Dynaudio Owner's Thread - Page 609

I started with a UnitiQute, added a 250 to it. Then I got a NAC202, dumped the Qute, and replaced it with a ND5 XS.

You might want to put your wallet under lock and key now, before it's too late.

But to answer your question, adding a 250 to a UnitLite will certainly provide a great power section for the Focus 160, although I think the 200 (at half the retail) might be a better bang for the buck. In any case, the UnitiLite alone should do quite well with the Focus 160 for all but the most demanding situations.

hi everyone, "Happy new year 2013"
hope , in this year all fo us can buy our dream system, especially dynaudio speaker
Finally i am going for x12, and very good sound i hear from this mini loudspeaker. thanks for all comment

sorry no offensed but from another forum, i found another comment about how to break in x12, before procces my x12, i want to know if this is a good way for break in my speaker, below is the comment
" Meanwhile a big gift...the Excites arrived a day early and are sitting on their stands as I type. I have the next 6 days off and will start the break in tomorrow. I was given very explicit instructions on break in for these which include going very, very easy for the first 10 hrs and keeping it low for the next 50-60 before finally reaching normal moderate listening levels. No loud listening until 200 hrs or more. That said he recommends going louder than my comfort level once I reach the 200 hr mark just to stretch out the internals."

maybe mr. dynlunatic from dynaudio people can give good comment about it.
thanks

Hmm; I get the reasoning. Like easing back into the gym (appropriate, on New Year's Day ); not overdoing muscles until they've had a chance to be properly s t r e t c h e d first.

Might sound ridiculous, lol...but I have to admit, I'll probably do more like this moving forward. Only because...it can't hurt. Happy New Year everyone!

I guess it's supposed to mean, it's someone whose opinion we don't want to question.

I don't care who he is, or what his credentials are; if he says Focus 160s are only good enough for "use in a tiny apartment or dormitory with thin walls"...I'm questioning, lol. You can respect a man, and not agree with him.

That being said...don't keep us in suspenders; who is this audio guru?

As far a break in doesn't Dynaudio stress test every driver with roughly a 1,000 watt burst before leaving the factory? If that's the case, which I thought the testing was more intense than anything we will likely throw at them, I am not sure easing in to them makes any difference...

That seems like a load of BS to me. I've had Dyns for over 10 years and never heard such a thing. My dealer is one of Dynaudio USA's older dealers and I've never heard them or the Dynaudio reps mention anything like that. There is nothing about it in the manuals either.

Sounds more like the instructions I had for breaking in my M3 engine.
Edited by RaceTripper - 1/1/13 at 1:42pm

Happy New Years all you guys

happy new year too..
hi there.. i have rotel amp rb 980 5 x 100 watts. i like dynaudio contour 1.4.
is there anyone has experience with this pair? can i bi amp the contour 1.4?
thanks for all response..

Dynaudio speakers only have one set of binding posts so you cannot bi amp. From my understanding dynaudio does not believe in bi wiring or bi amping.

If you like the sound of rotel and dynaudio then that amp should be fine
Edited by callas01 - 1/2/13 at 9:09am

+1

Dynaudio does not support nor recommend bi-amping. I know of someone who bypassed the crossover on a Contour S3.4 to make an active system. He is now using a pair of C2s and I believe he did not try the same thing again.

I had a pair of S1.4 with Stand4. They are a fantastic speaker. Highly recommended.
Edited by RaceTripper - 1/2/13 at 9:16am

I currently have the 1.4's as my mains on Stand 2's and I very much like them. I did have them paired with a Rotel AMP at one time, RB1080 IIRC, and then a Bryston 3BST and now the Earthquake Cinenova Grande 5. The Rotel was a nice amp for sure but not my favorite match with the Dynaudio's, the Bryston was also good yet when I switched the the Earthquake I much prefer it to the other two in terms of presentation as well as ability to provide big power if necessary.

That amp will certainly drive them, however they will LOVE it if you offer them more power!

regarding break-in...
when I got the Audience 52s, the seller came to my place so I could give them a short test/listen (I already knew the speakers but he offered, so...). I like to crank up the volume so I gave them the beans. he started looking at me like I wanted to set them on fire or something. he said that they haven't been played for a while so I should go easy on them. riiight...
guess what? nothing cracked, nothing blew.
I once took apart an old burned Dynaudio woofer (long story), just for the fun of it. you have no idea how solid they are. the amount of force required to separate the surround from the basket was HUGE, I couldn't believe how hard I was pulling while at the same time nothing broke.
IMO, this is the typical audiophile extrapolation. the break-in procedure for a car engine says to only rev it progressively? ok, this MUST stand for speakers too. you wouldn't believe how many of the commonly held audiophile beliefs started emerging as a result of extrapolation or partial understanding of how things work. my favorite one is cables directionality. and I don't mean only cables that are purposely built with some kind of terminator at one end (like some MIT cables), but ALL cables! I would bet that this emerged with an audiophile who came in contact with one of those cables and thought "so, cables are directional? I must pay attention to this in the future and remember to tell all my audiophile friends too".
I mean, if you don't have a solid grasp of how everything works, WHY speculate and promote opinions as facts?

