Stereo - Dynaudio Focus $3000 high-end bookshelf speaker review !!!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 18 чер 2018
- Dynaudio Focus 160
Bel Canto Pre6 preamp
Bel Canto 1000s mono blocks
PS audio perfectwave dac
IFI tube 2
Yter speaker cables
Yter Interconnects
Siltech interconnects
Excellent review again Thomas thank you so much for the content,No need to skip into this video man!
I know exactly what you mean when you say you don't want 'garbage out' because of sterile transparency. Your thoughts mimic a lot of my own when it comes to audio, i think. i'm glad you're keeping up with these videos, by the way. Good stuff.
A lot a great bookshelf speakers now...KEF R3, Dynaudio evoke 20, Sonus Faber sonetto II, Dali rubicon 2. Totem sky. Nice job Thomas.
Nice review.
Recently I acquired the Dynaudio excite x44.Flagship of the excite models.Its my first dynaudio speakers.
I think they are great speakers and I can listen to them all day.
I would like to here what you think of them.
I really enjoy your reviews and I find that you have a very straightforward way of thinking (and communicating) when it comes to audio. I agree with you entirely concerning metal dome tweeters...they almost always call attention to themselves in an amusical way. It pulls me out the the musical illusion. I also prefer high quality soft domes (Scanspeak, Dynaudio etc) for that reason. I also agree entirely with you that a warts-and-all type system may be fine for a recording studio but is not at all my taste for home playback. I use the older Dynaudio Focus 140 (among other speakers) and I chose them for the same reasons you chose the 160's. I look forward to exploring more of your reviews. Thank you for taking the time to do them.
All these video can take up to 5 hours to film and edit so really makes me happy when people appreciate it. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Another great video Thomas. Thank you.
Hi Thomas, this is a spot on review. I had these for a few months and your observations line up with what I experienced. Ultimately, I only ended up selling them because of my room size.
Thanks Daniel for letting me know. I so want to try the Focus 360
@@ThomasAndStereo I would also like to ad that I felt the Focus 110's had faster bass, bigger imaging, and more forward sound. They are hard to drive though and rare to find (no one wants to sell).
Nice one Thomas. Dynaudio is a brand i really enjoy. Ive owned Dynaudio 42, Focus 140 and currently i have a pair of excite x12 as my computer speakers. What i enjoy most about dynaudios ive tried is how easy they are to listen to combined with a great bass impact relative for their size.
I like their sound overall. The contour S5.4 was however a different beast. Regardless, one day I hope I can get to own a pair of C4 :)
Yes please do the iFi tube 2 video... I'm subscribing..!!! great video, thank you.
Great video man! Beautiful speakers!
I absolutely agree on Dynaudio being bargains on the used market. Dynaudio focus 140 usually goes for around $700-750 used and i was able to pick up my X12 for $300. Im quite curious about the Contour 1.4 but unfortually these are still quite pricey ($2k or so)
Thanks! I guess i was just lucky, but my brother managed to find a X16 for $400, so it's not unheard of in the local market. I do live in a neighboring country to denmark where dynaudio is from, so id assume the US prices are higher, simular to other overseas brands such as Kef.
I am buying 140
Trustworthy and straightforward review.:thmbsp:
Great review. I mistakenly thought when seeing you had dyn speakers that they were the special 40's. I would have paid more attention to these videos.
Thanks, I also did have the Special 40s for a while, probably will make a video on it one day. The special 40 is better.
@@ThomasAndStereo I like how you put more context in the "levels" of people who appreciate speakers (in your dyn towers video). Helps to understand where you want to pay attention. Theres speakers rated 4-5 stars at every budget level, so to have it put in that way can help narrow it down. How hard was it to set these up properly? I dont have an ideal room to set them up in so I worry about the compromised performance.
I just bought nht c3s for 50/50 dual duty, but I will continue to watch for a good set of these.
Thanks, I think these Dynaudio shine the best when put away from a wall. I am all for natural bass sound as oppose reinforced bass. They are great but require a lot of power. I personally would ove to try the Focus 360
Hi Thomas. I totally agree with your statement on the treble issue.
I have the exact requirements as you, this is why I landed on the B&W CM s2 series. Their treble is detailed, airy but most important NEVER FATIGUING! even when I bump the treble at +4 or +6..that's a very rare quality IMO
You should try them, there's very good engineering and thought behind the series2 CM tweeter.
Cheers from Italy
Ah, I never considered the CMs2 series, will keep an eye on them. Thanks.
