Best Speaker I've heard so far

Ricardo wrote: »

True. I wonder where in Russman's top 100 those Quads are. That's my reference from now on.

When I get back from Korea in May 2009, I'm upgrading from the 63's to either the 988's or the new 2805's

BDT

I'm writing that down.......one s in house.....

BDT

Thanks for the turn on to dynaudio. Nice to have something to aspire to.

I don't think Ricardo is chasing his tail, so much as he's enjoying his journey.

zombie boy 2000 wrote: »

I don't think Ricardo is chasing his tail, so much as he's enjoying his journey.

yep + 1 on that

LuSh wrote: »

Speakers are very hard to get right in a room. What infuriates me is how designers don't take into account real living situations. Some do; usually English designers from Neat to Meridian. A person might have a list of 200 better speakers but with your system and room that list might be down to 5. I think speakers are entirely room dependent.

I dunno if speakers are entirely room dependent. It takes time to set them up properly, and most people probably don't do that very well. Even one inch can make a significant difference. Some audiophile veterans talk about taking several months or years to get their speakers dialed in properly.

I recently changed equipment and the music had a bit too much echo, so I simply towed in my speakers a little more and most of the echo is gone. So even if you change gear or cables or carpet or room furniture, your speaker placement may need to be adjusted.

Ricardo wrote: »

People probably laugh at me...

Some things just have to be experienced. You may never be done, but at least you’ll know when you are. Njoy your journey.

Oh, I laugh cause your a funny guy.:D

Zero wrote:

If those Contours tickle your fancy; I'd encourage you to investigate the true music making Danes; the Special 25 or the Confidence 1 monitors. Not to slight Contour / Audience series, but they were built to satisfy the listener that wants a high quality general purpose loudspeaker. In other words; those speakers were voiced to excel at HT applications. For the discriminating audiophile wanting to get that Dane luv', you're gunna need to step it up one more notch.

I predict that in a week or so, the ra-ra factor will begin to subside and you will begin to thirst for the next level. When (not "if") you do; step into the C1's. Given your tastes... you may have found your next huckleberry... that is, until you find something else a week later.

Ricardo wrote:

I hope it's more like a couple of months later...

You might be right on the ra-ra factor, though it's hard to think on these speakers not being designed strictly for 2 channel. In any case, right now they sound very good to my ears for music.
Plus, the Confidence line looks soooooo horrible.....(I know looks is not important, but I can't imagine myself looking at those ugly gray baffles)

I haven’t listened to the Contour 1.3 speaker series for many years, but these along with the 1.8’s kindled my desire for Dynaudio speakers. Having listened to many speakers since, I still decided to purchase some Danes for the main two channel system.

The only Contour series speakers optimized for HT use are the T2.5 (and matching T2.1 center). The balance of the series have been optimized for two channel performance.

The Special 25 speakers are great speakers with superb sonic characteristics. I thoroughly enjoyed spending some time with them at a local retailer. Wanting more of what Danes had to offer, I decided to move from my S1.4's to the next level and acquired some Confidence C1’s for the main system. The C1 monitors simply excel in all categories. If the opportunity presents itself, I highly recommend having a listen to these to hear how realistic reproduced music can sound and see if this level of refinement is what you are seeking.

Enjoy the Dyn’s.

Ricardo,

I'm curious what electronics you are using? Honestly the 1.3MKII was the speaker I had heard, and wanted. I also had heard the S1.4, but still wanted the 1.3MKII as it sounded more open and detailed. The S1.4 seemed too refined. In my search for the 1.3 at the right price I came across the S1.4, and went ahead and got them at a decent price. I thought that maybe the difference I heard was due to the fact that the 1.3 had been broken in, and the S1.4 hadn't been.

Since I've been home with some new B&K electronics (ref 200.2 and ref 5 pre), comparing the S1.4 with the VR-1 on both B&K and some other tube gear, I'm starting to wonder if the S1.4 isn't for me. Or maybe I've just found a certain tube match or synergy with the VR-1 that I prefer over the refined sound of the B&K/Dyn combo. I have a very specific tube combo that I've used with the VR-1 that has something magical about it. My room is a little small and it could use some acoustic treatments, but I still expect more out of the Dyn's that I'm not getting.

The S1.4 is an awesome speaker still, but I can't help but wonder if I should have gotten the 1.3. Maybe I just need to let the S1.4 break in more, or do some more tube rolling with the Dodd ELP pre.

They've also reminded me of what an awesome speaker the LSi9 is again. So far I can only say the Contour S1.4 is marginally better than the LSi9, mostly in the low end. When comparing the two at their price points, the LSi9 is a freakin awesome value. At used prices they're a hi-fi steal.

Sorry for the rant or threadjack, just want to talk about Dyn's a little more and spend more time with them before I make any hasty decisions.

Phuz, every review I've read about the 1.4 says it takes forever to break in. Pretty much all Dynaudio speakers take a long time to break in...

Also, they like a lot of breathing room. you need to have them at least 2-3 feet (more is better) from any boundary or they won't open up. Get them out away from the walls.

What is your source? My Dyn's always responded to source changes. Dyn's are always fairly neutral so they're just going to reveal the sound your feeding them...

Ok instead of starting a new thread, I'm updating here since the discussion is related and because this is mostly directed at Ricardo.

After spending a lot of time with the systems and swapping things around, I've found that the ASL amps that Ricardo modded are the same ones that have ended up here with my VR-1. You remember that magic, detail, and sound that you heard after modding them and mating them with the VR-1? After comparing that to the contours and swapping the speakers around, I've realized that my B&K with it's mosfet power is really layed back, especially when compared to the detail of the ASL/VR-1 combo.

I have both systems set up and doing an A/B comparison, it's like two extremes. Those ASL's have something special about them (maybe it was the caps?), and when mated with the VR-1 I can honestly say it's the ONLY setup I've heard so far that is truely 3D and has such imaging that I can hear each instrument in it's place. Dynamics and almost everything is there (except for bass) even at low volumes. At the same time, when comparing it to the B&K stuff it clearly lacks bass, and is pretty rich in tone. The tone of the amps and tweeter of the VR-1 I think is what's giving these charactaristics.

Ricardo, so I take it that you've decided that a layed back sound is for you? Or do you have some more forward equipment that you are using with your Dyns? I think my new quest is to find a balance, vs. deciding between the two setups I have now. I'm leaning towards the Dyns as keepers though, considering they show the charactaristics of whatever I throw at them. They seem to be the more "true" or neutral speaker, compared to the VR-1.