The speaker that does it all? Dynaudio? B&W? Spendor? Dali? Quad?

rise

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I embarked on the journey to find the "Right" speaker for me a few months ago....Hopingthe brothers on this forum that googles oh so well will help me find the right one...

An eclectic choice in music and the desire to use them for both music (70%) and Movies (30%) has made it a way harder choice than I imagined

I listen to music mostly off my laptop (75%) (Traktor playing high bit rate files), Ipod and Cd.s. The choice of music is rather diverse. Meditative (chitra roy) type indian tracks, some rock reggae etc and A WHOLE lot of electronic lounge (Budha barrish), house, techno, trance, electro and DUB Step.

Room size 275 sq ft (hall / dining) with a likely seating position within a 12x12 area

Seems like speakers I've heard so far stand out for particular things and not all and therefore work well for certain music but not all....

I tend to prefer warm, detailed, sweet, sound....OR RATHER I wish to dissolve and rise in the music

Budget stretchable in both directions...Started off way lower than I almost spent. Ideally 2.5 lac all in for 5.1 and amp but as I mentioned I almost spent 6 lacs a few days ago.

The journey:

1. Thought I loved Klipsch but bought an ifi and realized they weren't warm

Liked Wharfedale 9.5's but recognized slight lack in vocal performance and tranparency and then I heard
Dali Quads Monitor Audios and Finally Dynaudios which have a certain analog transparency that no one seems to have. It seems like music coming from speakers I've heard other than Dynaudio sounds like its coming through electronics and sounds like its being sung through dynaudios

2. Dynaudio Focus 220 mkII which is still the current favorite.

I was about to blow the budget on Dynaudio Focus and decided to hold off when I auditioned them off an ipod playing dubstep. There was really no kick and rumble. They seemed way to mellow to deliver electronic boom. This Was owing the setup too, as there were no woofers involved.

I then heard a pair of USEd DynaudioAudience 70 and thought they would provide a good mix of finesse and brute power needed for the electronic music.
At first I really liked them although they seemed a little bright and high in treble. Listening to them a second time they seemed way to bright but this might just be the nakamichi amp they were hooked up too.
Anyone know what years they were part of the Dynaudio line up? Were they introduced before the Dynaudio 72? Do they have esotar tweeters?

The Dynaudios were hooked up to a nakamichi power amp and seemed way louder than the Focus (hooked to a different amp at the dealer)

IS THE DYNAUDIO AUDIENCE 70 a BRIGHT speaker? Has anyone heard the Dynaudio dm/7? Any comparisons between audience focus and DM? Will the focus deliver all the goods once connected to a woofer and possibly more aggressive amp?

Anyone heard spendor or knows where I can in mumbai?

What speaker would you suggest for my needs? Seems like Dynaudio audience 70 at Rs 50k may be a great deal but I'm concerned about its brightness (Ive always turned down treble in most cars)

Would the floor standing audience 70 out perform the dm/7 or focus bookself?

What do you suggest with regards to the speakers and the ideal 5.1 AMP setup to drive em?

Thanks
 
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Hi
Too many things to consider to get 'perfect' sound in your home irrespective of the gear. No one speaker can do it all for a large audience as we all have our pre conceived notions on what is great sound.
The dynaudio is not a bright speaker in my opinion for sure. HAve heard most of the Focus and they are fair but i prefer the contour anyday. That IMO is the dyna sound. Am not very familiar with the pricing but from what i recall the Focus is just fractionally cheaper than the contour.
The spendors are now distributed by cadence so its best to contact them. I think Boomerang in Juhu can arrange an audition of the spendors. Very different from the Dyna though and i wonder how they will fare in an HT cum stereo set up.
The B&W 600 series is not worth the money and there is too much activity plus the big boxy sound surely wont get my vote. The 800 series is way too pricey to merit a serious consideration.
AVRs is not something that i can suggest u as thats not my area of interest but would prefer a decent multichannel power amp to get that last bit from my HT.
Tons of guys here will guide u to the correct choice of an AVR. The usual suspects are from Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo,Sony, marantz and the better ones are from Arcam. Stereo will be a compromise in almost all.
Rgds
 
Hey Dinyaar, how about the B&W DM 603 S3's?