Hello Thomas
How du the compare to the Dynaudio evoke 20 .
Thank you reinhart
Ps. How many what amp du you need to drive them.
Great review!
My theory was that you have to buy speaker stands anyway, so get the floor standers to begin with, BUT I have noticed some floor standing speakers have too much bass which mucks up the midrange. That is why bookshelfs seem to be better sounding. SO I BUY BOTH!!
I think if you are into vocals, bookshelf is a good option. There are pro and cons I guess and that is why, like you, I have many sets of speakers.
by the way do you have store located in korea? im looking unexpensive but hi end speakers .
Imaging on bookshelves are better due to sound escape are more immediate than floorstanding
Nice review.
I have an 150w Musical Fidelity A3.5 amp and don’t like a bright forward sound. Do you think that amp would be powerful enough?
It should be as your amp produce 240w @ 4 ohm. These are 4 ohm speakers. Nice integrated you have, I always wanted to get one. Sure, you can benefit from more watts but you have a very nice integrated amp already. I never heard it but I like musical fidelity stuff.
Good point . I bought monitor audio gx 50 bookshelf speakers instead other big towers for that reason. For me overall good sound is better than big towers boomy bass.
Yeah, usually the more experience one have, the less they are seduced by just the boomy bass.
so what would be a good setup for movies? for example for your home cinema project. think about 7.1 if a subwoofer is even needed. (since i
know for that, for example, Mordaunt reaches subwoofer territory with
the normal front and back speakers and therefore does not always need a
subwoofer) would be interesting to see some build ideas in all different price ranges and if possible a reason why you put it together this way.
just interested in hearing your ideas and reasoning since i will never own a set myself due to the price.
I have 2 systems. One for stereo listening and one for home theater. For my HT, a sub is a must, 2 even better. Even if some speaker can go low into sub territory, it might not have the power of a sub and for me, I need it for the full HT experience. One day, I will make a video on my HT, too long to explain in a comment and I never have given serious thought on it yet. Anyways, here is a video I did on my friend's place.
ua-cam.com/video/aPjjJYDtYWs/v-deo.html
I really like your reviews. They are very realistic. Any suggestion what to look for in a amp that can utilize Focus 160 quality?
I usually only suggest stuff I actually have tried. In my latest video, I list out most of the ones I tried, I can give you an idea about those. Most important is to have a lot of power, the more the better. ideally 250w+ @ 4 ohm.
ua-cam.com/video/OGLSFt81_-Q/v-deo.html&lc=UgwBPdXeM4LRc1juaiB4AaABAg
Thomas & Stereo Thats the part I’m puzzled about, I currently have a sony ta-f707es which has enough power specially because I prefer fairly low volume listening but it’s still not enough. I’ve listened to them on a Moon I3 and even though it’s the same power they sound far better, specially in the imaging part. Seems to me like it’s not only about the watts. Btw nice video linked...
Watts definitely is not everything. Quality rather than quantity watt is more important. That is why some 30w amps can cost over $6k easily. For the dynaudio, they are known needing a lot of watts so it's its not an easy speaker to work with. You need both quality and quantity with it. It is afterall a $3k speaker so having good frontend is expected. Moon i3 is great, I had three moon i5 and loved them. Even the i5, I feel like it's missing the juice to drive the 160 to it's full potential. It does sound nice, don't get me wrong, just missing that bass power that a high power amp can give with the dyns.
Thomas & Stereo So you would say in theory for two amps of equal quality of watts, quantity would have effects on bass reproduction even for low volume listening? E.g. 250w/4ohm would sound better than 100w/4ohm in the lows even on low volume?
I would say it would affect it more in higher volume. At low volume, the bass might not be present enough. Good question, got me thinking, the problem is not only the bass , one thing I noticed is that with low watt amp and difficult speakers, there is always the hollowness to the sound, like missing meat on the bone.
Thomas. I own the Kef LS50 and really like them. Needed a tower and just picked up the Revel F208. How do you like Revel? Have you heard the F208/F206? Just curious of your opinion on them
I find the KEF LS50 amazing with the right frontend. Revel ? I never tried them but definitely one day I will. How does it compare to the LS50?
Thanks for the review. Any idea how do the these compare to Buchardt S300 MK2?
More refined and smooth but bass is better on the S300.
if you have a bookshelf speaker (personally not a fan. more for the look than sound though) and it has not enough bass would you not just be able to add a dedicated subwoofer to solve that issue ?
