Underhanded Penguin

Wow that is REAALLLY cool.

Like any speaker, better electronics will definitely improve the sound. It doesn't have to cost a lot. When I had the 52 special editions, for a while I was just using them with an 80 watt Denon receiver. And it worked fine, sounded really good too. Then when I switched over to my Arcam Integrated, even though it was less power, the sound quality just improved that much more. Now I'm running my s1.4 off of the Arcam. The newer Dynaudio speakers are less power hungry than the older ones, but better quality power and source will definitely benefit it.

Sub wise I'd have to recommend the pw-2100. This is probably one of the best price to performance ratio 10" subs out there. It has great quality output to below 30hz. Would mate very well with any bookshelf speaker. For 500 dollars canadian, I can't think of a better deal. SVS should be out of the question considering the hefty tax, shipping, and brokerage fees. It ends up being close to double the listed price on the SVS website. As for bookshelves, lots to choose from here: Klipsch RB-5, Paradigm Studio 20, Dynaudio Audience 42, Totem Mites. Then a little bit higher in the price range: Klipsch RB-75, Pardigm Signature S2, Dynaudio 52 and 52 Special Edition, Totem Signature Model 1... the list goes on. I'm Dynaudio biased so I would recommend the 42, 52, and 52se. In fact, I would take the 42 over any Klipsch bookshelf. I truly believe the 42 is one of the best in that price range. For its size, you wouldn't believe the bass it is capable of as well as soundstage. Over here in Toronto, the 42 can be had for about $900 CAD with some bargaining. -UP

---------------- On 4/29/2004 10:51:08 PM formica wrote: ---------------- On 4/29/2004 8:00:36 PM Ornlu wrote: Putting the subs in different locations in the room helps to prevent standing wave cancelation.... ...Then, the second sub becomes very difficult to place because it too must be in reverse or in phase with the other subwoofer. I do like my bass and would like to use both subwoofers however the noise cancellation is a problem. ---------------- Yes, two subs in different locations does have the potential to help distribute the room modes (a good thing), BUT like you mention in your following post, setup is much more difficult to balance (mid wall on opposite walls is a good starting point). Result is most people actually worsen their situation by separating the two subs. Also by stacking the two subs you gain 6db versus only 3db if they are in different locations. If you are going to stack the two subs, there is no benefit of using two subwoofer cables, rather you'd be increasing the risk of picking up RFI/EMI noise. I'd just run one from the receiver and put the Y behind the subs. Obviously if they are placed in different corners, you have no choice but to run two wires. Later... Rob ---------------- First of all, using the y splitter with two RCA cables to the subwoofers will not introduce more risk of RFI. RFI is either there or not. Having two cables running to the subs introduces as much risk as running two subs in the first place. You could argue that there might be noticeable EMI between the two sub cables, but that's highly unlikely. There is just as much chance that the sub cable will pick up EMI from any other cable out of the many number of cables behind the a/v equipment. Chances are if you don't have noticeable EMI now, running two sub cables won't make a difference. Secondly, as rckpls said, I don't know of any y splitter that's long enough to run to two subs on the y end, stacked or unstacked.

I would tend to disagree. The extra frequency extension of the 5's would not even be noticed since the crossover for the Ultra sats are so high. I read another thread where somebody said they should have gone with 4's for sats because the 5's were so big and that sonically they weren't so different except for the 5's having slightly deeper bass. My 2cents. -UP

Pini why not move the svs to your ht and use your dual ksw-10 for pc?

$1000 for a 150 watt amp??? Does that exist? Keep in mind that wattage doesn't mean much these days. It's quality wattage that matters. My Arcam was a little over a grand and it's only 65 watts. But way more than enough for me.

Wow. Aren't there more KBV2 fans out there? I absolutely thought this was the best movie in the past couple of years.

It's not a love story in the classical sense, but it is a story about love. Mostly about maternal love and how that changes one's perspetive on the world. Volume 2 was a great conclusion to volume 1. Together, they make for one of my most favourite moviegoing experiences ever. -UP

Raptorman, just so you know, at that price you're gonna find it very hard to sell. When I finally let mine go it was for 550 CAN. And that was only because a good friend of mine was willing to take it.

Finishing inside of sub would be purely cosmetic. Finished or unfinished does not affect airflow at all. I'll tell you what finishing the inside will affect though: PRICE. Cuz we'd all like to pay more for something we don't see or hear.

Wow. I thought EVERYONE saw volume 1 already. Incredible. For those who haven't seen it, it's one of the best movies ever made. And that's no small statement.

For some more reading on the topic: http://www.audiovideo101.com/dictionary/dappolito.asp or search google for d'appolito array

Hey Moon. Good choice on the RC-7. One advantage it has over the RB-75 is that by turning the speaker sideways, you have put the drivers into a d'appolito array. This array has been proven to provide better time alignment of frequencies and as a result better transient response by minimizing ceiling/floor reflections. It's a wonder more loudspeaker manufacturers aren't making speakers like this. Klipsch use to make a CF4 (?) that had the woofer tweeter woofer in a vertical array. But that has since been discontinued. Even bookshlef speakers benefit from having the midrange placed on top of the tweeter. This also achieves similar time alignment results.