also, when I built my DIY speakers with Morel drivers (bought new), I used low-pass filtered white noise to break them in for a few days, I think the cone excursion reached a few millimeters. they were pretty warm to the touch after a few days of continuous running and emanated a smell (heated wire varnish I guess) but they played perfectly for years afterwards. go figure...

a few comments.

first, there are many different types of B&O modules and some manufacturers customize them.

second, the consensus seems to be that they lack life and what you wrote about the W4S and PSA amps correlates with my impressions. remember that I own a DIY implementation of the Hypex UD180 modules (the most basic ones, not the fancy opamp, caps or regulators, I don't believe there's the weakest link). it doesn't sound harsh a bit, nothing like that, as a matter of fact the highs are a bit recessed. I've always wondered if it's something the class A or A/B add that sounds good or it's the D amps sounding dry. I personally don't believe that measurements don't tell us a thing, I view it as marketing blurb. maybe it's the typical room sucking the life out of sound and the A and A/B amps putting it back? I have no idea, maybe one interesting exercise would be to compare a D amp to A/AB ones with headphones? too bad no-one makes class D headphone amps.
the NCORE is pretty much the same approach as the UCD, heavy feedback and all, but with much better specs. I considered building one but decided to wait, if it's just "more UCD" I'm not sure it's what I need. it's expensive and being DIY the resell value is low, some people just stay away from anything DIY like it's the plague.
Stereophile recently reviewed the Devialet D-Premier and they were absolutely impressed. they market it as a class A/D hybrid but I tend to think that's marketing BS, only someone thinking that in electronics the result is the simply the sum of the parts would buy that you can just get the best of both worlds. anyway, it's rare that they are so impressed so definitely give it a listen if you get the chance.
oh, and it costs 11k something, shouldn't be much of an issue, no? LOL

what's weird is that a lot of manufacturers seem to jump the D boat. they also reviewed the Mark Levinson No. 53 recently (oh, again, it's NOT D but some "revolutionary" hybrid super technology) and Michael Fremer wasn't impressed (is he ever?). and then there's a 20k TAD amp. there must be a market for them, it would be really stupid to try to market 40k, bad-sounding amps.
Edited by gn77b - 1/3/13 at 11:51am

Yes, every driver is treated to a 1000 watt burst before it leaves the factory, just a testament to the power handling capability of every Dynaudio driver. Break in has more to do with the materials used in a driver, just like any new mechanical product there must be a break in period and once a product reaches a certain break in period then it will operate to the fullest potential. Let's use a car as an example, any car manufacturer will tell you to put 500-1000 miles on a car before you really start to push it to it's limits and it is typically at some point after that break in period a car will reach the performance potential it was designed for. Most car manufacturers won't give a magazine reviewer a car with 0 miles on it for this very same reason. I have not heard of the exact steps the gentlemen with the X12's was referring to however I would definitely agree with not starting the break in process at any more than normal listening to allow the drivers to seat properly in the gap of the magnet.
Edited by dynlunatic - 1/3/13 at 12:51pm

Merry Christmas and Happy New year everyone! I took a short hiatus from the forum for a number of reasons but mainly due to Christmas, our end of year inventory, getting ready for CES, etc., etc., I hope everyone had a great holiday.

there was a local show where the Dyna dealer decided to present the newest (at the time) Focus speakers. for some reason they played them straight out of the box. they had to deal with very bad reactions from the visitors that even gained Dynas a bad reputation in some circles.

We typically have complete control over the product used at shows and reviews but there has been a few instances like this. Every loudspeaker needs a break in period, we just happen to be very vocal about that fact and do our best to educate the dealers and consumers about what to expect but not everyone is on the same page unfortunately.

You too Mick! I hate it when you have to come back to BS, lol.

Thanks for the insight relative to the seating of the magnet and the material properties.

I went to callas01's recommended dealer yesterday and spent some time auditioning two of the Dynaudios they had on display. It was a huge room but well-treated with excellent electronics. I heard the Focus 260 and it was a really excellent speaker in all respects, but I need something more if this is going to be my primary music speaker. I was really hoping to hear the 340s and 380s, but neither was on display, the former being boxed in the warehouse and the latter having been recently sold. I'm hoping that each, being a 3-way, is better than the 260 in all respects. Those who have heard them, what was your impression?