Sure, that is what a lot of people do. Hard part is to get it to integrate perfectly. You will lack punch though if you compare to a full size tower + sub.
Thanks Thomas for your valuable videos I like your videos they are unbiased.Dynaaudio now has discontinued the 160 they are coming in powered form Focus 200.I think they have distilled 160 to Excite-18 if I am not wrong appreciate if you can compare both and also with their Special 40"s.
Would like to get the special 40, someone said it can rival the C1.
I just listened to the 160 and the Special 40. The S40 is so much better than the 160.
Comparing both ... The highs on the 160 seems harsh. The S40 highs are more refined.
In terms of the bass, the S40’s bass is again smoother. The 160’s bass seems bigger but not as refined.
One thing I found about the 160 is the speaker sounds airy when compared with the S40.
After that I went to try the P3ESR ... wow! It sounds so much more natural than both the 160 and S40. The C7 ES3 was even better.
But as an all rounder, I would go with the S40 and not the Harbeth.
SM Kim ... sorry, I’ve yet to try playing with subs. My listening area is small so even with the P3ESR I’m happy with the lows ... I can live with it.
Everyone seems to rave about the REL subs. I’m tempted but not pulling the trigger yet. Maybe in a couple of months. Will audition the REL subs.
I think the Focus series has been discontinued. I like that series and the lower Excite series. The new Contour line seems a bit too bright for my liking. Have you tried Vienna Acoustics or Sonus Faber before? I think you will like their soft domes too.
I had the Sonus faber toy before, those are what I call harbeth type of sound where the top end is really rolled off. It has it's charm especially with older songs but I feel its a bit too roll of for me. I never owned the higher end model but would love to.
Hi Thomas,
Great video. In terms of overall performance, I'm curious how the Dynaudios stack up against those Spendor S8es
Your question got me thinking, although I can't say there is a clear winner, I prefer the S8e because the bass digs deeper and for some strange reason, I like the Spendor and I can't put my finger on it.
Based on your comments and reviews, I'm thinking you'd like Spendors Classic series -- maybe the Classic 100s or new Classic 1/2s. They have that rare ability to produce all the microdynamics and detail one could want, without the fatigue. Even the older SP100s can compete with many models around $10K. I was floored the first time I heard them set up at Acoustic Sounds. I have yet to encounter a better balanced system.
Great review! Interesting going back in time to hear you say you like 'colored sound' and are less concerned with detail and articulation and don't like bright speakers. What lead you back to the highly detailed camp and the Focal robo speakers? ; )
After room treatment as well as getting better at equipment matching, Focal can sound 'not bright'
Good choice those Canton 3.2’s
Yes, they are very good, but is it for the price? Wait for my review ...hehe
Dynaudio makes superb drivers. They tend to need a lot of power to balance out. They are kind of polite at low levels.
Bookshelves with a sub are my preference over towers. This is because I can dial back the bass if needed. More bass, less bass or shut off. Versatile. They work in more rooms than towers do.
I am not a focal/JM labs fan, especially with the nasty tioxid inverted dome tweeter.
Yeah, some of us do prefer soft dome over metal and Dynaudio are excellent.
Hi you like diss my frend ...4 magnet end 2 big filters in 1 speakers one of the best ...you n 300v hopp you se this 😊😊
Hi I would like to know if heard the reference 3a di cappo and what are your thoughts about it I heard the older version with soft tweeter now they use beryllium the older version was very nice imaging very alive
They look pretty amazing, I never heard of them but now will keep an eye on them. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Thomas for the video. Will the Nad D7050 2.50w 4ohm drives those speakers in a smal room ? I appreciate any suggestion for a reasonable second hand power amp under the 600 Euros . I like your test by the way W H R
I would say 50w @ 4 ohm is definitely not enough, Dynaudio are known to need a lot of power. I would say at least 200w @ 4 ohm. What amps were you looking at?
S solid state analogue integrated class A/B amp under 1000 euros .I Will use the D7050 as a dac to begynn with. The Primare i30 is available under 1G and sometimes the Nad M3.
The focus 160s are the top of the focus lineup for bookshelf speakers correct? Above the 160 is the towers
Yes I think so. There was the 140 but I think it was the previous gen.
I'm looking forward to your review of the Elac B6.2. I heard them at Axpona 2018 and I thought they sounded great for $300.00/pair.
Yeah, they are great but...
Uh Oh. That doesn't sound good.