I believe you used to have 'em. Are they a good buy? (with a ROTEL amp...)?
 
As far as my knowledge Dynaudio speakers are suppose to be transparent speakers and they tend to highlight the weakness and strenght of the kit and music played through them. In your audition the usage of Ipod to play music on these speakers is not a great idea to judge these speakers as they tend to highlight the weakness in the music played through Ipod.
 
I am not a big listener of trance music. But if vocal performance and warmth are important, EPOS can be a good contender. The M12.2 (M12i) easily holds its own against the Dynaudio Audience bookshelf. They are two very different speakers. So, opinions are likely to be split in half.
 
My vote from the lot you are considering goes to dynaudio. Specially if electronic music is a significant part of ur collection. Just pick a bookshelf rather than a floorstander. I have dynaudio 52 paired with Jolida 1501 integrated amp and the only thing currently missing is a good source. I have not heard contour or Focus but my guess is they are the worth the extra money. You will find more refined speakers then the dynaudio (e.g. Cadence Arita) but they don't do justice to various music categories.
 
I do the same - watch movies in stereo without a sub and feel the same - no shortcomings compared to my budget surround system. Though my stereo system is too lo fi.
regards

btw I watch movies in stereo, without a sub, and I find it has no shortcomings compared to a full surround system. At any budget, a surround system will not be able to match the performance of a stereo system - extra amplifiers and speakers end up costing more.
 
for a 12x12 room, I have a feeling the Dyn 220s would be overkill in a surround set-up. you can get equal satisfaction with a stand mount based set-up or smaller floorstanders.
 
Thanks everyone for your helpful posts.

Don't floor standers generally offer more imapct? The room is the living room 250 sq ft in all. In my understanding pairing a woofer with bookshelf's can be hard.

Seems like the audience are a relatively good deal these days given that they were discontinued and now being discounted.

Will listen to a few of thee suggestions.

Was wondering what IMO means?

If I do decide to pick up dynaudios I was wondering what model you suggest and which receiver to go with them. 2 immediate options tend to be Pioneer sc 7 or a rotel preocessor RSP-1066 power combo...Both are roughly the same price as the rotel is an older model.

Whilst building my car system I realized that I much preferred the sound of an a/b amp to a Class D/. A/B seemed less digitized. IS this a general rule?

I wanna the system to sing...Soft and LOUD
 
Anyone know what the difference between the older and newer audience speakers is? 70 and 72 for example?

thanks
 
.... In your audition the usage of Ipod to play music on these speakers is not a great idea to judge these speakers as they tend to highlight the weakness in the music played through Ipod.

Actually you have to test with your worst case sources. Every decent piece of audio gear will sound great will well made recordings. You unfortunately get dinged when the recordings are not good quality. If one feels happy with the crappiest recordings that they have then there is nothing to audition after that.
 
Actually you have to test with your worst case sources. Every decent piece of audio gear will sound great will well made recordings. You unfortunately get dinged when the recordings are not good quality. If one feels happy with the crappiest recordings that they have then there is nothing to audition after that.

I personally feel that one must first audition with the best possible sources. Then with the worst possible ones. In short, one must audition with both the possible scenario's.

Practically, one must choose only what sounds best with the best possible sources... As the idea is to get as close to perfection, within budget.

But, that's just me.
 
Hey Dinyaar, how about the B&W DM 603 S3's?

I believe you used to have 'em. Are they a good buy? (with a ROTEL amp...)?

