|
Popular Floorstanding Speakers
|
|
|
| more... |
|
|
Top Ranked Products from Dynaudio.
|
|
|
Rating
Reviewed by:
jaf36
(AudioPhile)
Review Date
May 5, 2008Overall Rating
 5 of 5
Value Rating
5 of 5
Used product for
1 to 3 months Visitors rate this review
3.67 of 5,
3.00 votes
|
|  | |
Review 1 of 22
Price Paid:
$850.00
from In Livin Stereo New Summary:
I have owned Thiel , Vandersteen, Paradigm, Alon, Legacy and now Dynaudio. Plus too many mass market makes to name here. Of all these peakers I have owned my favorite is the Vandersteen 2ci or 2ce. The reason is that they are very accurate across the entire frequency range that they produce. Their treble and overall sound is called laid back but this is absolutely not true. I play drums and have listened to countless brands of cymbals and while some have a little more top than others none cut through the music as reproduced by Thiel, B&W, Joseph Audio I could go on and on. Now to the Dynaudios. I ama giving them a 5 star rating because at this price point you may look at them and think real small can't be worth 850.00. Well go listen to any number of speakers you wish and put B&W high on your list because they are getting many accolades from all the the stereo mags right up to the new 685. Then go listen to the Audience 42.Know why the B&W is considered so exciting? because of that treble initial listen grabs you, you react blood pressure goes up same as the reviewers, excitement nothing like it. Then go to a live show, a small club any kind of music even rock.
Then come home and listen to the night and day difference between B&W, Thiel or any number of those "exciting" speakers out there. If you listen to a well broken in pair of Dynaudio Audience 42 speakers you wont stop listening. The excitement is all there without that bacon on a fire treble that so many are passing out as excitement. No everything the Dynaudio like the Vandersteen reproduces is as accurate as your going to get at their respective prices. The one thing you must do with a pair of 42s is let them break in, a good 150-200 hours. I left them paly with an analog tuner between stations for weeks. I sat down the other night and have not gone to bed before midnight since. Everything is there all the tonality the details reproduced as accurately as I have heard from a speaker of this price. Are they worth the 850.00? some people including reviewers say no. You know what take it from a 25 year+ audiophile that has sat in front of dozesns of speakers in dozens of show rooms up and down the east coast they are worth evry penny! Strengths:
Accurately reproduces music and details of the recording, digs way down into the recording and reveals everything without the hifi treble effect. All reproduced in a wide deep soundstage. They just sound real (like the Vandersteens). The rosewood veneer is awesome (this wouldn't matter a bit if they sounded like crap.) Weaknesses:
Don't even go there. Similar Products Used:
Thiel 1.5, 1.2 Vandersteen 2ci, ce, Alon model 2, Legacy Classic, too many Paradigms to list (I have a greta deal of respect for Paradigm, they're treble regions can be made to sound very realistic)
|
|
Rating
Reviewed by:
arnout
(Casual Listener)
Review Date
January 19, 2007Overall Rating
 3 of 5
Value Rating
5 of 5
Used product for
1 to 3 months Visitors rate this review
2.75 of 5,
8.00 votes
|
| | |
Review 2 of 22
Price Paid:
$0.00 Summary:
I think these are exceptionally good speakers for a budget price.
So why only 3 stars?
They really need very good electronics, an amp and cd player at a higher price level than the speakers themselves.
In this respect the Audience 42 seems more picky than its bigger brother, the Audience 52 (which I auditioned while choosing my current amp)
I auditioned these speakers on several occasions (including at my home, partnered with my equipment Marantz PM7200 and Marantz cd5000)
When partnered with my own (relatively) cheap amp and cd player the Audience 42 didn't shine.
The sound is very accurate, fast, uncolored and transparent
Pretty big for a small speaker but not particularly rich and lush.
Play some good recorded classical albums, Gluck's Orfeo et Euridice (Harmonia Mundi) for instance and it sounds gorgeous, weightless (I mean this in a good way) and liquid, but it misses some warmth and ease overall, as if this speaker is focused with an emphasized concentration never to loose his grip.
Which it doesn't, but therefore it never seams to relax, there isn't much air...well there is in the soundstage (which is very wide), but not in the delivery of the notes.
Rock music is played lively but a bit bass heavy and bright in the upper midds.
As said the sound is fast, but unfortunately fatiguing in the long run.
It must be my cd player that's responsible for the bright and forward upper midds and my amp which bass is a tad slow.
But I have had better succes in partnering my amp with other speakers.
The Focal JmLab Chorus 706S for instance: it misses the upmost accuracy, speed and transparancy of the Dynaudio's, but it controlled the bass better and at the same, curiously enough, it performed in a more relaxed way without losing much excitement.
B&W DM602 S3 is another candidate that performed well with my equipment, though a bit bass heavy too and at time a bit harsh treble.
No listening fatique however.
And finally the Quad L12.
Perhaps a bit laid back in comparison with others, but very engaging all the same, without strain, even at high volumes.
It could be the low sensitiviy of the Dynaudios which is a too difficult load for my amp, but I have had similar disappointing results when partnering the Audience 42's to similar priced NAD and Rotel equipment.