I had a pair of contour s3.4 + the centre channel..regret selling them! Still the best speakers Ive ever had. Agree about them being extremely pleasant and not shrill -- even at high volume! Also the sense of space in the sound stage was incredible. Maybe Ill grab the special 40's
I keep reading the Special 40s are amazing.
Special 40...god I want them SOOO bad...
a lot of good content here.
Wow. Thanks for letting me know. Appreciate it.
Hi Thomas. Would you say that focus 160 is more smooth than unifi ub 5? I have ub5 now and find the midrange/treble a little harsh.. not bright but harsh. Om very sensitiv to this.my amp is smooth so this is not a problem.
Will the focus be better for me you think?
The ub5, assuming you don't have the slim version, is not known to be harsh so it could be your poweramp that is the issue. Meaning if you don't have enough juice to drive them, they will lack bass, once you lack bass, the top end shines more than it's supposed to. So if you don't have enough power, I am not sure the 160 will work for you as dynaudio are like Elac, they need a lot of power.
Thomas & Stereo thanx for respond. I have alot of power. Its the audia flight fl three s. ITS very powerful and pleasent/velvet like amp. With alot of juice. The bass is insanely good. So are the soundstage. I just get a ear fatuige on these ub5. They are slim version. I feel its not so smooth in the 3-5khz region.
To bad because amazing otherwise.
So you dont find the focus smoother?
@@khallgrimsen focus is smoother..seems like you r the 3rd person telling me the slim version is fatiguing. Maybe point the straight instead of toe in.
Thomas & Stereo i have tried all kinds of Things:) i have the oppurtunity to buy focus 160 for 900us dollars. So maybe i should try those then.
3rd person you say. Hmmm strange. Andrew Jones claim them to be the same sound.
Have you reviewed the special 40 yet? Looking at buying the special 40, Totem Signature One, or Totem Element Ember :)
No, looking for one actually. Someone said its as good as a C1 if not better. I did make a video on the element ember if you have not seen it.
Yes saw the Element Video, getting them on home demo next week, excited to hear how they sound in my room! Also going to home demo the S40, have the Model One Signature playing now, which I do like although the top end could be smoother :) Have enjoyed your videos, thanks for posting them.
I'm most anxious to hear how the Elac b6's at about $280/pr will compare with the Dynaudio's at $3K /pr.
Ah, those are the Debut B62, the 2nd generation so I think its a bit more expensive. To be honest, I am struggling a bit with how to make the comparison meaningful. The price gap is so big afterall.
Have you considered going for a pair of active speakers? I just picked up a pair of Genelec 8040b for my computer stereo and they're possible the best ive heard so far. I know they're not fitting to the audiophile hobby in the sense that you can¨t mix and tweak with different cables, power amps, etc (but well with pre-amps!). The 8050b would be my ideal computer speakers (playing down to 35hz! with a 8" woofer) but they're a bit to large for a desk. KEF ls50 wireless, Kii audio (these seems amazing) or genelecs 8040/50 or even more interesting their coax speakers such as 8341, 8351 is something you should check out! It would be very interesting to hear your take on active speakers in general.
For my own computer, I used a pair of active Yamaha speakers that I got like 20 years ago, they sound good so I never had the urge to upgrade them as I never listen to music seriously infront of my computer. I think active speakers will sound amazing as the manufacturer has taken the time to make sure it sounds great.
I have the Genelec 8040's as well, they are very good. I curious to see how the Dynaudio Special Forty compares to them although it is an Apple to Oranges comparison.
Have you ever own speakers with ribbons? In my little experience, I find them very detailed and airy without any harshness. Kind of like the best of both worlds, of course when implemented correctly.
Hey Mike E
It may somewhat depend on the crossover frequency. I like them with a high crossover point, especially as super-tweeters. Otherwise I find them slightly hard or harsh. My wife heard Martin Logan speakers and couldn't stand them because of the high frequencies. I was quite surprised because I had never mentioned ribbon tweeters to her and she didn't know (or care) what type of tweeters it had. Of course they weren't true ribbons, but were folded ribbon tweeters.
The only Ribbon tweeter speakers I have are the monitor audio gx300 and those are super bright. I would still like to try others as my friend Raidho D3 speakers are silky smooth with the ribbon tweeters.
I would try the Salk or Ascend Acoustics. I believe both employ the RAAL ribbons and they are fantastic. Not bright but highly detailed yet still pleasing to the ear. I can turn them up without any harshness.
Hi
I have Mcintosh c20 and mc225.
