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6M views 58K replies 1K participants last post by  jcmaharry 
#1 ·
Dynaudio doesnt get much attention here, but it is very exclusive and as such not readily available in all states. As the exclusive Dynaudio dealer in San Diego, we represent their speakers as the state of the art. If you want to leave nothing to chance and simply want the most accurate performance Dynaudio is the ticket. In an industry where you can easily overpay for underpeforming equipment, Dynaudio has always been about no compromise speaker design regardless of price. After listening to the Contours in our showroom, I immediately knew that my next speakers would be the Contour S5.4....still saving.


I would love you to hear from all you Dynaudio owners out there, and what kind of gear that you pair up with it.
 
#17,421 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by callas01  /t/686371/dynaudio-owners-thread/17400#post_22526232


yes, the 160s will be an improvement. Im surprised you went fromthe 52SE to the DM2/7s. Seems to me to be more latteral then an upgrade. The 160s tweeter will have a lot of improvement I was surprised by how much more open the 160s tweeter was then the excites and the size of the soundstage it built. The Excites tweeter to me is more refined and better developed then the DMs that I have heard(dm2/6 and 3/7)

go with walnut..

Thanks for your reply.


My stereo gear was split up when I separated from my ex (she got the speakers).

Just rebuilding my system now.


Walnut, rosewood................ ummmm? Both look great.


Cheers
 
#17,422 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by ningaloo  /t/686371/dynaudio-owners-thread/17400#post_22528281


Thanks for your reply.

My stereo gear was split up when I separated from my ex (she got the speakers).

Just rebuilding my system now.

Walnut, rosewood................ ummmm? Both look great.

Cheers

Huuuummm



For me it will be white gloss...



Rega Brio R / Rega DAC in black / SBT / Dynaudio Excite X12 and stands in white gloss...



I can hardly wait for the Brio R to arrive and demo with the X12 in my living room.


I think it will sound like heaven and look cool...
 
#17,423 ·
OMG guys, PS vs. Mac fight on a topic called DYNAUDIO OWNERS!

I find it incredible how these discussions seem to periodically pop up everywhere.


I'm a computer engineering graduate and have worked in the field (chip design and automotive) in the past 10 years. I find that most of the time many if not all of the "standard" points being brought up are just looking from a narrow perspective or simply invalid.

I've bought my first laptop 6 years ago, it was the cheapest entry-level HP. I dropped it once on concrete (the belt of the knapsack I was carrying broke while I was running). case cracked but all working fine. it died because I caused a short that involved mains voltage entering through the VGA output. I doubt that any high-end PC or Mac would've survived that and it's far from your regular reliability test bench.

now I'm using another entry-level HP laptop and the only fault I can find is that it gets pretty hot but an active (with fans) stand solved it.

regarding viruses, I only use the Microsoft Security Essentials that are free. back when I had XP, I used Norton Antivirus but got fed with it slowing down the system and uninstalled it. guess what? no evil virus snuck in.


but how about a Linux vs Win debate?


back when I did chip design for a "major IT company" they were using Linux/AIX (a form of Unix). and let me tell you why. chip design has been around as an engineering field way before everyone owned a computer. that means way before '95. let's face it, Win '95 was a POS but still it had some advantages compared to DOS/Win 3.11. but it was absolutely unusable for anything requiring many uninterrupted hours/weeks of run-time, like simulations etc. and networking. Unix/Linux have already been around for a while and they provided the stability and is built around the concept of networking. was there any doubt regarding the OS of choice? obviously not. so the programmers started developing Linux apps. no company in its right mind would consider switching infrastructure unless there are serious reasons. so, nowadays everyone still uses Linux for chip design. could it be done under Windows? certainly. is anyone willing to try just to prove a point? no. such a major endeavor as porting SW from one SO to another is time (money) consuming and it can involve months (years) of beta-testing (more money).


and, speaking of Win '95, it should be mentioned that a significant portion of the bad reputation Windows has is because of Win '95. back then there simply was no choice, but Microsoft has come a long way and I personally think that Win 7 is great and has absolutely nothing in common with its crippled ancestor(s).


fast forward. at the "not so major but rather large automotive company" I worked for they were using Windows. anyone willing to guess why? because all the apps involved simply do not have Linux versions.


one thing I forgot to mention is that even the first employer I mentioned used Windows on all their workstations, we were connecting to the Linux/AIX servers from there. by now everyone should be able to guess why. but I'll still tell you... because we were also using some other Windows-based apps (Office, Lotus Notes etc).


