Speaker Choice - Dynaudio?

[zebra]

I'm familiar with B&W and own several pair of Dynaudio. In my opinion Dynaudio is a far superior speaker in every aspect to B&W. I thought their top of the Nautilus paled in comparison to my Dyn Contour 2.1t and the B&W cost twice as much. In a 3 way shoot out we listened to a Thiel, I'm not sure the model but they retailed at $2,200., a pair of Acoustic Energy towers ($699.) and a pair of Dynaudio A52's. The AE's were out classed by both. The 52's had far superior bass response to the other two. I preferred the 52's out of the 3. The Thiels were a sweet sounding speaker, layed back and musical. I like the Thiel sound better than B&W. I prefer Dynaudio because the frequency response sounded wider, more dynamic and quick and very obviously better bass, more of it and it was still accurate and clean.

i'm looking for decent stand or bookshelf speakers myself and your post is making me lean towards the Dynaudio Audience 52s. However the system will be mainly in my bedroom so i was thinking of getting the A42. Other possibilities for me are JMLab Chorus 706 although great mid and highs they are thin on bass so i would probably have to couple this to a sub if i go this direction. I liked the Usher X-719 for its deep bass but somehow detail gets lost in a heavy music program. I read a good review on the B&W 602 S3 on this website. So i'm thinking of auditioning that too.

But in the meantime... i am really hooked on getting either the 42 or the 52 unless there are other good suggestions out there. By the way, I will be driving these speakers with a Yamaha AX-596 stereo integrated amp (100w rms) mated to a DIY Tono brand tube pre-amp. In other words, a hybrid.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[zebra]

Actually surfing a bit more i came upon a B&W603 vs. JMLab707 thread! Looks like the JMLab is not getting much positive feedback. I have auditioned both the Chorus 706 and 707 and i do like their clarity and analytical sound. Nothing like the JMLab Micro Utopia though. For the buck it looks like the Dyn Audience - with it's better dynamic characteristics - is a better choice over the french speakers. I'll give the brit speakers a try soon and then i'll decide.

[RGA]

I really like the A 42 and 52 - both require fairly robust amplification which IMO receivers don't posess. Then again I'm picky.

For a cheaper easier to drive solution check out the Audio Note AX Two - it is also Danish (coincidence?) anyway it is very easy to drive even by the 8 watt SET amp - and IMO that allows you more of an upgrade path away from SS. Even if you don;t higher sensitivity often tends be able to get dynamics easier.

I posted reviews of the 42, AX Two and 602S3 - all were very good IMO for the money - but the AX Two is worth the trouble to find because IMO it was the best of the lot and the least expensive and most sensitive. RGA Reviews <$2000.00 Page 2, Epos, Audio Note, Paradigm, B&W etc.

[johnnyturbo]

RGA and crew_- I am running an old NAD 2200 PE (100x2) and 1155 pre ( vintage 1987). I My room is 12x15 with 8.5 foot ceilings; 2 doorways . Do I have enough power frot he 52se's? I am only a 2 channel guy. What about the s1.4 which i heard and liked, but a quantum leap in $$$. Also thinking about adding a sub with the 52se. Another thought would be the Vons VR1, again poss. with sub. Finally, the GMA Europas and Callisto's have received solid, though limited forum talk. I would much appreciate any thoughts you guys might have.
Thanks again.

[NickWH]

All I can tell you is that you can do a lot better by your speakers by upgrading your electronics. Looking at different/more expensive speakers would be a waste of money. Your current speakers still have a lot more potential. You shouldn't need a sub with the 52SE in that size room.

[johnnyturbo]

All I can tell you is that you can do a lot better by your speakers by upgrading your electronics. Looking at different/more expensive speakers would be a waste of money. Your current speakers still have a lot more potential. You shouldn't need a sub with the 52SE in that size room.

NickWH- thanks for advice. At this point , I am without speakers; so an electronics upgrade will have to wait until next year. Given what I have and the options I laid-out, you point to the 52 se. I believe you are on the spot re room size; and I can add a sub if necessary. Any thoughts on the other speakers I mentioned.

[NickWH]

Johnny, you really should start a new thread to get more responses...you kinda hijacked this one.

The way I read your post, I thought you owned the 52SE already. I think you should listen to all the speakers that interest you (if possible), but keep in mind the cost of making the system synergistic. So make sure you budget for the associated equipment (like with this speaker I would use a tube amp, with this speaker I would use a 250wpc amp, etc.). Most people suggest buying the speakers you like first, and then building a system around that. I would be mindful of a preamp/amp or integrated amp upgrade in the near future with the speakers you seem to are interested in.

I really can't comment on the other speakers, except that I've heard the same good things.