Ill try and answer it the best I can.
Its a discontinued speaker so one has to buy used. At about 35/38K which should be the correct price for a used pair they are good speakers. They do sound a bit boxy but then so do so many speakers which are considered good.
Good bass extension, fair timing and though they use the same tweeter in all the earlier 600 series the top end seems most non fatiguing in the 603 as compared to the 601/602. The bigger 604 is too muddled a performer IMO.

Malvai why is the preferred amp a Rotel? I know it sounds silly to ask anyone to buy a 'quality' amp to drive a speaker costing under 40K but that is the way. With a Nad Pre/power it was more acceptable than it ever was with the Rotel Pre/power. With my Bryston ST series amp it sounded very dynamic and almost a different speaker with no bloat/overhang BUT the trebles were a little toooo energetic BUT then the ST series is a little excitable and the SST and later are more refined. I could not hear the speaker with my SST or SST 2 as the speaker was sold by then. I can ASSUME that it would be a great combo but then thats about 3 L on amplification for a 35/40K speaker!!!!

Maybe Ramesh (hifipal4all) will be able to comment further on these B&W s as he owns them and am sure tries them with a variety of amps.
Rgds
 
Ill try and answer it the best I can.
Its a discontinued speaker so one has to buy used. At about 35/38K which should be the correct price for a used pair they are good speakers. They do sound a bit boxy but then so do so many speakers which are considered good.
Good bass extension, fair timing and though they use the same tweeter in all the earlier 600 series the top end seems most non fatiguing in the 603 as compared to the 601/602. The bigger 604 is too muddled a performer IMO.

Malvai why is the preferred amp a Rotel? I know it sounds silly to ask anyone to buy a 'quality' amp to drive a speaker costing under 40K but that is the way. With a Nad Pre/power it was more acceptable than it ever was with the Rotel Pre/power. With my Bryston ST series amp it sounded very dynamic and almost a different speaker with no bloat/overhang BUT the trebles were a little toooo energetic BUT then the ST series is a little excitable and the SST and later are more refined. I could not hear the speaker with my SST or SST 2 as the speaker was sold by then. I can ASSUME that it would be a great combo but then thats about 3 L on amplification for a 35/40K speaker!!!!

Maybe Ramesh (hifipal4all) will be able to comment further on these B&W s as he owns them and am sure tries them with a variety of amps.
Rgds

I dunno Dinyaar, but I prefer the Rotel sound. I listen to a lot of classic rock, electric blues and trad blues. Then vocal jazz. I like the NAD sound (Have a 3020 of old). Have heard the newer Nad's too. But, somehow, am hung up on the Rotels.

Bryston is too expensive for me. The sound is super... like the cost ;)

What other speakers would you recommend for the RB 1080?

Also, would you know a good place where I can get the power cords for the gear changed? Also, need to upgrade the RCA cable and jacks that came standard with my dad's Technics Sl 1300 TT 30 years ago...!
 
I dunno Dinyaar, but I prefer the Rotel sound. I listen to a lot of classic rock, electric blues and trad blues. Then vocal jazz. I like the NAD sound (Have a 3020 of old). Have heard the newer Nad's too. But, somehow, am hung up on the Rotels.

Bryston is too expensive for me. The sound is super... like the cost ;)

What other speakers would you recommend for the RB 1080?

Also, would you know a good place where I can get the power cords for the gear changed? Also, need to upgrade the RCA cable and jacks that came standard with my dad's Technics Sl 1300 TT 30 years ago...!

Absolutely fair Malvai. We all have our likings.

Chill on the Bryston 4 now. Too many changes being incorporated all at one time takes its toll. Too much is being changed almost every time i see another Bryston which is leaving me a bit perplexed.

Actually for the RB 1080 the Rotel & B&W forums will suggest something from the B&W 600/700 series. BTW now that the 700 series is discontinued u will probably get deals on the 704 and the 703. Definately better than any 600 series speaker can ever be. Was so upset with my purchase of the Rotel combo that apart from my speakers i have not heard it with too much else so i cant say for sure what will work.