Do you think my Mcintosh systems matching well Dynaudio Focus 110?
I just ordered it this week from eBay.
The answer to you question is ...hmmm...you have the legendary MC225, it's great but its 50w. Dynaudio are known to be difficult to drive, this one is rated at 86db and 4 ohm. So I would say you will get beautiful sound from the dyn but bass will not hit it's maximum potential. I have used Dynaudio will similar setup and they do sound good but once I put in a 300w solid state, bass improved significantly.
Focal Sopra 2 with ola mola dac, mola mola pre amp and two mola mola monoblocks do not sound bright at all...They are really warm and nice and just very very good. Sopra is sensitive to the amp...A Naim Uniti star or uniti Nova also makes the tweeter super easy to listen to.
I heard them, they can be ultra bright or very smooth, depends what you pair them with.
@@ThomasAndStereo Mola Mola makes it Neutral slightly on the warm side...The tweeters are their bitch and super controlled with no fatigue all day.
It is excellent
Funny thing, at the dealer I found the focal 926 to be too bright. Now at my house, I find myself wanting more. Any ideas?
I also came from the Legacy Studio HD that has the AMT tweeter so that might be to do with it too.
What are you using to drive those 926? What kind of cables? preamp, amp? Those Legacy studio uses Ribbon tweeters which are quite interesting.
Parasound P5 Preamp
Parasound A23 Amp
And Blue Jeans Cable XLR cables (Belden 1800F)
And Blue Jeans Cable 10 AWG speaker cables with ultrasonically welded spades and bananas.
Well the Parasound , although i never heard it should be fine. Its funny in your case it's the reverse. Well we know for sure that 926 are bright speakers as you heard them yourself in the store. I have blue jeans entry cable too and I find them really soft. Is there a way you can borrow some silver cables from the store? Or get them used and resell them at no lost if they don't work for you?
Would Kimber be okay too? I can check around.
👍
Tom, I have my marantz & rotes amp in 220v. But now I am in US (110v). Any idea how I can convert them to use here in US? Or any place to trade? Thanks
Sorry I don't. There are step down transformers on Amazon but it will affect the sound. Some amps have a switch behind that allows them to change voltage. Also, reach out to the manufacturer and ask them. Some company like Cary audio was able to do some modification if I sent them the unit.
@@ThomasAndStereo thanks man!
how these speakers compare to the Buchardt s400 or s300 ?
It closer in sound to the S300. More silky smooth but less bass. S400 is a completely different sound so I would not compare them. I will explain in my S400 video.
Hey Thomas, i want to get some used HIFI gears, so what are the internet sites you are usually shopping from?
I usually look on www.canuckaudiomart.com/
hi good morning, Thomas. thanks a lot!
Can you make a review on the ifi tube2 ?
I will eventually
I have a chance to purchase some Focus 340’s for a real good price. Same sonic signature with a lot more bass and impact?
I remember the Focus 240 was a bit brighter than the 260 but I did not AB tested it in the same room.
@@ThomasAndStereo Thank you for replying so quick. I really enjoy your videos and advice. I can't do bright speakers.
nice review,
i have dynaudio focus 220mk2 with rotel ra 1070 integrated(160w @4ohm)
can i get significant improved if im upgrade my integrated lets say hegel h300(400w) with the medium volume
fyi my room its small just about 3x4m.
because i read some review,dynaudio typical powerhungry speaker
i need your advice.thanks
I had the Rotel 1080 and 900 series at one point. It's what I call an entry level system. If you change to a H300, putting aside the watt increase, you will get better sound simply based on H300 being a few levels up. Watt is not everything but I would like to see about 300w to drive any dynaudio. Its not the volume the problem, your rotel can play loud right? Its the smoothness that comes with the amp driving the speaker effortlessly that is why I always pair dynaudio with high power amp.
Yeah you true,i dont care for loud since i have small room,but sometimes i feel i want more smooth and especially on the vocal a little bit dryer..i dont have any good amplifier and now i think i need an upgrade,thats why i am curious about sq i get from amplifier point.what do you think about hegel amplifier is it okay ?especially versus roksan caspian m2 maybe?even they not match for the price. At my country(indonesia) i dont have much choice.
i only had the hegel hd12 dac before but I liked it and always wanted to try the hegel 300. Problem is they are crazy expensive even on the used market. I don't have any experience with the Roksan but I think anything you choose should outperform that Rotel.