I also heard the DM 2/6, which was very nice for the price, but it became congested on louder, complicated passages, which isn't surprising given its small size. With a sub, these would be great. I also heard the x16, which was a nice step up from the DM, although I wonder if the x12 might be better in some respects. I plan to make an appointment and go back to hear the x12, x32, x36, and the 340. I still haven't decided if I'm going to keep my current NHT 3.3s and add DMs or Excites for HT or go all out and get Focus fronts for both music and movies.

I heard the 160s, 260s and 380s and they are all very good. the 380s have some really good bass. Did Sunil show you the 3.4s by chance? What about the 260s made you feel you want more of? I really liked the 160s that why I bought them, would have loved to have heard your impressions of those as well. maybe next time.

The x16s were my first speaker, they were good, lacked the overall authority in the bass of the focus line, and not quite as resolving. Last time I was there he had just sold the 340s I think to some maroon 5 bass player or drummer. But he had the 380s so I had him set them up.

How did you find Sunil? My first impression was that he was a little cold personality wise, but hes not, hes really a good guy. he takes good care of me.

Im gonna use the 2/6s one day for surrounds, but havent got to that point yet. almost done with the 2-ch. Just bought a jolida tube dac. gets here wednesday.

I should have made an appointment, as Sunil, who was reserved but very helpful and straightforward, and his assistant, who was friendly and frank, if not particularly knowledgeable, had to set up each speaker I wanted to listen to and there were other customers there. I would have liked to have listened to more of the Dynaudio line, but after hearing three speakers I felt as if I had worn out my welcome, especially since I'm not buying a six figure system, as it appears some of his clients do.

I wish I could have heard the 340, as Sunil referred to it as "the sweet spot of the Focus line" and said that all the members of Maroon 5 own it, which I found to be interesting yet odd. The 260 definitely had more resolution and refinement than the X16, as I'd imagine your 160s do. The 260 is a great speaker that is very neutral and sounds much larger and than its size would suggest. I does everything very well, but, being used to a larger speaker and listening to large scale music, I'm wanting a larger sound, more bottom end, and more effortlessness, which I think the larger 3-way 340 and 380 could provide. I'd also like to hear the X36 compared to the Focus 340. I know there's a huge price difference (more than double) and I'm sure the 340 is significantly more refined and detailed, but it would be interesting to compare.

As for the 3.4, Sunil recommended bypassing the Contour line and moving up to the Confidence line. Frankly, I don't really like the aesthetics of either line and the Confidence is more than I want to spend.

The DM 2/6 is a very impressive speaker for its size and price and would make a great surround. That's probably what I'd go with for surrounds too.

Yeah, I hear you, he can get busy sometimes, otherwise the guys there will setup whatever you want. Im not a six figure client, not even a 5 figure client! That is the interesting thing about the 260s they have the ability to disappear like a bookshelf, but with good bass coming from a small package. The 160s are very similar in that way, good bass from a small package. The x36s arent my favorite of the Excites, I think the X32s are the sweet spot at that point, but then you might as well get the 160s as its a better overall package. The 3.4s do pretty well with large scale music for a 2-way, Im surprised he said to overstep it, but he probably picked up something from you to suggest it. The 3.4s are very balanced, almost to a fault, but can produce bass when asked to. Im sure the 340s will have more output tho. I liked the tweeter on the Focus a little more then the Contours, which are a little more laidback in comparison, IMO.

The first time I saw the Contours and Confidence i didnt like them either, however they have really grown on me. If you can hear the C2 Sigs, they were really great. worth an audition at least. im more into alt rock/indie rock/classic rock/ with a large about of blues and some jazz, but i also listen to techno, pop, classical and female vocalists. the 160s can play everything i throw at them for my tastes, and they are great with movies.

Well if you go down again, let me know how things go. im gonna be down there in a couple weeks myself.

Hello Dyn People,
I have a pair of Focus 220, and now that there has been a few upgrades, is there any mods I can have done to these.

jake

Selling your 220s to get upgraded speakers is your best bet. Dynaudio doesn't offer upgrades for older models.

Thanks for the reply, RT.
It was curiosity that made me ask the question.
At this stage I am still very happy with the 220's.
cheers,
Jake

Very astute comments. What I like to do is find a classic RadioShack transistor radio and remove the case and modify to output and drive the focus 160. This is the only way you can be sure not to blow the speakers when trying to drive them. A speaker this fragile really should only be crossed over above 200 Hz anything below that is highly risky.

When you get stabbed in the back but can walk away from it, you've at least learned something about the back-stabber's character! ;-)

Pompous gibberish posts are also quite telling...

I tried to warn you guys.