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  1. #1
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    Dynaudio says good bye to Audience and HELLO to the new Excite series

    Dynaudio is rolling out a new series called Excite which I've been told will eventually replace the Audience line. So if you are in the market good deals should be around from dealers who have Audience inventory. Although I find Excite some what of a strange name for a speaker line I can see how they might be excited about this line and the competition may be nervous. The Excite series are going to be more efficient and easier to drive than any Dynaudio in the past. Now enthusiasts on a budget can mate Excite with good HT receivers and moderate range 2 channel. These aren't quite on the street in my area yet and I haven't seen pricing. My guess is the price would be comparable to the Audience line but if these new speakers are reaching for more market perhaps a lower price might be in order. I've always found Dynaudio to be worth their price though because they pretty much dominate their price point and perform well beyond it.

    http://www.dynaudio.com/eng/systems/...nes/excite.php

  2. #2
    Forum Regular anamorphic96's Avatar
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    Sounds like the new found efficiency is coming from smaller voice coils.

    I just picked up the Audience 42's for a good price. Boy do they have alot of punch for their size. They have some of the cleanest bass I have ever heard. I measured mine down to the high 40hz range in my smaller room. Not bad for a six inch woofer in such a small enclosure. The cabinet is very inert. It passed the knuckle wrap test in a big way.

  3. #3
    Loving This kexodusc's Avatar
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    I've always found Dynaudio to be among the better built speakers.

    I heard a rumour awhile back that Dynaudio is getting out of the business of making their own drivers and buying them from some of the great names in their neighborhood (Seas, Peerless, Scan-speak etc)...any word on that?
    I know they were one a popular player in the DIY and OEM biz for other speaker companies for a long time, but as those markets took off in the late 90's they lost their ability compete price wise and left these games altogether to focus on finished products.

    Love the simplicity of the Excite line - no gimmick here. 1" thick front baffle, solid MDF construction, chamfered edges - look how tightly packed the tweeter and woofer are, and look how narrow the speaker is - this is exactly how I try and build my speakers. .
    None of these are cost cutting/time saving measures, that's for sure.

  4. #4
    I took a headstart... basite's Avatar
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    looking good, lookin good...


    and they probably sound the same too, as were used to from Dynaudio

    Keep them spinning,
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    I'm a happy 20 year old...

  5. #5
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    I haven't heard anything about them possibly using other companies drivers. I highly doubt that would happen, Dynaudio has always built their speakers themselves from the ground up. They do sell drivers to other companies as well as the Pro side of things.

    I also expect the Excite would be every bit as up to standard quality wise as any of Dyn's prior series.

  6. #6
    nightflier
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    But will the new audience be exited?

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Peabody
    Dynaudio is rolling out a new series called Excite which I've been told will eventually replace the Audience line. So if you are in the market good deals should be around from dealers who have Audience inventory. Although I find Excite some what of a strange name for a speaker line I can see how they might be excited about this line and the competition may be nervous. The Excite series are going to be more efficient and easier to drive than any Dynaudio in the past. Now enthusiasts on a budget can mate Excite with good HT receivers and moderate range 2 channel. These aren't quite on the street in my area yet and I haven't seen pricing. My guess is the price would be comparable to the Audience line but if these new speakers are reaching for more market perhaps a lower price might be in order. I've always found Dynaudio to be worth their price though because they pretty much dominate their price point and perform well beyond it.

    http://www.dynaudio.com/eng/systems/...nes/excite.php
    Maybe this is just nonsense, but here are some of my observations:

    - The bass driver on the Excite bookshelves pictured looks different from any other bass or midrange driver that Dynaudio carries. Maybe it is outsourced, hence the cost-savings.

    - The bargain-basement field is rather populated and I don't know how well Dynaudio can compete there. The Audience line was always their bread-and-butter, but it was still a notch more expensive than comparable speakers from other manufacturers. Going to a lower price-tier is a risky move.

    - There is more and more pressure (in Europe especially) to move away from wood-based products and Dynaudio may be giving in to that. Does anyone know what the sides and backs are made of?

    - My guess is that these will be 8 Ohm speakers and will have less downward impedance shifts. The question is whether these and other changes will still maintain the expected Dynaudio character that people have come to expect? In the end, how much of "Dynaudio" will remain in these speakers?

    I am biassed, of course. Having owned Audiences and been highly impressed with them, I will naturally be suspicious of any usurper who claims to be better, cheaper, faster. Kind of like buying the six-million-dollar man made from unknown parts for 3.5 million. Will he still have bionic vision?

  7. #7
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    [QUOTE=nightflier]Maybe this is just nonsense, but here are some of my observations:

    - The bass driver on the Excite bookshelves pictured looks different from any other bass or midrange driver that Dynaudio carries. Maybe it is outsourced, hence the cost-savings.

    * They are different than any other Dyn driver, they have to be in order to reach better efficiency. The website don't say anything about outsourcing or cheaper.

    - The bargain-basement field is rather populated and I don't know how well Dynaudio can compete there. The Audience line was always their bread-and-butter, but it was still a notch more expensive than comparable speakers from other manufacturers. Going to a lower price-tier is a risky move.

    * I believe pricing will be on par with the Audience line and I'm not sure your meaning ov comparable but I disagree. I've found Dynaudio a value because they perform much better than comparable priced speakers and many costing more money.

    - There is more and more pressure (in Europe especially) to move away from wood-based products and Dynaudio may be giving in to that. Does anyone know what the sides and backs are made of?