Okay thank you thomas,auto subscribe..i watch a few video on your channel and i think we have same "taste"sound.which is i dont like bright and more warm and smooth sound..another question,did you hear difference sound between focus 140 /160?which better?because i think 220mk2 more similar to 140 and the update 260 similar to 160..
Great review Thomas! Agree with everything - I moved on to ATC's in my humble opinion Dynaudio has had its time Far better speakers out there
i know im asking the wrong place but does someone know a way to log back into an instagram account..?
I was dumb lost my login password. I would love any help you can give me.
@Messiah Theo Instablaster ;)
@Clay Johnathan i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site thru google and I'm trying it out atm.
Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Clay Johnathan It worked and I now got access to my account again. I'm so happy!
Thanks so much you saved my ass :D
@Messiah Theo no problem =)
Hi Thomas. The Tannoy XT8f is getting some glowing reviews, some saying it's a modern classic. I really appreciate your opinions and I'd be interested in hearing what your thoughts are. I'm assuming they are not on your radar, however, but at some point in the future, maybe..? :)
I had them, with rega elexr. Went to focal 1007be. Lost lot of bass (but xt8f had so much of it that i just couldn't find position where its not boomy), but got much more natural sound on focals. Tannoy is also much more forgiving with bad recordings, and everything sounds kinda oversized.
Hrvoje Hudoletnjak hmm. That's very helpful, thanks. The XT6f might be the 'goldilocks' speaker in that range then.
I was looking up the Tannoy today, now I am curious :) One day....
Have you try to closed the port on the XT8f if it has one? That will dramatically reduce bass andmake it more tight.
Thomas & Stereo yes, as mentioned on this video at around 7 and a half minutes... ua-cam.com/video/MwX22ytp9wg/v-deo.html
Same price as the Special 40's which is better?
Special 40
Do you should compare a crown Amp vs A higand amp
The only Crown i tried was the XLS 1500 class D, I heard good things about their older amps but I stop buying classic amps about a year ago.
please put their response curve at listening position with a 2dB scale to have an idea of their qualities
huh....it's a just for fun channel for now...maybe if I want to bring the channel to the next level one day, then I will invest whatever is needed...
@@ThomasAndStereo It's not so expansive, you need a room where you listened speaker, preferably a laptop with integrate microphone, a cable jack to cinch to connect the laptop to the amplifier. And A free software Room Eq Wizard with blackman-harris 7 windowing configuration. It's a good approximation to have an idea of the response curve at listening position. After you can but an usb sound card like U-44, withe phantom alimentation for XLR measurement microphone, and an optical in/ou to the amplifier, but it's an other story
I also own the itube2. Did you make a video on your impression?
Not yet, for now, the speakers I am playing with are neutral and I already have a nice tube preamp. Maybe when I bring out the KEF R700 or my Elac 249.
Has anyone compared them to the special 40?
WAF factor and room made you have to chose bookshelf speakers
Looks wise these are easy to get WAF but price $ not so much. $3k what?!?!!?
@@BrianGarside build your if you can...,..
What model is that marantz intergrated ? Do you like it ?
That is a marantz sc11s1 preamp. I find it just ok, perform in it's price range. Super heavy and very good tone control.
I knew you're were going to compare these to the LS50's based on your previous critique of KEF but I didn't know until the end that was going to be forthcoming. Good video nevertheless.
yeah it will probably a 10 min + video comparing 3 of them so it made more sense to do it in another video.Thanks.
Will the Sony TA-A1ES (80w) drive these? It won't accommodate a sub and I listen to a lot of poorly recorded 80s rock.
Well, I think it is about 150w in 4 ohm? Then it should be able to bring out 70%+ of it's potential.
Thomas & Stereo it's only a 300va toroidal transformer with a pseudo Class A design, so it won't put out over 80w even in 4ohm. Sounds like it won't be enough. Shucks. Thanks for the reply.
I find the auto focus very distracting when you’re talking to the camera. Can you dial in to focus manually for those parts?
Unfortunately its recorded with my cell and it does not have manual focus. Sorry.
Thomas & Stereo no worries, I still love your videos
give me 3000 dollars and I will build you a pair of speakers that would blow those away. I could probably do it for 1200. Love the videos, keep them coming!
For a $3k speaker, it means they have to built it for $500. Sell it to distributor for $1k, distributor sell to dealer for $2k, dealer sell to market at $3k. So for sure $1200 DIY can easily give it a big challenge.
analogkid 455 yeah and You wont sell this DIY for a good cash when you lost interest on them.....
