Dynaudio Speakers

LuSh

Just wanted to know how the 1.3SE or 1.3 or even Specials would compare to the LSi9? I Like the rich warm flavour of the LSi's but I lack dynamics in the mid band. If I could get more out of a kick drum when listening to rock and have better definition from cymbals without losing warmth, I'd seriously consider them.

I'll be using my existing electronics with it.

pjdami

I used to own a pair of LSi 9's but sold them when I got the 15s. The 15s do primarily HT duty now for me.

I have a pair of 1.3mkIIs. Very picky speaker that can sound dry and sterile if not mated with the right gear. Simaudio is reputed to be a very good match so you should be okay there. The 1.3mkIIs did not like my B&K separates, Plinius, or tube amp gear. Finally got the new Krell integrated and after a very long break in (weeks) with new wire and such I really like them. They kind of sounded bright at first but I suspect the near mint pair of 1.3s that I got off of Audiogon were probably not broken in fully. The 1.3SEs are supposed to be just a tad better.

I find the 1.3mkII to be overall a better sounding speaker to me than the LSi 9. May be a personal opinion here, but the midrange on the LSi 9s always sounded a little thick to me and kind of disguised some details. Hence the "laid back sound." The 1.3s are a really nice speaker and sound neutral to me now but have more "life" than what the LSi 9 sounded like to me. They can really crank for a bookshelf and have great bass, mids, and highs. Craftsmanship and build quality is top notch. My source is a Jolida tube output cdp and I rolled tubes in it until I found the sound that I liked the best which wound up being NOS Brimar tubes.

Go for it man. You've got all the gear to support them. There are a few 1.3SEs on the gon right now if you plan to get used.

mantis

Agreed and would lke to add a few comments.

The Dynaudio Comtour 1.3se's are in a different league then the Polk Lsi9's. I also owned the Lsi9's and found them to be to clouded. Mid range detail as pjdami explained is about how I feel about them. I perferred the Lsi15's as they had a more clear midrange tone.

Back to the Dyn's. If you like the way the Lsi9's sound now , wait untill you hear a pair of 1.3's. As said you have to have the right gear or they will expose all your systems flaws. They are very reveiling and play exactly what you send to them.

Personally I'm a huge Dynaudio fan. I find no other company can reproduce sound lke they can. I have listened to many extreme high end speakers and gear and Dynaudio speakers have won my complete respect. I 2 am in the process of upgrading. Dynaudio is my next speaker line.

O and by the way the 1.3se are great speakers , but if you want the next level down the road , you should listen to the Dynaudio Contour 1.8's. They are by far the best sound 4 grand and under speakers money can buy. I my opnion of course but these speakers made me shed a tear when I listened to them ona Mark Levinston Intergraded #383 and a Mark Levinston cd player wired with Transparent Reference cables.

As you go up Dynaudios line , the sound quality Improves alot.

Good luck with your upgrade,

Dan

tryrrthg

I own the 1.3mkII and LOVE them! They are picky but I don't think I had as much trouble as pjdami described. I think mine were probably broken in when I bought them. They REALLY like room to breathe, expect to put then 3 to 4 feet from all boundaries (at minimum) or use the audio physic placement method with heavy toe in. That is what I resorted to in my small room.

They sound as good as the stuff you feed them. And judging by your gear they won't go unfed. I would DEFINITELY give them an audition if I were you. You won't have any trouble selling them.

As for the 1.3SE, a friend of mine owns them and they are FANTASTIC. I felt they were better than the 1.8mkII by a hefty margin. the 1.3SE has a better (more refined) tweeter and crossover. The 1.8 probably has the same insides as the 1.3mkII. It could just be that I prefered the sound of the bookshelf. The 1.3SE will dig just as deep as the 1.8.

You could also check out the new Audience 52SE or 72SE. they have the new contour line tweeter and the same mid-range woofer as the 1.3 and 1.8, so that could get you very high bang for the buck!

