Dynaudio focus 140 or focus 200
- Thread starter ajay124
- Start date
ajay124
Well-Known Member
It took 5 months and TWICE my original budget but finally I have a setup which for me is an absolute joy to hear.
No more surfing the net,hunting for that elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.I have found it and I am content......
Arcam CD192/Onkyo K505 TX Cassette Player/Cyrus 8 VS2/Vienna Acoustic Beethoven Baby Grand/QED Quinex 2/Chord Carnival Silver Screen.
Bach/Mozart/Beethoven/Schubert/Haydn/Mahler/Handel/Chopin/Liszt/Brahms/
Stravinsky/Debussy/Mendelssohn/Dvorak/Vivaldi/Schumann/Rossini/Bizet/Tchaikovsky/
Strauss/Elgar/Bruckner/Greig/Berlioz/Wagner/Verdi/Puccini/Saint Saens/Musorgsky/
Prokofiev/Shostakovich/Rachmaninov/Sibelius/Ravel/Gershwin and many more....
No more surfing the net,hunting for that elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.I have found it and I am content......
Arcam CD192/Onkyo K505 TX Cassette Player/Cyrus 8 VS2/Vienna Acoustic Beethoven Baby Grand/QED Quinex 2/Chord Carnival Silver Screen.
Bach/Mozart/Beethoven/Schubert/Haydn/Mahler/Handel/Chopin/Liszt/Brahms/
Stravinsky/Debussy/Mendelssohn/Dvorak/Vivaldi/Schumann/Rossini/Bizet/Tchaikovsky/
Strauss/Elgar/Bruckner/Greig/Berlioz/Wagner/Verdi/Puccini/Saint Saens/Musorgsky/
Prokofiev/Shostakovich/Rachmaninov/Sibelius/Ravel/Gershwin and many more....
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@ajay124 - good you excised that dyncancer out! -
but let this thread not die!
@ forum members - looks like vienna acoustics is the one to go for if you tastes lie in the general pool of ajay124's tastes-
but-
would be instructive for all of us -
if forum members pitched with precise opinions (like ajay124's) about -
which marques suit the different genres of music available to the common man-
i need to know (cost no bar) - the best for heavy metal.
but let this thread not die!
@ forum members - looks like vienna acoustics is the one to go for if you tastes lie in the general pool of ajay124's tastes-
but-
would be instructive for all of us -
if forum members pitched with precise opinions (like ajay124's) about -
which marques suit the different genres of music available to the common man-
i need to know (cost no bar) - the best for heavy metal.
ajay124
Well-Known Member
@suri
Yes!Rather than let my frustration build up with the lousy choices I had made I thought it would be best to go for a quick clean excision.Lost a bit of money on the Nad's and also on the Dyn's, which will be going soon,but got the new stuff at a reasonable price so no regrets!Over the years I have invested much,much more on cd's than on my system therefore the fact that most of my cd's were sounding lousy on the Dyn/Nad setup was devastating.Could not decide which part of my setup was to blame.Well on the VA'S all the cd's are sounding marvelous ,especially classical and jazz though for rock music I feel the Dyn Focus 220(have not heard it,but am just trying to extrapolate the good points of the Dyn Audience 122 on to the Focus/Contour series)may be better.If I had to pick a fault on the VA'S then it would be that they sound TOO refined and sweet all the time.I guess if one was a little high and wanted Jim Morrison,Jimi Hendrix or Janis Joplin in all their raw,visceral glory then there would be better choices than the VA's.
As for anyone contemplating buying a new Nad/Marantz/Denon/Rotel/CA amp I feel a used Naim,Cyrus,Arcam,Musical Fidelity,Primare,Plinius(have heard some but not all of them) in good condition would be a much better option.The resale market in India for good quality used equipment is almost non existent.The choices for used stuff in Singapore/Malaysia seems mouth watering.I will only believe that India has become a superpower when all the big hi-fi manufacturers appoint regular distributors here!