And 42's brother, the Audience 52 which is low sensitive as-well wasn't difficult to drive at all.
The only time the little Audience 42's showed a different face was when partnered with a Primare A20 and Rotel RCD 1072 cd player.
Now Primare is known to some for being a bit clinical and Rotel is not synonym for warm and rich.
Well the electronics must be better than that of my Marantz, for it sounded absolutely heavenly! Grainless, weighty...would "very good" be enough to describe the sound? (I'm getting a bt tired of the audio blah blah)
Of course I'm not going to buy these Dynaudios just to replace my amp and cd player at the same time for better equipment.
These speakers are very very good though when partnered with a much more expensive amp and better source.
Strengths:
Neutral, accurate, revealing and fast. Weaknesses:
Needs very good (higher priced) equipment to sing Similar Products Used:
JMLab Chorus 706S
Quad L12
B&W DM602 S3
B&W 201i
|
|
Rating
Reviewed by:
iano
(AudioPhile)
Review Date
October 8, 2005Overall Rating
5 of 5
Value Rating
 4 of 5
Used product for
Less than 1 month Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
4.00 votes
|
| | |
Review 3 of 22
Price Paid:
$900.00
from Reg Mills, Brisbane Summary:
Stunning mid priced standmount speakers. The way to describe the Dynaudio sound would be effortlessly natural. Driver integration is utterly perfect, leaving no part of the frequency spectrum sticking out to distracting effect.
The sound is rich and involving but never succumbs to being glossy or overly lush. Bass weight is surprising for a speaker this size, being punchy and fullsome. Midrange vocals are fantastic, wonderfully sweet and clear. Other players in the market pip these for imaging and detail but fall short when it comes to dynamics and overall musical involvement.
4 ohm impedance and 86dB/w/m sensitiviy present a slightly more demanding amplifier load, however I'm using a Rotel RA-971mkII integrated and have no trouble getting these speakers to party hard. Strengths:
dynamics, punch, driver integration, overall musicality. Easily matched to a wide range of components. Weaknesses:
Sweet fk all! Similar Products Used:
Epos M12 - whilst timing and rythmic ability on these award winning monitors is superb, sound is too dry compared to Dynaudio 42s and bass lacks.
Tannoy Eyris - very laid back. Suits classical pieces, solo instruments. Highly detailed, analytical speaker, overall presentation too polite.
B&W DM602 - hate these. Bass is wooly, loose and poorly controlled, treble is hard, sharp and too forward and imaging is pathetic.
|
|
Rating
Reviewed by:
Prune_Phace
(Audio Enthusiast)
Review Date
March 23, 2005Overall Rating
5 of 5
Value Rating
5 of 5
Used product for
More than 1 year Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
2.00 votes
|
| | |
Review 4 of 22
Price Paid:
$400.00
from used Summary:
Awesome speakers!!!For a speaker this size they have everything.A meaty bass,very,very open and natural midrange and treble.Never harsh.
Everyone should listen to Dynaudio speakers :).The 52's are similar sounding
with fuller meatier bass.Not as tight or as funky as the 42's though Strengths:
They excell in all areas.Easy to drive(not difficult like some say) Weaknesses:
None Similar Products Used:
Mission 780,Rega Kyte,Castle Richmond 3.
|
|
Rating
Reviewed by:
texlle
(Audio Enthusiast)
Review Date
December 26, 2004Overall Rating
5 of 5
Value Rating
5 of 5
Used product for
Less than 1 month Visitors rate this review
3.67 of 5,
3.00 votes
|
| | |
Review 5 of 22
Price Paid:
$799.00
from House of Stereo Summary:
First of all, let me just say that I absolutely adore these speakers. I received them on Christmas Day as a gift so as of now, they probably have roughly 15 hours of use so far. But comparing these to my set of DM603s2's, I noticed how much more sweet and lush the mids are. They seemed more detailed and maybe a tad more forward with vocals than the B&W's did. Soundstaging is very broad with that airy sense around the instruments. Imaging is dead on when recorded so. The highs are very clean but very accurate and detailed. Moreso than my B&W's. Very slightly bright, but not even enough to be a cause for concern. I expect it to be less noticible with increased burn-in time. The bass is adequate and much better than I expected from speakers of such small size. But what I love about the bass is that its tight and punchy, so I have no complaints. I forgot to mention that the baffle is metal! Not plastic. I chose the rosewood finish with the silver baffle, but I think they are all attractive with great cabinets and build. Overall nice, fairly neutral sound. Strengths:
Upper frequency accuracy, no rolloff
Very sweet and lush mids
Vocals and strings are quite detailed
Tight and punchy bass, yet also enough to satisfy
Dead on imaging
Wide soundstaging
Attractive looks and strong build
Very transparent sound with tube equipment
Best bookshelves for the money! Weaknesses:
Very slight bright highs right out of the box
Bass is of great quality but could have a tad more quantity. Similar Products Used:
B&W DM603s2/602s2/302, Sony garbage
|
|
|
|
|
|
Audio and Video News & Press Releases.
|
|
|
|
Expert hi-fi audio reviews, blogs, and audio articles.
|
|
|
View Comments (2)