Power cords for what electronics? Rotel RB amp? U are from Bbay so u can go to spectra Connectronics @ lamington Road and buy the power cord they sell. Its about 500 Rs/meter and IMO very good. I dont want to get into debates on improvements caused by cabling (power cords in particular) but this cable will work well in most applications. Buy a decent 3 pin top and an IEC female socket (preferably solder) and ur power cord is done for about Rs 800/-. All cable Cos offer power cords but most entry level ones start @ 5K, Kimber, VDH, Supra etc etc
Rgds
 
BTW now that the 700 series is discontinued u will probably get deals on the 704 and the 703. Definately better than any 600 series speaker can ever be. Was so upset with my purchase of the Rotel combo that apart from my speakers i have not heard it with too much else so i cant say for sure what will work.

Power cords for what electronics? Rotel RB amp?
Rgds

Awesome! If you hear about a good deal on the 700s lemme know! I for one don't know of anyone except AVI. And those guys keep their noses pointed to the heavens above... And i don't think they give any sort of discounts even on discontinued stuff.... so HALP!

Was a bit curious: why weren't you happy with the Rotels??? I personally find the 1080 amp to be very fulsome.

And yep the power cords are for the rotel. Does upgrading them help? This bit, i'm trying out on a lark as it is quite the 'audiophile' thing to do.

I personally feel that the manufacturer has put the particular cord for a particular reason. But, i;m still trying it out as even if it don't make a diff to the sound, it really can't take away anything from the overall experience.
 
I have owned the Dynaudio Audience 72 floorstanders since last year and am very satisfied.
Difficult to match but good reward when matched.


thanks
 
When i was in search of speakers , i had the dyns on the list . Awesome speakers but way beyond my budget so dropped the idea and went for the Dali.
I heard the Dynaudio 52 and 72 and the sound was neutral and better then the Dali - MA - MS - Quad. You can audition these in Mumbai.
 
Awesome! If you hear about a good deal on the 700s lemme know! I for one don't know of anyone except AVI. And those guys keep their noses pointed to the heavens above... And i don't think they give any sort of discounts even on discontinued stuff.... so HALP!

Was a bit curious: why weren't you happy with the Rotels??? I personally find the 1080 amp to be very fulsome.

And yep the power cords are for the rotel. Does upgrading them help? This bit, i'm trying out on a lark as it is quite the 'audiophile' thing to do.

I personally feel that the manufacturer has put the particular cord for a particular reason. But, i;m still trying it out as even if it don't make a diff to the sound, it really can't take away anything from the overall experience.

Well At my old home we have an old ST Bryston which is a clean/low distortion, powerful amp and compared to the sound that i was used to for about 6 years the Rotel just fell flat.
OK now 4 the power cords. Hmmmm
See in all this cable chain I THINK the least difference i have felt/observed is with power cables as compared to ICS and Speaker cables. Others will opine different and some of my great audiophile friends over the years have openly mocked some of my theories.
I am still of the opinion that the last meter of cable connected in this power chain CANNOT be night & day. There are differences but subtle and there are good differences and bad differences. In some cases people prefer stock cords over hyped exotic cords.
U must get a properly specified cable with good plugs/sockets. That is more important. For a RB 1080 get a 2.5 sq.mm 3 core power cable and u will be ok. Some will insist u go for a 4 sq.mm but 2.5 will do. IMO spending on a dedicated line is better way to spend your money or if the power situation in your area is terrible then correcting that with a stab/conditioner is the way to go.
In the earlier days most electronics had CAPTIVE leads, did they not sound good? Some amplifiers came with leads that were under 1.5 sq.mm, was the unit starved of current?
This hobby is never ending, it just depends on how far u want to go.
I have tried many power cords and continue to use some as i own a few. In the Rotel amp i dont remember it really making a difference.
Rgds
 
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