28mm Soft Dome custom version ESOTAR Tweeter with Magnaflux-damped, pure aluminum wire voice coil.
52mm Soft Dome custom version ESOTAR Midrange with Magnaflux-damped, pure aluminum wire voice coil.
20cm Magnesium Silicate Polymer (MSP) one-piece cone Woofer with100mm pure aluminum wire voice coil and dual-magnet system. Die cast basket. Compound loaded by internally mounted 17cm MSP Woofer with 75mm pure aluminum wire voice coil and dual-magnet system.
Summary: This is one of the most sensitive speakers in regards to placement and room acoustic that I have ever used! It also needs the right equipment to really sing. But once you got it all set up right, you will be rewarded and happy for a very long time.
The looks: The Confidence 5 is a beautiful and tall standing speaker with full enclosure- no bass port- that is one of the reasons why the correct placement is so important, but more. about that later. I got lucky on audiogon and got a version with the stunning looking rosewood veneer for $5500USD. The grey metal front plate in combination with the grey textured chassis and the rosewood makes for a timeless and impressive appearing audiophile diva, that wants to be paired with the best you can afford. Like a Diva the C5 wants to be spoiled with high end components, cables and most important power- she is very power-hungry and picky about the sound of your amplifier. Don't even try to feet her an amp below the $2000 USD range, or she won't sing with her full potential.
I tried many amps over a period of 3 years with her- Krell, Yamaha, T+A, Rotel,.etc. I also tried many speaker cables: Nordost SPM Reference, T+A speaker 8, StraightWire Serenate, Kimber 8tc. Anyhow in all cases the most important thing of all was the right amount of power and placement, therefore I want to share with you how I placed mine for audiophile bliss in case you are struggling with your C5 Diva!
She doesn't care very much about distance to the side walls, but wants to be close to the rear wall. My C5 sits with a distance of 38 cm in front of the rear wall, she is angled in toward my listening position,
not with a full on view of her front, but almost, is see a little of the wood veneer to the inner side. Her distance to the side walls is about 30cm at the front corner and 17.5 cm at the rear corner. The distance between the two speakers is about 3.6m, same as my distance to each one of them. They are sitting on their spikes directly on the floor.
I tried to raise them slightly at the front to get more resolution from the Esotar tweeter, but didn't like it after a while and brought them back to their original level.
I am currently feeding her 480watts dynamic power on 4 Ohms with the NAD Master M3 integrated amplifier.
Here is a little tip, use a big fat conduct as a speaker cable to give the C5 as much power as possible. When I used the Nordost SPM Reference speaker cables ($1700USD) the mid range sounded very natural and revealing, but she was lacking bass and high frequency. The fatter the cables where that I used the better she represented the low and high frequencies. The T+A speaker 8 cables made her sound very revealing and precise, but the bass was lacking warmth, and therefore voices and drums sounded clinical. Funny enough my first speaker cable ever, a very affordable but super thick Oehlbach Copper cable, that hardly fits into the holes of the WBT speaker posts, creates a fantastic sounding very dymanic and warm punch in the bass- give it a try- it is a much cheaper solution than investing in the next more powerful amplifier.
Everything else I use is really high end, the NAD M5 SACD player as my source, connected to the M3 via Nordost TYR XLR's. Both M3 and M5 are tweaked with the blue Padis Furutech Audio-fuses. All power cords are PS Audio AC-5 and the cleanest power for everything is fed via my PS Audio PowerPlant Premier. Another great tip, if you own an NAD integrated amp like the M3, you need to replace the cheapo stock bridge between Pre OUT and Main IN with a short high end RCA interconnect. In my case I got a pair of Kimber Select KS2021 with WBT nextgen- the improvement is tremendous!
I hope to have helped some of the frustrated owners of this often misunderstood speaker ( reputation of being bass shy!?- not with the right power and placement!)
Enjoy your Dynaudio Confidence 5 "Diva" and treat her well, she will sing beautifully if you spend enough time to set her up right.