The detail and timing on the Cyrus 70 WPC amp is truly amazing!They just have to be pared with slightly warm and lush sounding speakers with a 90 +senstivity.Something like VA'S or Sonus Faber.Also near the 12'o'clock position a little bit of distortion sets in and the protection mechanism also kicks in.I can live with the Cyrus for some time as my normal listening is near the 10'o'clock position.In the right setup the Cyrus sound/build quality/remote operation can be very addictive.
Yes!Rather than let my frustration build up with the lousy choices I had made I thought it would be best to go for a quick clean excision.Lost a bit of money on the Nad's and also on the Dyn's, which will be going soon,but got the new stuff at a reasonable price so no regrets!Over the years I have invested much,much more on cd's than on my system therefore the fact that most of my cd's were sounding lousy on the Dyn/Nad setup was devastating.Could not decide which part of my setup was to blame.Well on the VA'S all the cd's are sounding marvelous ,especially classical and jazz though for rock music I feel the Dyn Focus 220(have not heard it,but am just trying to extrapolate the good points of the Dyn Audience 122 on to the Focus/Contour series)may be better.If I had to pick a fault on the VA'S then it would be that they sound TOO refined and sweet all the time.I guess if one was a little high and wanted Jim Morrison,Jimi Hendrix or Janis Joplin in all their raw,visceral glory then there would be better choices than the VA's.
As for anyone contemplating buying a new Nad/Marantz/Denon/Rotel/CA amp I feel a used Naim,Cyrus,Arcam,Musical Fidelity,Primare,Plinius(have heard some but not all of them) in good condition would be a much better option.The resale market in India for good quality used equipment is almost non existent.The choices for used stuff in Singapore/Malaysia seems mouth watering.I will only believe that India has become a superpower when all the big hi-fi manufacturers appoint regular distributors here!
The detail and timing on the Cyrus 70 WPC amp is truly amazing!They just have to be pared with slightly warm and lush sounding speakers with a 90 +senstivity.Something like VA'S or Sonus Faber.Also near the 12'o'clock position a little bit of distortion sets in and the protection mechanism also kicks in.I can live with the Cyrus for some time as my normal listening is near the 10'o'clock position.In the right setup the Cyrus sound/build quality/remote operation can be very addictive.
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Hey Ajay,
If I may suggest, a move from Cyrus to Arcam amplification will take you to the next level of musical satisfaction without hurting your pocket. Arcam does everything that the Cyrus does but without the dryness and leaness of a Cyrus.
Another great amp if you can get used would be a Plinius 8xxx series integrated amp....musically a killer amp. They do come up occasionally on sale within India and Spore.
If I may suggest, a move from Cyrus to Arcam amplification will take you to the next level of musical satisfaction without hurting your pocket. Arcam does everything that the Cyrus does but without the dryness and leaness of a Cyrus.
Another great amp if you can get used would be a Plinius 8xxx series integrated amp....musically a killer amp. They do come up occasionally on sale within India and Spore.
marsilians
Well-Known Member
Congrats on the mighty setup Ajay. I had noted in a thread a while ago that VA's are very hard to drive since their impedence curve dip quite drastically with higher gain. Also they require a fair bit of amplification to sound best esp. with extended bass notes. On audiotning a while ago I too noticed that they were not the warmest speakers to listen to so a good pairing of amps was very critical to getting the right sound signature.
If you are looking at solid state then you may want to consider monoblocks if budget allows as such - halo series from parasound woudl be a good option. If not the JC1 designs also match greatly with the VAs - need about 1500 hours break in (no I am not joking)
Another option is tube amps such as a Cary, BAT or a VTL. Again each tube amp has a specifc sound signature so you need to listen to figure out which you like.
If you are looking at solid state then you may want to consider monoblocks if budget allows as such - halo series from parasound woudl be a good option. If not the JC1 designs also match greatly with the VAs - need about 1500 hours break in (no I am not joking)
Another option is tube amps such as a Cary, BAT or a VTL. Again each tube amp has a specifc sound signature so you need to listen to figure out which you like.
Congratulations man! Deadly speakers!