Huh? Not sure what you mean. I have been building DIY speakers for 30 + years. I listen to speakers that cost 1000's and even ten's of thousands of dollars. Some of them sound pretty good but I prefer the ones I build for much less. As far as selling my DIY speakers, if you want them, I will sell them.
For 500, I still think I could do better but, I would have to be careful with the budget. The speakers I have now I have maybe 300 dollars in them. no passive crossover. I am Tri-amped with an electronic crossover. I use them with a subwoofer but, they sound perfectly fine with music, without the subwoofer. In room response is good down to 30 hz without sub. Distortion is well below 2% at 95 dB from 50-20,000 hz, except for between 350-400 hz for some reason. maybe cabinet resonance. I need to add a brace. In room response at listening position flat within +or - 2 dB from 30-20000 hZ. With the sub, good down to 14 hZ.
The amp as Every step in the chain is of utter importance i drive my speakers with a dynamic precision 2X400w 40 kg amp and it makes speakers Come Alive Elac b5 or kef q9 dont matter but you need to play them louder.
Wow, that is a lot of power! 400w. Yeah for me, the amp is very important, if not, the most important after the speaker.
Thomas, is it true that floorstanders are more suited for movies and standmounts for music? I see standmounts rated better for sound quality vs their floorstanding siblings. Stereo - the german hifi magazine rated Dynaudio Emit M20 higher than M30, Evoke 10 higher than Evoke 30 for sound quality. Even if they're hmmm....why would they sing praises and rate the small ones better than the biggies...its not always the case but its kind of strange.
I did not see the review so I can't really comment on it. It's possible they were comparing Evoke 10 to the other speakers in the same price range as opposed to Evoke 30? Or they factor in the price vs performance. In absolute performance terms, maybe the Evoke 30 is better but if you factor in the price, the Evoke 10 is a better buy? I have to read the review to know. Usually, standmount speakers disappear easier compare floor standing. One can even argue they image better. I personally prefer full tower because it has better bass and are fuller sounding. There are both pros and cons.
@@ThomasAndStereo Check the review here www.dynaudio.com/dynaudio/reviews/2019/april/evoke-30-stereo-magazine
Price to performance is one part & the other part is sound quality. The standmounts are usually rated higher than the floorstanding siblings for sound quality. I wouldn't want to believe everything reviewers anyway say and besides that too many factors involved. Your views come across as honest & not influenced nor cooked up to serve neither yours nor anybody else's interests....is probably why many of us listen to you & really appreciate you for what you are & what you have to say. I'll do some AB tests... M30s vs the S40s with my Oppo Udp-203 & Marantz Hd-dac1 as source & Marantz PM8005 & Primare I35 amps. Any recommendations for a good sub for S40s? REL or Rythmik? Is one sub okay....if I dont add a second?
If you can do AB test, let me know. For subs, I use REL and Martin logan. Check out the video by Sean on zero fidelity. He made a video on SVS sub that is good for music.
@@ThomasAndStereo Just got the S40 earlier today. My initial impressions....they're actually gr8 considering their size. Been listening on low volume (like 40 to 50db) now for the last 3-4 hours and they're dynamic enough for low level listening. Highs are not as extended... the M30 has airy highs with better decay....more open sounding highs...this is probably cause the S40 are new. It took 3 to 6 months for the highs on the M30 to sound better so this should most likely change after some running in. The bass on the S40 is as good as the M30 which is quite an achievement considering their size. M30 has a slighly more punchy base (& better room filling sound) but the S40 is close. I find bass lines cleaner & tighter & easier to follow with the S40 for most tracks that have good bass. I've been playin Donald Fagen, Steely Dan, Fourplay, Boney James, Sade and Bob Marley tracks so far...all audio CDs with Oppo Udp-203 as transport using marantz hd-dac1's DAC & marantz pm8005 amp. Doing AB tests is easier cause the amp can take 2 pairs of speakers. Will try with my Primare I35 class D amp someday and see what differences I can hear. I sometimes can't tell the difference between the two speaker sets specially when I forget which speaker pair I had on....gotta go close to the speakers to check which ones playin. So I'd say that the M30 is amazing value for the money & thats what most people say about the Emit range anyway. S40 impresses me for now only cause it's smaller and yet it matches up to the floorstanders and seems to somewhat better them in the bass department. Mids I really can't tell for now. But overall its the same dynaudio sound... they're neutral to slighly warm sounding to me.
wow, this makes me want to go try the M30. I remember the S40 having amazing refine top end. One of the best. If the M30 can keep up, omg, I have to try it. Thanks for coming over and posting up your impressions. Really appreciate it.