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Summary: I always wanted the C5 from Dynaudio since I saw them for the first time on the IFA in Berlin 1999. I had a pair of Dynaudio Xennon 3/75 since 1989 and absolutely loved them, which made me curious about the flagship speaker ( I dislike the looks of the Consequence!). Over the years I paired my Xennons with many amplifers and cables continuously improving their performance. By the time I moved from Germany to the U.S. I had a T+A P2000 AC with a T+A A2000 AC, using a T+A DVD 1210 R as my audio source. The sound was beautiful to my ears, but once I had moved the sound in the U.S. was not the same anymore, maybe because of the 110V on 60hz versus the ideal of 220v on 50Hz for the T+A components. So I sold them except for the DVD player and replaced everything with a Krell HTS and a Krell KAV 500. These components almost killed my speakers. Being unhappy again with the lost audiophile pleasure of the past, I decided it was time to pair the high end Krell components with adequate speakers and finally bought my dream speakers-the C5's. The midrange was a dream right away, but compared to my Xennon 3's the mighty ESOTAR tweeter sounded really lame. I am missing the high frequency spectrum of my beloved Xennons. The base is punchy and hard, but the overall sound is comparably cold and sterile. I am frustrated once more, I know these speakers should be perfect and can only asume that Krell components are not the right partner for the C5 if you are looking for the typical warm Dynaudio sound. I will not sell the speakers because I am glad I finally found a nice pair in palisander rosewood, but my quest for the right components seems to continue. If anybody has any tips in regards to the right amplification with native 110Volt equipment, please let me know.
Strengths: Beautiful speakers with a fantastic sounding mid range.
Weaknesses: Hard to find the right equipment in order to drive the C5 to its full potential.
I do not recommend the C5 being paired with Krell components. The sound is harsh and brutal, I am missing the right frequency balance, warmth and silkyness that is typical for Dynaudio.
Similar Products Used: Dynaudio Xennon 3/75, Audience 122, Audience 62, Krell HTS, Krell KAV 500, T+A A 2000 AC, T+A P 2000 AC, T+A DVD 1210R, Straight Wire Rhapsody S speaker cables, Wireworld silver Eclipse XLR's
One thing I would like to add. The Confidence 5 doesn't radiate much resonance from its inclosure, meaning the speaker can be placed near the walls without the typical side effects in regards to the sound ( overwhelming bass etc.) In fact if you are missing the right amount of high range try to increase your distance to the speakers( because the tweeters are mounted on the bottom you nedd a further distance to hear them, the closer you sit to the speaker the more the midrange becomes dominant) Good luck and enjoy!
also Krell ist klanglich das Schlimmste, was du mit den Dynaudios der alten Serie kombinieren kannst. Es sind sicherlich gute Amps, aber mit den alten Confidence Serien passen sie absolut nicht zusammen.
ASR Emitter sollen an Dynaudios sehr gut klingen, ich betreibe eine Densen Beat 330 mit der Confidence 5 und bin auch sehr zufrieden. Du brauchst aber massig Leistung, deswgeen würde ich eher keine Röhre bevorzugen.
This speakers are not cold sounding at all. I purchased the last pair made in 2002. Only time I heard them sound bright was with bright gear or the room was not damped correctly. These speakers need about 2" of toe-in. You should see the inside wood panels still.
They must be leveled also. About 16 inch's from the front wall that would give you about 32" to the front of the speaker and a few feet from each side wall.
I use all McIntosh now. MC402 amp and the C200 preamp. Marantz SA-7S1 CD player and all MIT Oracle cables.
This speakers are world class...I never even think of changing!! I know just hhow good these are, I have to spend a to more money for a step up that to me is just not worth it.