Sorry I got a bit defensive! As you could understand after spending a few grand on a system only to have someone tell you you should have got something else instead. lol. Yeah I checked out Legacy's website. I'd be curious to hear them but unfortunately no resellers in Toronto. But I still highly highly doubt it that I would like them better than my s1.4. And even if they were better, my brain would fool me into thinking it wasn't just to justify the cost. Damn brain.

And by the way, Dynes now are improved over the Dyne's you refer to "years ago". So if you think the ones years ago were great, you'd like the new ones even better. Do some REAL auditioning before you recommend stuff please.

Thanks wheelman. But no point in making recommendations after the fact. I'm quite stubborn with my dynes anyways. There is nothing I would change about the sound of my contours s1.4. Call me ignorant. If you've never heard a properly set up s1.4, then you shouldn't go around telling people to get something else anyways. I assume you've never heard the s1.4 before because the sound it puts out is huge for its size.

You can look at biwiring as more bandwidth. Two cables is thicker than one cable. And generally speaking, the thicker the cable the better. That's how I see it anyhow.

Vital, I'm powering them with an Arcam A80 inetgrated. But I heard it with even the A65 first and it had no problems powering them even at high volumes. Generally speaking I guess the more power the better. But I also auditioned with a bunch of 100 to 200 watt Rotels and didn not like the sound at all. The A80 was a lot smoother and easier to listen to. I can belt it when I need to and it delivers. The new Dynaudio Contours are a lot less power dependant than the older ones. I'm using them for a small bedroom system. If you have a larger room, I'm sure you would benefit from more power.

No problem at all Vital. An opinion is an opinion. Audio is very subjective. It's why there are so many different kinds of speakers and equipment out there. If you do listen to Dynes again, try to a/b them with other speakers and compare the accuracy, quickness, and depth of the bass as well as how the high frequencies are handled even at higher volumes. Those are the areas where I feel the Dynaudio really shines above other speakers I have auditioned.

Is that considered a D'appolito array? I wonder why Klipsch doesn't make driver arrays like that anymore. They seem to work well. Nice speaker! -UP

Mike check your PM.

Well I didn't do a plot or anything and my tests are by no means exhaustive, but with my room boost, using a rat shack meter at 35 hz and a freq sweep cd from the dealer the spl did not dip until after 35 hz, but fell very sharply after that. Even around 30hz there was some response mostly just rumbles though and not very loud. For a bookshelf of this size it's pretty amazing what dyanudio was able to do with these drivers. Very little dynamic compression, almost zero port noise and distortion at 95 decibels. (as loud as I would ever listen in my bedroom) What I love is that even at lower volume levels, the conveyance of the musical event is not lost like on some other speakers. Some speakers need to be turned up a bit to effectively create the illusion of real music and not just sound coming out of a box. The contour s1.4 creates this illusion even at low listening levels (didn't measure but I would guess around 70 db). I love the highs the Dynaudio dome tweeters produce. Its extended as hell and seems to go on forever without ever getting harsh or too bright. It just seems to soar above and beyond your head without ever hitting/splitting you ears like some other tweeters. I'm a huge fan of the Dynaudio soft dome.

Vital, to each his own and I will not discredit your assessment of the s3.4. But may I suggest that the placement, amount of breakin time and source may have affected the dynaudios sound more unfavourably than the b&ws and klipsch. The s3.4 in my mind is a pretty amazing speaker. Mind you, the RF7's are a great speaker as well. I myself went through some very exhaustive listnening tests at the dealer a/b ing between many brands using Arcam source components (which I have). To tell you the truth, I started out wanting to get the 705s or 805s. I asked to listen to those first, then I went to Audience 52 Special Editions (which I bought, then returned later) and upgraded to some Duntech Black Pearl Special Edition bookshelves, then exchanged for the contour s1.4. And now I am done. Along the way I listened to within my budget: RF7s (good but not transparent and airy enough for me and didn't like the size, also a bit too forward and bright on the highs), b&w 705 (a bit on the bright side), b&w 805(good but fussy with amp and didn't sound as good on the arcam, plus I decided I just dont like the b and w sound), Dynaudio Special 25s (pretty damn amazing, but a tiny bit too upfront for my tastes, and sightly out of my budget), martin logan claritys (too fussy with amp and placement, huge difference in sound between standing and sitting) -UP

Roughly 2900 USD including tax is what I got it for. Not cheap I know, but to me well worth it. Keep in mind I'm not knocking Klipsch at all as I use a reference setup for ht. It's just that for music, and within my small bedroom environment, I liked these more than any Klipsch, B&W 705's, 805's, Martin Logan Clarity's, and even I dare say it: Special 25s. The special 25s are a different monster altogether. Extended as a bi@tch and more upfront. S25s are an amazing speaker though. My eletronics wouldn't do it justice anyways. For me the dynaudio sound that won me over was it's openness, HUGE soundstage and frequency esepcially for the size, it's got micro and macro dynamics comparable to Klipsch, and the clincher is the highs are so non fatiguing. Female vocals seem to extend on forever without hitting your ears with sibilance. Music seems to just wash over you. These do not sound like a box speaker at all. In fact, very fast and eletrostatic sounding.