Are these sim to Totem Model One’s
Not at all, the sound different. The Totem Signature one anniversary is metal based dome while these are soft dome. Price wise, these are more expensive I think.
Funny you uploaded this video today, I just got a set of focus 380s yesterday, still dialing it.
So how does it sound ? The 380 is like one of my dream speaker after the C4s.
It sounds great, but I'm still tweaking. I'm coming more and more to terms about how many things need to be aligned for a set of speakers to sound their best. My listening room is not big, not symmetrical and I have to put the speakers on the long wall. It means I have the back wall not far behind my listening position, and I can't pull the speakers out as far as I want from the front wall.
When I first set it up, the speakers were too far out and too close to the listening position, and it just didn't sound good. I pushed it back about 4-5 inches towards the front wall, and now the drivers/sound integrate much better. I tried tilting them back a few degrees, and I was losing clarity on the highs because I was so close. And particular to Dynaudio, as they recommend in the manual, these speakers like to be toe'd in almost directly pointing at the seating position, which is the complete opposite of B&Ws. Lastly I have the MC7270, which is an older SS amp that doesn't have the high peak current of the more modern Macs. So I find that speakers sound much better using the tap below the minimum impedance. It was the same with the 380s, the bass is much tighter using the 2ohm tap. I had to put foam plugs in the port before because the bass was boomy, but now on 2ohm tap, I'm listening without the foam plugs and bass is controlled and more nuanced.
It's been a learning process. It's sounding great now, but I now have to find a musical DAC to go with it. I have a demo Pro-Ject Dac Box DS2 Ultra right now and it's very digital/analytical sounding. I'm debating on a Jolida tube DAC or trying Benchmark DAC 2. Any recommendations?
An update if you're interested, I ended up getting a Benchmark DAC2 used. It's sounding great so far. You said Focus 380 is one of your dream speakers, how come you haven't gotten them? They can be had for quite cheap on the used market now.
Great review. Those would be perfect but may have to go the Dyne Evoke 20. Would really like to keep cost for system ( speakers, amp, receiver)to under 3500. Any suggestion are appreciated.
@Lobito Evoke is the replacement for Excite range, which was one step below Focus. So Focus 160 should be better
3:56
Please do the Elac Adente next...
I would love to, just waiting for a good pair to show up at good price.
Dynaudio generally voices smaller speakers to be more polite. All day listenable- but boring because the top just doesn't bring out the crisp dynamics inherent in music. (Short of being blasted in a small room, perhaps). For 3 grand, there are other speakers I prefer. the evidence and large format floostanders have a brighter voicing to compensate for additional bass output.
What speakers would you prefer other than the The Dynaudio Special 40's for example that beat them out of the water in the 3 grand price range.
Do you think if it cannot handle bass the way you want, can a Sub fill the gap?
A sub can add depth and scale but it cannot add punch. So using bookshelf is great but there is a compromise.
Thanks for getting back to me. What’s your thought on Focal Diablo Utopia? I thinks it’s a crossover between bookshelf and loudspeaker . Have you listened to them?
Thanks in advance
3k from a dealer means 1500 direct.
Maybe even less, don't forget the distributor cost too.
Nothing coming out of them.
just look for my sound demo video
Since when do Dynaudio speakers need to be up side down??? ua-cam.com/video/3F0L7P_exNk/v-deo.html WTF???
A lot of the older one are like that, google the older consequence series, compound series from the 80s and 90s.
Sorry Thomas... I am aware of the fact that sometimes tweeters are placed under the (mid)woofer in (mostly) two-ways systems by design, and by other brands as well, but I am fairly sure one is not supposed to turn these ones up side down. If you like it that way, then all I can say is: be happy. I just wonder what the designers of Dynaudio would have to say about this...
Thomas. I deeply apologize! I was thinking of the latest Contours... I should look and read better!
Thanks Thomas .. great review and I picked some up based on your recommendation.. check out my video ua-cam.com/video/8wZ15SfW_no/v-deo.html
Thanks for letting me know, I took a look at your site and nice and clean setup. The recording sounding pretty good, congrats.
bigger is better ... you lose 50-90% of the music
You got to be kidding $3,000 after you spend $300 you get diminishing returns stop ripping off people!!!!😎
No no, after $3000 you get the law of DR. Higher than 300$ it's getting a LOT better.