out the rest of your theater with these companions:

• Subwoofers — The bar’s response starts at 100 Hz, so a sub carries the deep bass.
• Speaker cables — You will need three runs from your receiver, one per channel.
• Bookshelf speakers — Add surround channels behind or beside your seating.
• Audio racks — Give your AV receiver and sources a proper home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the MartinLogan Soundbar 85 need a receiver or amplifier?

Yes. It is a passive soundbar with no built-in amplifier, so you need an AV receiver or a multichannel amp with at least three channels.

Do I need a subwoofer with this soundbar?

Yes. Its rated response starts at 100 Hz, and MartinLogan designed the series to work with a subwoofer for deep bass.

What comes in the box?

You get the soundbar, a low-profile wall bracket, and a Phoenix-style wiring connector. Wall screws are not supplied, so pick hardware that suits your wall. The TV Mount Kit is sold separately.

Can I mount the soundbar to my TV instead of the wall?

Yes, with the MartinLogan TV Mount Kit. It attaches through your TV’s VESA points and works with a third-party TV wall mount. If your TV has an IR sensor notch on its bottom edge, the bar may not sit fully flush.

How much power does the Soundbar 85 need?

MartinLogan recommends 20 to 280 watts. It is rated at 4 ohms and works with amplifiers rated for 4, 6, or 8 ohms.

Is this a Dolby Atmos soundbar?

Not by itself. It handles only the front left, center, and right channels, while your receiver decodes Atmos and you add height and surround speakers to complete the system.

See It in Action

AV NIRVANA’s first look covers the whole Discrete Cinema series, including the passive soundbars, plus MartinLogan’s Depth Series subwoofers.

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