Dynaudio Confidence 1 and 2 reviews - more details

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Dynaudio Confidence 1 and 2 reviews - more details

My audition journey continues, and I had a chance to listen to the Confidence 1 twice, with different setups.

I had owned Dynaudio and I am familiar with their sound, a very nice neutral sound and an innate ability to play rock, loud and proud, whilst being able present a solid soundstage.

The main item of interest was a pair of Confidence 1 Signature series, and they were driven by some Spectral brand systems, a brand I had not heard of before.

The first thing that struck you was a certain accuracy, and a clean sound.
Imaging was impressive, and there was no emphasis of any of the frequencies. Then if you are not paying attention to what speaker was ahead of you, you will be struck by the amount of bass available.

Despite a diminutive size, you had bass, which extended lower than most bookshelf speakers of the same size. In fact they sounded like a pair of compact floorstanders.

The speakers presented things in a matter of fact way, giving you back whatever was in the recording. It also meant that if you gave them a poor recording, you will know.

But the laws of physics still come into play and you will still miss out on the last couple of octaves, but this speaker had no issue with large scale orchestras.

I then moved onto the much larger C2, with the twin tweeters and woofers. Here things really got interesting.

You had copious scale, and imaging opened up a few notches more and you really lost the sensation of sound coming from a box, and instead you felt palpable music and a sound of a singer resting gently in front of you, neither recessed or forward.

There was a sweetness about the sound, which was superior to the C1, perhaps due to the extra bass, and that helped round things up nicely.

You retained the solid image stability, and also the imaging and it’s associated accuracy, but this speaker needs plenty of room to breathe.

Another issue would be the partnering equipment again. Try some budget amps, or even those AV amps and you will be wondering where your money went, and the amps are also likely to shut down at dynamic parts of the music. Both these speakers thrive on power and quality amplification.

As for the C2, at twice the cost and significantly larger, this would not be the first choice speaker for many in Asia with small homes. Yet the sound was capable of making you sit up.

Like the B&W 804D, you need to invest in solid equipment, to make the best of the gear. And if you are spending most of your time in HT, then it maybe more prudent to invest in the best sub and other HT related gear.

But if you already have or are planning to invest in a solid two channel system, both of these speakers will impress you very well. The C1 is the better choice for most in small homes, but if you have the space, the C2 rewards you with a massive soundscape and scale that is hard to beat at any price. You just to spend a lot on the partnering components to achieve this.

My second audition of the C1 was with a Oppo BDP 95 as the source, and a new Plinus amp.

This was done in a much smaller domestic setting which is more akin to what more homes are like. The impression was similar, and you get plenty of detail, accuracy, pace and a bass which belies it's diminutive size.

So if you have the budget to buy a motorcycle you could instead buy a pair of one of these...


I have no financial interest or other interests in any of the items / events I write about.


Links and specs:

http://www.dynaudio.com/int/home_loudspeaker_systems/confidence/confidence_c1.php

Technical Specifications
Confidence C1 II

Sensitivity

85 dB (2,83 V/1 m)

IEC Power Handling

170 W

Impedance

4 Ohms

Frequency Response

45 Hz – 22 kHz (± 3 dB)

Box Principle

2-way bass-reflex

Crossover Frequency

1800 Hz

Weight

10.9 kg

Dimensions (W x H x D)

200 x 445 x 430 mm
7.9 x 17.5 x 16.9"




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