Go for it and let us know what you think!

mantis

I never had the pleasure of demoing the 1.3se vs the 1.8 MkII's. But I did demo the 1.3's vs the 1.8 MkII's and found I perferred the 1.8's fuller sound and room thumping bass response.

The SE versions are more refined. I'm dieing to go hear the Audience 72se's. I am on Vaction the rest of this week and all of next week so I plan on going over the World Wide Stereo And Video which carries Dynaudio now. They also have Rotel so I can listen once again. For Contour and above they have McIntosh. Thats another combo I'm very juiced to go hear. I listened to Totems on the McIntosh and found the combo to be unreal. Totems and Dynaudio under one roof is going to make for a fun demo.

Dan

tryrrthg

if you want rich warm flavour and dynamics have a listen to (if you can) the ProAc D25's. They're a bit pricey at around $4 grand (new) but they do sound awesome. That's one of the few speakers I've heard that I would consider trading my Dyn's for (if I could afford them). The bass on the ProAc's was incredible. Fellow polk member gmorris and I threw everything from jazz to piano, to TOOL at them and they just flat out kick ****! We prefered them to the Wilson Watt Puppy 7's.

http://www.proac-loudspeakers.com

mantis

ProAc's huh,

did you compare them to the Dynaudio's?

I perfer Dynaudio over Wilson. Eggelstones I also perfer over Wilsons, hell I think I perfer all other higher end speakers over the Wilsons. I don't care for them.

Funny story real quick,
I did a job for this job out in Pittsburgh, Pa. He traded in a pair of Eggelstones for a pair of Wilson Wat puppies. We spent the day there setting them up and allowing them to warm up a bit before we decided on a final home for them. The guy had a Mark Levinston amp and preamp and If I remember correctly a Rega cd player. All wires where Transparent Reference. This 2 channel system we listened to with the Eggelstones before we packed them up and installed the Wilson Watt puppies. The Eggelstones sounded amazing. I feel in love with those speakers right there. We didn't carry them anymore and after that demo I couldn't figure out why. Wilson Watt puppies are a **** to setup correctly. Setting up the head sucks and trying to adjust the feet sucks even worse.They are so damn heavy. We did use pads under the spikes for the hard wood floors. Area rugs where in the room but not where the speakers lived or where going to live.

After about 6 hours of play , The wilsons got there home and I actually perferred the Eggelstones sound alot better. The guy who bought them liked the Wilsons better but I bvelieve due to the fact they where the NEW thing in his system. It took him awhile to admit which speaker he liked better.

Tuff day that was I had to hang out in the guys basements toy room which consists of 3 super computers , about 5 different guitars , a recording studio , and a ton of video games. Man what a ruff wait it was.

Dan

tryrrthg

Originally posted by mantis
ProAc's huh,

did you compare them to the Dynaudio's?

We did not directly compare them to Dynaudio. There are no Dynaudio retailers anywhere near me.

The ProAc's were running off Audio Research tube gear with a Rega Jupiter (or Planet) CD player. The store has quite a selection ( www.progressiveaudio.com )

I liked the watt puppies much more the first time I heard them. They were running off spectral electronics and $35,000 worth of dCS CD gear. They were amazing that day. The last time I heard them they were running off Audio Research tube gear, I liked the SS sound on the Wilsons better.

mantis

very cool man

LuSh

I'm not really worried about the electronics ro run the Dynadios, the Simaudio could always be upgraded later, the Museatex stuff is about the best digital you can buy regardless of price....what concerns me is the space I'd need for the speakers. I can only have em out about 2" feet from the wall, which I have heard on audiogon isn't nearly enough.

tryrrthg

2 feet will be ok. They will have awesome bass that close to the wall. They won't sound boomy (mine never have). My dyn's are in a 11' x 10.5' room and they are around 45" or so from the back wall (measured to the front of the speaker) and only about 15" or so from the side wall toed in so the tweeter points just behind my head. if you considerd some room treatments behind the speakers you should be fine, but you'll never know until you try.