Thanks und vielen Dank for your feedbacks and tips! I have come to realize that the C5 are worthy to be kept and invested into. Per my German per KillKill here I realized I had to get rid of the Krell equipment to get the C5 to reveal more details. I replaced all my old components with NAD Master M3 int.amp and M5 SACD player, using Nordost SPM reference speaker cables and Nordost TYR XLR interconnects. The C5 are placed less than a foot from the rear wall and 2 feet from the side walls. They are finally starting to sing, but still do not souns as smooth and silky as my old Dynaudio Xennon 3/75. Maybe it is simply the accoustics of my room. Thanks, Arne
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Summary: Was für ein gigantisch guter Lautsprecher! ich hatte jahrelang eine Contour 3.3 und war immer zufrieden bis auf eine Überhöhung im oberen Bassbereich, die nicht zu korrigieren war. Nach einer Umstellung meiner Elektronik von einem Accuphase E-406 auf eine Vor/End-Kombi mit C-2400 und P-450 wagte ich den Umstieg auf die Confidence 5 und habe es nie bereut! Im direkten Vergleich wirkt die Contour 3.3 zunächst dynamischer, was sich aber bald als Vordergründigkeit entpuppt. Die C5 ist weitaus differenzierter und offenbart einen Detailreichtum und eine Bühnenabbildung, die zu Tränen rühren. Die Klangfarben sind absolut authentisch (als Musikkritiker weiß ich, wie Instrumente klingen), die Contour wirkt im Vergleich fast etwas geschönt. Der Bass reicht sehr tief herunter, klingt straff und profund, aber niemals aufgebläht und der Frequenzgang ist, im Vergleich zur 3.3 absolut linear. Es gibt Boxen, die "größer" klingen, aber kaum authentischer. Ich habe viel gehört (B&W, Thiel, Martin Logan etc.) aber die C5 ist der beste Lautsprecher, den ich bisher gehört habe. Verarbeitung und Optik sind ein Traum. Fortschritte in der Elektronik reicht die C5 sofort durch. Letzte Woche ersetzte ich meine P-450 durch eine P-650, eine wirklich "große" Endstufe, und Auflösung, Bühne, Dynamik nahmen nochmal deutlich zu. Wer über sehr gute Elektronik verfügt, sollte sich die C5 unbedingt anhören!
Hi Frank! Wie hoeren sich deine Esotar Hochtoener an? Sind sie so seidig wie du es von den 3.3's gewoehnt bist oder sind sie eher praezise aber dafuer auch etwas auf der kuehleren Seite? Hast du Unterschiede im Hochton bzw. in der Seidigkeit ausmachen koennen zwischen deinen Accuphase Komponenten im Vergleich zu den vorangegangenen Komponenten? Welche Kabel benutzt du fuer deine C5's?
Kleiner Nachtrag: Das jüngst vorgenommene Upgrade der Endstufe von einer P-650 auf eine P-1000 brachte in puncto Auflösung nochmals einen deutlichen Schritt nach vorn...das Potential der C5 scheint da kaum auszureizen zu sein.
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Rating Reviewed by: Alex Liu(Unregistered User)
(Casual Listener)
Review Date November 8, 2003
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Value Rating 4 of 5
Used product for Less than 1 month
Visitors rate this review 4.67 of 5,
15.00 votes
Review 4 of 19
Price Paid:
$6300.00
from Taiwan (used)
Summary: Do not consider these speakers if you just want to buy a fancy decoration.
Do not buy it if you could not stand classical music more than 60 min.
Do not listen to it if you just need a background music for dinner.
In my limited experience, the Confidence 5 may be the best sounding speaker in the world. It will bring you a whole new experinece to enjoy the music from vocal, jazz, chamber music to the fff symphony. But I could not sure whether it will fit special effect or rock music. It will bring you the most elegant string vibrations in the air. It will make you believe that you are in a live concert or a live play in a pub. It will force you to listen all your CD/SACD collections again for all the detail you had lost before.
But the drawback is it need high quality equipments (not always high price) to drive, from CD player/DAC to power amplifier. It may be the ultimate speakers that worth to own but be careful if you hear a flat and dead sound from these speakers when your audio gears or the environment not totally compatible with it.
My concurrent equipments:
Power treatment: PS P500
Source: Krell SACD standard
Pre-amp: Sphinx project II MKII, Transcendent Ground Grid and Audio-King Model-9 (Taiwan's local company http://home.kimo.com.tw/audiokin/audioking.htm)
Power-amp: Bryston 7BSST and Theta Dreadnaught II
Cables: VDH, Acapella, Furutech, IeGo, Bona, ...........
Strengths: 1. Disclose every detail with ease.
2. Excellent spatial sensation.
3. Very easy position.
4. Elegant shape of course.
Weaknesses: 1. Not just need a very good power amplifier but also a very good "high gain" pre-amplifier.
2. Expensive in Taiwan.
Similar Products Used: B&W M801 MKII.................
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Rating Reviewed by: john (Unregistered User)
(AudioPhile)
Review Date August 10, 2003
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Value Rating 5 of 5
Used product for More than 1 year
Visitors rate this review 3.91 of 5,
11.00 votes
Review 5 of 19
, from n.y.
Price Paid:
$6700.00
Summary: These are the best speakers I've heard for two channel use in the my home.
Strengths: Build Quality
A string sound is best quality.
Tight Fast Bass
Weaknesses: Low Sensative
Similar Products Used: ProAc Response 3
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