Dynaudio

[02audionoob]

Are there any loyal Dynaudio fans 'round here? The user reviews on this site for the Dynaudio Audience floorstanding models are consistently very strong...I think probably better than the comparable level from B&W. Focal JM Lab has some floorstanding speakers at that level and, as far as I can see, the Dynaudio Audience speakers must be better than the Focal Chorus and Cobalt series if you have high-current power to drive them. No one seems to complain about resonance issues. Few people mention any harshness at the high or mid frequencies. Being new to the idea of moving into any equipment that could be construed as high end, what's the story with Dynaudio? Are they as good as the audioreview.com reviews indicate?

[mlsstl]

Dynaudio is a very good all-round speaker. Unless you have specific urges in another direction (horns, planars, etc.) the Dynaudio's would be an excellent choice.

I almost bought a pair a few years back. They only lost out after I heard Spendors which have more "magic" in the midrange for me. However, the Spendors are harder to find for audition (I had to drive 200 miles to hear them and I live in a city of 2 million).

So, of the brands you mention, I'd definitely go with Dynaudio. I could very comfortably live with them.

[Mr Peabody]

Did some one call for a Dynaudio fanboy? Yes, they are absolutely as good as the reviews. In a second system I have a pair of Audience 60's that are currently being driven by an Adcom 5500, 200x2, and have had them hooked to many other things from Krell to Yamaha. They have impressive power handling without any distortion. I like to call them "neutral" because they are able to allow me to hear the differences between each amp or front end I've had on this system. They are also capable of sounding good on anything from Metallica to Madonna or good Jazz. The thing about Dynaudio these same fine characteristics can be found in every series. I use a pair of Audience 52's for rear surrounds and it was fun breaking them in on my second system because they did such amazing bass and overall sound quality for their size and price. My main Contour series obviously sound better than the audience but the same characteristics exist, no distortion if receiving clean power, excel in quality bass, "neutral", as you go up in price or series you get more of the same with better refinement and detail. You will hear that in the same price range Dynaudio will out perform it's competition and usually continue to dominate several ranges up. I find them an excellent value even though they aren't cheap. I've also driven my t2.5's with Krell, Arcam, Conrad Johnson and LINN to mention a few of the main ones. I've had some 42's for awhile as well, I matched them with a vintage Sansui integrated for my daughter's room. I've been fortunate enough to hear most of what Dynaudio has to offer in the U.S. including their Flagship Evidence and I am sold on the product. I have not heard the more recent Excite series which is replacing the Audience. The Excite drivers have been designed to be more compatibel with receivers or lower powered amps. Their sensitivity rating isn't much higher but they have been designed internally not to make the amp work as hard. I have been told the sonic signature isn't far from the Audience series.

My musical taste varies, I like Classical with Vivaldi being one of my favorite composers, I like Jazz with a strong leaning toward Fusion and I also have something of almost any type of Rock, Traffic/Pink Floyd to Disturbed/Tool, I don't think you will find a more versatile speaker than Dynaudio. It is rare to find a speaker capable of doing all these types of music and doing each one as well as Dynaudio.

[Ajani]

Are there any loyal Dynaudio fans 'round here? The user reviews on this site for the Dynaudio Audience floorstanding models are consistently very strong...I think probably better than the comparable level from B&W. Focal JM Lab has some floorstanding speakers at that level and, as far as I can see, the Dynaudio Audience speakers must be better than the Focal Chorus and Cobalt series if you have high-current power to drive them. No one seems to complain about resonance issues. Few people mention any harshness at the high or mid frequencies. Being new to the idea of moving into any equipment that could be construed as high end, what's the story with Dynaudio? Are they as good as the audioreview.com reviews indicate?

My 2 cents... Don't purchase a product based on reviews.... Focal, Dynaudio, B&W, Revel, Totem, Monitor Audio, Magnepan, PSB, Paradigm, Quad etc... etc... etc... are all good brands (each has loyal fans who swear their brands are the best sounding or best value for money etc etc etc).... You really just need to audition each brand yourself to determine if it really meets your needs...

[Mr Peabody]

I agree, if possible you definitely want to audition before buying. It seems with most, including myself, that speakers become the most personal part of a person's system. When you find your brand you will know it. It's like finding the perfect fitting shoe. Or, like finding your perfect mate.