so, in my opinion, when it comes down to real work, the choice comes down to the applications used and nothing more.


as for the home user? I personally find no reason to even consider switching to Linux. as for buying a Mac, I'll give you a hint: Linux is free and I'm still not interested


I've never had problems with viruses, I hardly ever restart the PC and it just gets the job done.


now there's the audiophile perspective. I guess you've read discussions where people claim that FLACs are not actually lossless, that foobar sounds better than Winamp, that Mac sounds better than PC, that Linux sounds better than Win... I'm always amused when I hear about people being convinced that FLACs can't possibly be lossless and who also try to come up with explanation that defy basic logic (best I've heard is that the time it takes to create a FLAC from WAV is way too short to even consider believing the "fraud")




WOW, what a long rant.
 
#17,424 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by CDLehner  /t/686371/dynaudio-owners-thread/17370#post_22520683


It's not keeping me up nights or anything
Like I said, it's just a bummer to hear you sound sooo disappointed. For my own, selfish purposes...why don't you at least try it with a Dragonfly? I'd love to hear what you think.

....

Just to update you on the SBT. I am now running it through the Arcam rLink DAC . Now it sounds much better, like it should given I'm using an Arcam power amp and Audience 52SE speakers.
 
#17,426 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by RaceTripper  /t/686371/dynaudio-owners-thread/17400#post_22530193


Just to update you on the SBT. I am now running it through the Arcam rLink DAC . Now it sounds much better, like it should given I'm using an Arcam power amp and Audience 52SE speakers.

Good to hear Dean; but I still want a report on that Dragonfly!
 
#17,427 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by CDLehner  /t/686371/dynaudio-owners-thread/17430#post_22530333


Good to hear Dean; but I still want a report on that Dragonfly!
Seeing that I won't be getting one, you'll have to look elsewhere.
 
#17,429 ·
The dome itself is not replaceable, the entire tweeter would need to be replaced, however you should have no audible issue associated with the crease. Quite often the creases will iron out with repeated use but even if they dont you should have any issues. If you cant stand the look of the creases then you can certainly get a new tweeter but I would suggest get some of the tweeter protectors to avoid any future wandering fingers........
 
#17,430 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by CDLehner  /t/686371/dynaudio-owners-thread/17430#post_22530375


What...try one DAC and quit?
Yup. If I really want to hear something that sounds any good, I'll walk down the hall and listen to my records.



But seriously, the Arcam sounds just fine, and it's just for my office system. I don't want to spend time and money trying different ones. It's just not necessary.
 
#17,431 ·
Thanks for the reply Mick. I keep the grilles on now, haha. Maybe in the next few months I'll save a few bucks here and there each week, maybe get a new one in the next year for aesthetics. I'm very happy with them, but also look forward to my next pair of Dyns
 
#17,433 ·
one stupid question guys (I wanted to ask this in my last post but it got so long and figured everyone would get bored by the end
)...

so... every time I heard Dyns they were in matched setups, meaning that the components weren't just thrown together and never got to understand what kind of differences a better amp brings. everyone keeps saying that Dyns are hard to drive (amp-wise) but I really have no idea about the type of differences involved.

I live in a town where there are no hi-fi shops and would really not take the 40kgs each (with stands) speakers to the nearest dealer (400 km away) just to get an idea. I have always wondered how much of an improvement a better amp would bring but I've sworn that I'll never buy hifi gear again without listening to it first.

can anyone shed some light on this? please mind that I'm only referring to differences regarding the often mentioned (in)ability to drive a certain speaker not to the differences brought by equally capable but otherwise different sounding amps.
 
#17,434 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by gn77b  /t/686371/dynaudio-owners-thread/17430#post_22531659


one stupid question guys (I wanted to ask this in my last post but it got so long and figured everyone would get bored by the end
)...

so... every time I heard Dyns they were in matched setups, meaning that the components weren't just thrown together and never got to understand what kind of differences a better amp brings. everyone keeps saying that Dyns are hard to drive (amp-wise) but I really have no idea about the type of differences involved.