    - My guess is that these will be 8 Ohm speakers and will have less downward impedance shifts. The question is whether these and other changes will still maintain the expected Dynaudio character that people have come to expect? In the end, how much of "Dynaudio" will remain in these speakers?

    * I personally am confident this will be a completely competent product.

    From one fanboy to another.

  8. #8
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    excite x12's

    the excite series are the new speakers to beat in their price range. i just picked up a pair because they are in the price range for most of my clients who want something good for a secondary room. they are fantastic, the range and clarity is amazing for the price. if you get the chance check them out.

  9. #9
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    What are they priced at?

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by nightflier
    Maybe this is just nonsense, but here are some of my observations:

    - There is more and more pressure (in Europe especially) to move away from wood-based products and Dynaudio may be giving in to that. Does anyone know what the sides and backs are made of?
    Dynaudio site says- Low-resonance MDF cabinet with 25 mm baffle

    Quote Originally Posted by nightflier
    - My guess is that these will be 8 Ohm speakers and will have less downward impedance shifts. The question is whether these and other changes will still maintain the expected Dynaudio character that people have come to expect? In the end, how much of "Dynaudio" will remain in these speakers?
    Sorry, whole series is 4ohm and each speaker is only 1 to 2 db higher in impedance compared to the Audience line. I'm not sure they will be a whole lot less forgiving or if they still won't sound better with a modded Stratos vs a Mass Market HT Receiver.

    Quote Originally Posted by nightflier
    I am biassed, of course. Having owned Audiences and been highly impressed with them, I will naturally be suspicious of any usurper who claims to be better, cheaper, faster. Kind of like buying the six-million-dollar man made from unknown parts for 3.5 million. Will he still have bionic vision?
    I love em too! I have 82s and recently 42s that are killer as anamorphic96 said earlier with a good amp.

    I do however believe they could rename the Audience line and sell them for less just to make it up in quantity. There is barely $800 in parts and labor in my 82s, why do they cost $2500? Because we buy em. But, money is getting tighter and High End audio is starting to take a hit.

    Dynaudio Rocks whatever the line is called

    http://www.dynaudio.com/eng/systems/...cite_data.php#

  11. #11
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    89dB or so is where brands like Polk and Infinity or at, so maybe Excite won't be too hard to drive, though 86 is pushing it for many receivers. I hope to get into the store this weekend to take a look at the new Marantz processor, I'm hoping the Excite are there as well.

  12. #12
    Loving This kexodusc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Peabody
    89dB or so is where brands like Polk and Infinity or at, so maybe Excite won't be too hard to drive, though 86 is pushing it for many receivers. I hope to get into the store this weekend to take a look at the new Marantz processor, I'm hoping the Excite are there as well.
    Yeah, I'm sort of watching the 86 dB thing too. I was at a shop yesterday that carried Dynaudio, but they haven't got any of the Audience line in yet other than 3 or 4 pairs of speakers they had awhile back they sold in a day!

    The salesguy at this store said when it comes to Dynaudio though, he suspects most buyers either have reasonably beefy a/v receivers in the $1000+ range, (honest 100 watt x 2 and 4 ohm capability) or know enough about Dynaudio to have a good amp, so maybe the sensitivity isn't an issue.

    FWIW, I built a set of HiVi full range speakers that have a low sensitivity in the 81-82 dB range - impedance drops to 6-8 ohms only but that's still a greater current demand than 4 at 86 dB. I used a 10 year old, cheap, 80 watt x 5 Sony receiver to power them. It didn't miss a beat, but I wouldn't get much above 100 dB in dynamic peaks from them. Not the finest sounding speakers, but they certainly crush any HTIB I've heard and are about $14 to build a piece. I can't imagine a receiver today even half as crappy as the SonySTR-DE635. I suspect a lot of receivers can do an "ok" job and depending on volume tendencies might even be more than sufficient. Perhaps, if the Dynaudios sound better than alternative speaker selections, even when not running to their full potential, they're still a good purchase for people with mass market receivers? I think it'd be easier and cheaper to add a power amp later (pre-outs assumed) than to try and coax more out of inferior speakers.

  13. #13
    nightflier
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    Yes, but the real question is whether there is room in the bottom of the mid-fi market for yet another line of speakers, from Dynaudio, or anyone else for that matter. The Excite line seems to be superfluous. And if it is really intended to replace the Audience line, then why not improve the latter instead. Given how the economies around the world are being squeezed, is this really the smartest play for Dynaudio?

    Kind of reminds me of Saab's infinite wisdom in releasing a new SUV in 2007. And they wonder why it's not selling....

  14. #14
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    I'm not so sure I'd call the Excite mid-fi before it hits the street. From what I understand the pricing isn't going to be less than the Audience line. The Excite drivers are a new design from Dynaudio. The sensitivity isn't a great deal higher compared to other Dyn series but the driver structures are designed to be an easier load to drive.

  15. #15
    Ajani
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    Hot off the press, what HiFi's review of the entry point to Excite line, the X12:

    http://whathifi.com/Review/Dynaudio-Excite-X12/

    5 Stars - sounds like Dynaudio fans have something to look forward to...

  16. #16
    nightflier
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    Mr. P., Ajani, isn't the price point of the Excites, just about the same as the Audience line? Maybe I don't know what price-range mid-fi is, but it seems that this is definitely in the ballpark.

  17. #17
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    Since Dynaudio says the Excite will work with higher powered HT receivers I guess they wouldn't mind being called "mid-fi". In listening to offerings in the same price range, referring to the Audience, they make a heck of a value for "mid-fi". I like the term "mid-price" better

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