Need to work on the amp bro. That's when your speakers will truly sing. The Plinius suggestion is my vote as well. In fact there is a clearance @the soundsmiths. try them. you could get them at a good price!
Need to work on the amp bro. That's when your speakers will truly sing. The Plinius suggestion is my vote as well. In fact there is a clearance @the soundsmiths. try them. you could get them at a good price!
ajay124
Well-Known Member
@malvai
The clearence at Soundsmiths seems to be for Audience 62/122,Primare and Nordost only.Do they have Plinius amps on sale as well?
At the moment I am happy with the Cyrus.
Sooner or later the fmj series of Arcam is going to be 'discontinued'.I feel that would be a good time to pick up an A 38 or an Arcam Pre/Power.
The clearence at Soundsmiths seems to be for Audience 62/122,Primare and Nordost only.Do they have Plinius amps on sale as well?
At the moment I am happy with the Cyrus.
Sooner or later the fmj series of Arcam is going to be 'discontinued'.I feel that would be a good time to pick up an A 38 or an Arcam Pre/Power.
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heliumflight
Well-Known Member
Hi,
Congrat! Ajay124, there's nothing like a happy audiophile.
hyeah:
I listened to Vienna Acoustic (with Meridian Cdp), the lower model of Acoustic Beethoven and I felt that it will really excel in vocals
--
helium
Amp: Lyrita SET 2A3
Speakers: Vintage B&W DM4
Congrat! Ajay124, there's nothing like a happy audiophile.
hyeah:I listened to Vienna Acoustic (with Meridian Cdp), the lower model of Acoustic Beethoven and I felt that it will really excel in vocals
--
helium
Amp: Lyrita SET 2A3
Speakers: Vintage B&W DM4
Hi Ajay
Maybe I have missed something but as far as I know the FMJ is the only series the Arcam has in stereo and there are NO plans to shelve that. The Diva is out.
Anyway congrats on the new speakers and I too concur with Dr bass & malvai that u need a better amp than the cyrus. BTW boomerang has an Arcam power amp P38 thats going cheap but I have no idea of the Pricing of the Preamp
Rgds
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ajay124
Well-Known Member
If one goes by the reviews on the net then the Pre-amp on the A38 is better than the C-31.The A38 seems to give better sound than the C31-P38 combo.Also I am in no hurry to change the amp at the moment.I like the Cyrus amp so much that I cannot visualize changing it in a hurry,if ever.At the moment I am more inclined towards adding a used Cyrus PSX-R power supply.
Got to disagree with these comments as they are very misleading for anyone else researching for speakers in this forum.
Dynaudios are certainly not forward. If anything they are on the warmer side of transparent.
The comments above are more likely a reflection of the electronics driving the Dynaudios that above posters auditioned. Main drawback with Dynaudios is that you need a good quality amp(high current) to drive them. A lesser amp will struggle to drive them and end up sounding laboured.
Spendors and some B&Ws are better in that aspect and more efficient. So you can call them versatile in terms of what electronics they can be paired with. But if its versatility to play music, then a well powered Dynaudio can do wonders.
ajay124
Well-Known Member
When I started this thread I was interested in buying the Dynaudio Focus 220 MKII.The title of this thread was supposed to be Focus 140/220 but I typed in Focus 200 and did not notice the mistake until later:sad:.Unfortunately while one can edit posts there does not seem to be an option for editing thread titles! I finally bought the Vienna Acoustic Beethoven Baby Grand which I felt is a better speaker in terms of build quality,tonality and bass reproduction.My impression of the Dynaudio Audience 122 would be closer to what Cranky/Malvai stated that it is forward and easy excited.But I have only heard them with Nad 545/Nad 375 and Arcam CDP192/Cyrus 8VS2.With the Arcam /Cyrus they sound better but maybe they really need a high powered Bryston/Krell/Plinius to shine.I for one do not believe that one should be made to spend two or three times more on the amp than what you paid for the speaker.Spending 2-3 lacs on one of these amps would make sense with the Focus 220,but then we are talking about a 4-5 lakh budget.With that kind of budget I would not consider Dynaudio.Would rather go for the VA Beethoven Grands or a Sonus Faber Grand Piano Domus.Both these speakers are better suited for western classical music which is what I listen to most of the time.For rock music the Focus 220's may be better.Jazz sounds good on all speakers!