I live in a town where there are no hi-fi shops and would really not take the 40kgs each (with stands) speakers to the nearest dealer (400 km away) just to get an idea. I have always wondered how much of an improvement a better amp would bring but I've sworn that I'll never buy hifi gear again without listening to it first.

can anyone shed some light on this? please mind that I'm only referring to differences regarding the often mentioned (in)ability to drive a certain speaker not to the differences brought by equally capable but otherwise different sounding amps.
what I found was that my integra did a good job powering my Excites, but when I added my Naim Nait 5i the performance increased both dynamically and sonically. Bass came alive in a much greater fashion, it became deeper and faster, the mids and highs were more detailed and less warm. My wife thought the Naim was kinda wasted money, but back to back listening proved what I was hearing, and she now loves it and listen to as much music as I do and sometimes more.
 
#17,435 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by CDLehner  /t/686371/dynaudio-owners-thread/17430#post_22531614


Oops, missed this. Yes...I (somewhat) sadly admit, these are my C1 Sigs.

Maybe I missed it, but why are you selling them CD? You haven't had them that long.
 
#17,436 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by CDLehner  /t/686371/dynaudio-owners-thread/17430#post_22531614


Oops, missed this. Yes...I (somewhat) sadly admit, these are my C1 Sigs.

They sure are beautiful. Good luck. If it were March I would take them off your hands when we get work bonus.


I hate to think about spending such money but my living room opens up into dining area. There is no way to mount surround speakers on wall and I have to use stands. My Focus 110s are just fine for this task but my dog occasionally gets wound up and has knocked my 110 off stand a couple of times and the cabinet has some small chips.
I have been thinking about 1.4s so I can use stand 4 and bolt them down but if March would move your beautiful signatures up front and my older version to rear. Perhaps way overkill but would probably look and sound great and be dog proof.


Good Luck keep us posted.


Rick
 
#17,437 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.SoftDome  /t/686371/dynaudio-owners-thread/17430#post_22532003


They sure are beautiful. Good luck. If it were March I would take them off your hands when we get work bonus.

I hate to think about spending such money but my living room opens up into dining area. There is no way to mount surround speakers on wall and I have to use stands. My Focus 110s are just fine for this task but my dog occasionally gets wound up and has knocked my 110 off stand a couple of times and the cabinet has some small chips.
I have been thinking about 1.4s so I can use stand 4 and bolt them down but if MarchbI would move your beautiful signatures up front and my older version to rear. Perhaps way overkill but would probably look and sound great.

Good Luck keep us posted.

Rick

C1s come up for sale all the time. You should be able to snag a pair in March.
 
#17,438 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by RaceTripper  /t/686371/dynaudio-owners-thread/17430#post_22531935


Maybe I missed it, but why are you selling them CD? You haven't had them that long.

Guys...it was, and still is, a tough conclusion to come to; contemplating giving up the C1 Sigs, in the name of “down-sizing”.


There are a number of reasons for the move: I’m thinking of taking another run at v2 of my Home Theater. I’ve said it before…and with all due respect to those who disagree and do it (it’s fine for them), I think C1s are too damn good for HT! Also, I’m starting to think that the big-sounding C1s…driven by the big McCormack DNA-225, are just too…well…big, for my diminutive bedroom turned listening room.


But you put those reasons together, and they represent maybe 5% of the impetus for the move. The overwhelming factor, is I feel like I’ve undergone a bit of a sea change lately, in my feelings toward the hobby. We talk all the time, about “law of diminishing returns” in audio…as it relates to gear. I’m a big believer, that…for example…if you spend $5k on speakers, maybe they are twice as good as $2500 speakers. But you spend $10k on speakers, and they're maybe 30% better than the $5k ones. You spend $20k, and maybe they're only say 10% "better", etc...and on it goes; until some people spend quite a bit of money to get that last little nth, that last maybe 2% (but, of course I’m not saying…they’re “better” just because they’re more expensive). However, the same cannot be said…as I’ve recently discovered…when it comes to my enjoyment of music. With the little Office system I’ve recently put together; if we call that, IDK...$3k retail, against my Main rig at say $15k. I don't enjoy music 5 times more on the Main rig; I don't enjoy it $12k more. In fact, in some ways...and I’ve talked about this before… the BIG rig "gets in the way", to a certain extent. I can't help but listen to the gear.