To be honest when I first started out looking for speakers Dynaudio was the first brand I brought home. I was using Infinity Kappa 7's at the time. The sound was quite different because the Kappa 7's which I loved I later realized were also coloring the music. The Kappa 7's used a Vifa dome midrange that was very pleasant but not completely honest. So I took the Dyn's back and passed at the time. I auditioned several other speakers including B&W. I learned a lot by the auditioning process and came full circle back to Dynaudio. What brought me back was every other brand auditioned fell short of what the Dyn's could do. The only other speaker that gave me pause for thought was Martin Logan. I love these speakers but at the time used Krell gear, unless you've heard electrostats this may not make sense but I missed the physical sensation that I got from dynamic drivers. Plus I didn't have a large enough room to really do them justice. Even though I like ML's I didn't ever regret my decision until I heard a pair driven by tube gear, now that system had some synergy.

It's also true we become biased, I don't hesitate to let my negative opinion be known on Vandersteen for instance, yet I'm sure if I looked I'd probably find a good review some place. Ajani who held back really was not impressed by Dynaudio, he tends to like a more bright high end. If I remember our discussion he has only heard the Focus series and it was with decent gear. I've heard the Focus with a few very nice amps but not a wide variety of music. I found the bass response incredible. I thoroughly enjoyed them and really didn't seem to miss any highs at the time yet I have to admit the Focus are, I'm not sure how to put this without causing misunderstanding, a bit less aggressive than the Audience, or display a bit more politeness. It's not that the Audience are offensive in any way, it's just that the Focus does have a different presentation while keeping with most of the Dynaudio traits. The only one I can't vouch for is the "neutrality" due to my lack of auditioning with a variety of music. We were using a pair of Focus 110's and they were very capable of letting us hear the difference in the many CD players and few integrated amps we tried. It's just that we stuck to the same two discs to maintain some reference point.

On the other hand, when you read the reviews you did what I used to do, look for consistency. If several reviewers state the same thing either for good or bad it has to be founded on some truth. This doesn't necessarily mean you will hear the same way as they did either. So if possible you should do some listening to confirm you will be happy.

[02audionoob]

My 2 cents... Don't purchase a product based on reviews.... Focal, Dynaudio, B&W, Revel, Totem, Monitor Audio, Magnepan, PSB, Paradigm, Quad etc... etc... etc... are all good brands (each has loyal fans who swear their brands are the best sounding or best value for money etc etc etc).... You really just need to audition each brand yourself to determine if it really meets your needs...

I agree it's essential to audition speakers carefully. The problem is, it's hard to find the speakers and sometimes inconvenient to audition them, so I want to be sure I'm interested before I commit. It appears the only dealer in this area is a by-appointment-only high-end installer. I want to be careful of wasting my time and theirs. There's a pair on craigslist about an hour's drive away. That's another possibility...maybe even better, since they're presumably broken-in...but it's an inconvenience for both of us so I want to know in advance whether I'm really going to be interested.

[Mr Peabody]

Which model is on Craigslist? What amp/receiver do you have now?

Accessibility is one big advantage the major brands have. If the appointment guy has been in business long at all he will understand the importance of letting you hear the speakers and won't mind if you walk out without a sale. The seeds have been planted if you are impressed at all. I went into a high end store years ago and they were friendly and showed me some stuff, one system was a $25k pair of Dyn's driven by a Krell amp that looked like a steam trunk. I didn't buy anything from them that day or the next trip but later down the road when my CD player went out I wanted something good and went back. Well I gave them a sale then and my journey began.

[Feanor]

My 2 cents... Don't purchase a product based on reviews
...

But I did buy my Magneplanar MMG's with out hearing them. Of course, I could have said them back if I hadn't like them. The fact is I like them so well that a couple of years later I bought a pair of Magneplanar MG 1.6QR's without hearing them either. Of course I knew the 1.6s had the same character as the MMGs only more so.

[02audionoob]

Which model is on Craigslist? What amp/receiver do you have now?



The model on Craigslist is the Audience 82. My amp that I'd use for these is an Adcom GFA-555II.

[Mr Peabody]

In my opinion that would be a great combo. I'm using a 5500 with 60's and it rocks. You have the same power and the 82's are a couple steps up from my 60's. Plus, if you ever did upgrade your amp or other gear in the chain, the 82's would still be up to the task. You certainly wouldn't be wanting for bass with that combo. If they are a good deal, jump on them. A friend of mine has some 82's and he drives them with a very expensive T+A all-in-one unit. He loves them.

Not all who can afford good gear have good sense though, so be sure to remove the covers to check for damage and listen closely to be sure the speakers sound the same.