Would really like to know your impressions of the Focus 220 MK II.
Would really like to know your impressions of the Focus 220 MK II.
I think you are approaching this the right way.
Dynaudios are good, but they are expensive to buy and even more expensive to be made to sing.
I always loved the Dynaudio sound but couldnt afford them originally. Ended up buying Monitor Audio RS6. Those were nice speakers, easy to drive. Loved them with my Cayin tube amp. Also doubled up as my AV fronts and the Rotel 1075 5 channel power amp could handle them easy.
Was happy with that setup for a few years..until i took my friend speaker hunting. Took him to the Dynaudio showroom among others. He just fell for Dynaudio sound. Bought Focus 220MKII with a Plinius 9200. Combination sounded amazing. Udit Narayan's voice soared and Sultan of swings just came alive. The bass was taut, soundstage was big, vocals had an air which made them soar. After a few days I too couldn't resist and bought a pair for myself.
After getting the speakers home I realized that I dont really have an amp to drive them. Rotel made them sound small..constricted the soundstage and sounded lifeless. In a way the 12W Cayin tube amp was better. When tubes distort they still sound pleasant. So the combination could still work with vocals. Only good thing was that even poor recordings sounded decent with that combo.
After sometime I ended up getting a used Audiolab 8000P. It had more muscle and did much better with faster paced music. Speakers sounded more lively..but still something was missing.
So finally ended up getting a proper poweramp...the Densen DM30. Its a dual mono amp with huge current reserves. 100W at 8 Ohm and doubles to 200W at 4 Ohm. Now the speakers really sings...
Densen sound is quite different from Plinius (all comparisons on same Dynaudio). Plinius excells in slower paced music, giving it a tube like warmth. Densen is more rhytmic and has excellent timing. Excels in rock or electronic music. So an unplugged performance will sound better on Plinius but a live one on Densen.
Both provide an amazing soundstage and separation (my Lavry DAC also helps there).
Just listening to Delhi 6 music..this number called Noor by Amitabh. His voice has such amazing bass and it just sounds so larger than life. If I sit on my listening couch and close my eyes, its like Amitabh is somewhere on the roof and speaking down like God
Thats the thing about enjoying music..and my Dynaudios give me that.
Dynaudios are good, but they are expensive to buy and even more expensive to be made to sing.
I always loved the Dynaudio sound but couldnt afford them originally. Ended up buying Monitor Audio RS6. Those were nice speakers, easy to drive. Loved them with my Cayin tube amp. Also doubled up as my AV fronts and the Rotel 1075 5 channel power amp could handle them easy.
Was happy with that setup for a few years..until i took my friend speaker hunting. Took him to the Dynaudio showroom among others. He just fell for Dynaudio sound. Bought Focus 220MKII with a Plinius 9200. Combination sounded amazing. Udit Narayan's voice soared and Sultan of swings just came alive. The bass was taut, soundstage was big, vocals had an air which made them soar. After a few days I too couldn't resist and bought a pair for myself.
After getting the speakers home I realized that I dont really have an amp to drive them. Rotel made them sound small..constricted the soundstage and sounded lifeless. In a way the 12W Cayin tube amp was better. When tubes distort they still sound pleasant. So the combination could still work with vocals. Only good thing was that even poor recordings sounded decent with that combo.
After sometime I ended up getting a used Audiolab 8000P. It had more muscle and did much better with faster paced music. Speakers sounded more lively..but still something was missing.
So finally ended up getting a proper poweramp...the Densen DM30. Its a dual mono amp with huge current reserves. 100W at 8 Ohm and doubles to 200W at 4 Ohm. Now the speakers really sings...
Densen sound is quite different from Plinius (all comparisons on same Dynaudio). Plinius excells in slower paced music, giving it a tube like warmth. Densen is more rhytmic and has excellent timing. Excels in rock or electronic music. So an unplugged performance will sound better on Plinius but a live one on Densen.