It's my flaw. I’ve called this past 5-6 years; the time where I’ve spent lots, and traded gear...and tried to hear it all. Where I auditioned, shot-out; I endlessly posted, and blogged, lol. I called it "my time on the edge". Maybe that's just passed for me; or passed for me at this moment. Quite frankly, it was exhausting, and...dare I say…it just feels as if it got away from being about the music. Time to get back to the music. The "flaw” was I let the system get in the way. The Office system…of Rega Brio-R and Harbeth P3s...is hardly a boom-box, lol. But when I listen to it, it’s “simple” and "relaxed"; a system I can really enjoy, and sounds "just fine"…without thinking about too much.


As I alluded to earlier; where the big system, over-crowded my small room…so that it was mostly about the system first, and a relaxed space to listen to music second… I want to turn that around. A nice, comfy Den…with the P3s (or other small monitor) scattered amongst the furnishings. And the Rega Brio-R and even P3s…dynamite speakers that they are…are not necessarily the end-point for me. I’ve always had a part of me, call to a little, tube Integrated (I’d love an ARC VSi-55/60)…or I’ll finally have a chance to try a Naim 5i-2. As for the Harbeths…the only thing better than P3s, might be 7-ESs (or some Merlin, or maybe even come full-circle and finally try that pair of X12s you guys talked me out of…way back when this whole thing started, lol. That way…I could stay in the Dyn club, and continuing to subject you to my long-ass posts).


So don’t cry for me; I’m not giving up…just moving down. And who knows… someday I may re-enter the lists with a new saber, either broken or bent; and plow up the field all over again (with C2s, and a new room!).
 
#17,439 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by CDLehner  /t/686371/dynaudio-owners-thread/17430#post_22532087


Guys...it was, and still is, a tough conclusion to come to; contemplating giving up the C1 Sigs, in the name of “down-sizing”....

CD, that sounds like a reasonable approach to me.


I am just about where I want to be with my system. I'm waiting on a mod for my turntable to show up, and I will get the Esotar2 tweeters for my S3.4s in a month or so. Pending those things I am really pretty dialed in with my room and system.
 
#17,440 ·
Hey CD,


Totally understand your comments and I know you have said you think the C1s are too good for HT and you also state that's it's cool some will disagree and I will make a comment with no intent of changing your mind just sharing.


This hobby is damn expensive no doubt and for some folks like me addictive to the point at times of insanity. I think it's great you may try HT version 2 again but why is there such a need to break up stereo and HT into two rooms? I understand that the wife may want tv and you may want stereo at the same time and a separate room works for this. Totally understand but you already have the initial starting point for an incredible combined HT/stereo set-up with the C1s.


I started with a full Focus set-up ( the originals) and they were great. My intent was always a combined stereo/HT set-up due to space and money. It was incredible coming from Axiom speakers. You have no idea!


That bug never went away though for Confidence that I auditioned at the same time as the Focus but were out of reach. Two years into it made the move. I could never go back now.

For HT there is just nothing better I have heard. My space is small and the C1s are just perfect. Yes I have the Confidence center and I have said that it might be the greatest purchase made for me for HT. The music in movie soundtracks is unbelievable along with dialog. Blu-ray concerts, my great love has been transformed. My intent was always stereo as well and this is also spectacular. My display is wall mounted so this helps and I feel comfortable stating I bet my stereo sound is as good as many here even though it's a combined rig.


Once again, I know it's expensive. It took me several years to get it where it's at now. If possible, I would try the C1s in phantom and try a muti- channel Amp. I started with NAD Masters M25. It was a great buy at $3k. Later came Simaudio Titan mint on Audiogon for $5k (a $10k amp new). But the M25 is a very respectable amp. For $3k new. It's a great multi-channel amp with C1s.


The greatest change finally for a combined HT/stereo rig was the Classe SSP-800 pre/pro. Really an unbelievable analog audio section for a pre/pro. Another $10k piece but I don't think it is required to get great sound by spending this much but so glad I have it. I really suggest NAD M15HD for half. Used even less??


I just think you have part of the puzzle already with C1s. A multi-channel amp and pre-pro used and your on your way. If you can someday reach for the Confidence center you will just be blown away. I am dead serious and said it before. The Confidence center is game changing.


You do not need a huge room for a set-up like this. You may someday think this was the greatest move you have done yet. I cannot believe how great these speakers are for HT and stereo. I get incredible imaging with this configuration and don't require a separate room for stereo to enjoy.


Anyway, off my soap box and I think being open minded to a one room solution might provide you with a set-up that will be end of the road for you. Except then display upgrades starts so it never ends.
I hope it works out for you . The Confidence line-up for a combined rig is heaven.


Rick
 
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