Both provide an amazing soundstage and separation (my Lavry DAC also helps there).
Just listening to Delhi 6 music..this number called Noor by Amitabh. His voice has such amazing bass and it just sounds so larger than life. If I sit on my listening couch and close my eyes, its like Amitabh is somewhere on the roof and speaking down like God
Thats the thing about enjoying music..and my Dynaudios give me that.
ajay124
Well-Known Member
@bergkamp
I am looking for a Class A/AB integrated/pre power amp.Could you tell me where to source new/used Densen/Plinius/Krell/Jeff Rowland/Bryston in India/Singapore.I have earlier spoken to Dynaudio,Singapore who are the distributors for Plinius.They had quoted 3500 Sgd for 9100.How does this amp compare with the older 8150 amps.I was offered a 6-8 year old 8150 for 55K a few months back.
In India Soundsmiths is listed as the Plinius distributors but they are more into Primare and don't seem to have any stock of Plinius.I am more inclined towards buying a lightly used Plinius (SA102,9100,9200)/Jeff Rowland Model(2,102,Continuum).Can source it through my cousin in Singapore.Any suggestions about availability/price/matching pre for the power amps?
I am looking for a Class A/AB integrated/pre power amp.Could you tell me where to source new/used Densen/Plinius/Krell/Jeff Rowland/Bryston in India/Singapore.I have earlier spoken to Dynaudio,Singapore who are the distributors for Plinius.They had quoted 3500 Sgd for 9100.How does this amp compare with the older 8150 amps.I was offered a 6-8 year old 8150 for 55K a few months back.
In India Soundsmiths is listed as the Plinius distributors but they are more into Primare and don't seem to have any stock of Plinius.I am more inclined towards buying a lightly used Plinius (SA102,9100,9200)/Jeff Rowland Model(2,102,Continuum).Can source it through my cousin in Singapore.Any suggestions about availability/price/matching pre for the power amps?
reignofchaos
Well-Known Member
Have heard the 9100/9200 and the 8100/8150 with Dyns. I prefer the older 8xxx sound. However if you really want a plinius, please look for an SA102 instead. Its in a different planet compared to the integrateds.
you can keep an eye on XtremePlace Forum - homepage forum for good deals in Singapore. I haven't heard the old 8xxx series of Plinius. 9100 has a sound very similar to 9200.just that it lacks balanced inputd, HT bypass and lesser power. power difference is not very obvious unless you play at high volume in a big room.
SA series series amps are obviously very good...but they are hot and heavy class A energy guzzlers. if you are importing, weight will be an issue.
ajay124
Well-Known Member
The Dynaudio saga ends!Sold them off today along with the Cyrus 8VS 2.Will miss the Cyrus but since my friend who bought the speakers wanted the amp and the Chord cables we did a package deal to the mutual satisfaction of both the parties.Also gave him 20-30 odd cd's of all the music we were listening to in college and he still likes-Dire Strais,Eagles,America,Traffic,Steely Dan,Pink Floyd,Santana,Jethro Tull,Neil Young,Bob Dylan,Beatles etc.My rock collection is dwindling at an alarming pace.Well all the more empty shelves to be filled soon with Shostakovich,Debussy,Ravel,Prokofiev,Stravinsky,Elgar etc..Don't have many CD's by these guys.
Coming back to my setup I am now left with Arcam CD192/VA Beethoven Baby/Kimber 4TC/QED Quinex 2.Would appreciate advise about which amp to buy.Preferably used.Bryston,Plinius,Krell,Musical Fidelity,Jeff Rowland????Integrated or pre/power????
Coming back to my setup I am now left with Arcam CD192/VA Beethoven Baby/Kimber 4TC/QED Quinex 2.Would appreciate advise about which amp to buy.Preferably used.Bryston,Plinius,Krell,Musical Fidelity,Jeff Rowland????Integrated or pre/power????
you gave him Neil Young?- they were for me!
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