Dynaudio C1 with more impact

My room is 19-15-10..running C4s with a Rel sub...C1s are too small and not a speaker that will give you the slam with rock/metal..Move on to something bigger

I'd consider the C2s on audiogon the only problem is that I live in Canada so I'll most likely get dinged with high shipping plus duty/tax.

To be honest I didn't think my room was that big to need floorstanders so I didn't even consider them but now it looks like I'll have to start researching those too.

Thanks again for everyone's help.

There is a pair of Dynaudio C2s on audiogon for $5500 used. They would most likely fit your room better than the C1.

A room that size not only will accommodate floorstanders but also will require them. My LR is 22 x 12 x 10 (LWH) and easily enjoys 42"H x 16"D x 8"W speakers. Go for FS's. C1's are great speakers but too small for that room. laws of ohysics are immutable; c1'S cannot move enough air.

neal

FWIW, speaker mounting can make a dramatic difference. I found loading the stands (Dynaudio Stand 2) with sand had a noticeable positive improvement on the over all sound, with my Special 25's. The type of coupling used under the speaker (to the stand) can also have a large impact. I went from 3 cones under each to Herbie’s little dots which also had a profound effect. (Herbie’s little dot seamed to add that bass slam you are referring to.)

So buy em and get on with it..

I consider slam exactly how Fix1bxn described it, and it does make sense that volume is needed for that. So I think first I'll try a higher power amp and a bit more volume and see how that is.

The "slam" that Cdc mentioned I totally get from the C1s, on an emotional level they worked really well for me with any type of music which is why I liked them so much.

I get "slam" at very low levels with my 4" single driver speaker. Run full-range with no x-over, it is essentially an active speaker. Realizing that "slam" at 55dB listening levels is a relative term. I feel the thump on an emotional level, obviously not so much on a physical level.

You cant have Slam (Impact) at low levels. (Just my interpretation of SLAM)

You can have clear acurate reproduction of frequencies. But for Slam you do need to turn up the volume. This doesnt mean you need to be at 110db.

So now the question is to you, what do you consider Slam/impact.

I consider it when you can feel the Kick drum or the snare snap,the electric guiter is on fire and stands out when a guy goes solo...

The recommendation to look into floorstanders for more slam or impact makes sense. I haven't considered them because I though they needed a much larger room and they'd be a little harder to place. Another question regarding pressurizing a room even by a floorstander with multiple drivers, wouldn't this still require music to be played really loudly in order to move more air?

I agree with Fin1bxn. $6000 is a lot of cash and even more if you look on the used market.

Monitors do a lot of things well but they just don't have the bass slam/punch I think you are looking for. There are exceptions (Wilson duettes come to mind) but for the most part lager speakers have more impact.

Your room is a good size and would be able to support a much larger speaker than the C1.

As for your question, amps can add punch as you go up in power. But I have found they can not fix what a speaker is missing only unleash there potential.

I suggest you try ATCs. They might just be the speakers for you. Very dynamic and plenty of slam and their tamed treble would suit heavy metal really well. Go active if you don't already have an amplifier.

The 20s have similarly extended bass as the Dynaudios and are very well known for midbass slam.

I agree with a lot of these posts, I also listen to the same style of music as you. Considering you have the room, I would look for a speaker with more or larger drivers. You need to presurize the room for Impact. I currently own Revel F52's and they give me everything you mention, after owning many quality speakers, these found a home.

My last speaker was B&W 801 Matrix III (I would have kept if my room was larger)
Magnepans
Vandersteens
Audio Physics
Eminent Tech
Thiel
Klipsch
JUst to name a few

A small two way hooked up to a tube amp is not going to give you what you need.

Jib, you might want to give a listen to the Raidho Eben X-Baby MkII if you have a dealer nearby. They're also Danish and the same price as the C1. I recently heard both back-to-back and I thought the Raidho was even better than the C1 - more detail, more open, a little more dynamic and no hint of any boxes at all (the C1 is still a great speaker). You might prefer the Raidho with all genres of music, as I did (I listened to symphonic, jazz, and classic rock).

Thanks for all the responses. Sounds like the best thing to do next is to try out a higher power amp. I did try a Simaudio integrated but I wasn't a big fan (it sounded a little too cold or sterile for my taste).

Also I didn't spend too much time in UL mode on the Cary but when I did it just seemed to be a bit louder with a smaller soundstage. If I spent more time with it I might like it more.

Try the C1 with Bryston, Simaudio, Plinius, Naim or other high power, high current SS amplifiers.

Also maybe with a pair of subs for simple low end reinforcement to accentuate the C1.

Next time you are at your dealer try the Cary again except this time flip the switch from triode to UL (thus doubling the power)for your metal needs.

Jibbonacci,

I think you owe it to yourself to try an amp with more power amp. I am certain that you will be able to tell the difference between amps easily.

I have never owned the C1s, but I own the Contour 3.4s, and they reflect changes in the downstream chain readily.

Now the question is which amp! For starters, many like Dyns paired with Simaudio, but there are lots of options.

Good luck.
Bob

Go active. No passive speaker can approach the impact of what an active speaker can do. Take the ATC active 100's for example. Rated for 40 hz. Yea, right. Not all 40 hz is created equal.
Don't believe it? Go listen to an active Dynaudio BM15.
If you don't want to buy an active speaker, find a speaker you like and take out the crossover. Put in your own external x-over before the amps.

Thanks James. My room is about 19x15x8, so I'm not sure if it's considered medium size. The C1s would cost me about 6000 new with stands.

You mentioned dynamic swings... Is this something that a good power amp would help with, or does it have to so with the speakers more. To me it seems like a good power amp would help more since it would be able to respond better to these changes without bogging down. I could be wrong here since I've just started getting into this hobby more seriously.

Anyone that tells you that you need to buy a lesser speakers because you listen to heavy metal has their head in the sand. There are lots well recorded hard-rock and Metal albums out there. A lot of the metal poor recording are just old digital... the genre does not make them bad.

In reality heavy metal is very hard for speakers. There is a lot of dynamic swings and tons of information. You may just need to look for speakers with more dynamic range. Which almost always means large speakers... I have never heard dynaudio so I can not comment on the speakers.

How much are the C1s and how big is your room?

Best of luck hunting.

Start a new thread.."Speakers for rock and roll"..You wont get one C1 vote in the mix but tons of good suggestions.

I appreciate the feedback Toetapfactor, and I'm just wondering what you think a speaker needs to do well in order to reproduce rock/metal. My problem is that this isn't the only genre I listen to, that's why I'm looking for something better all around. If it means adding a sub for the C1s to be better rock then sure that would be easy enough.

Also you mentioned the JBLs... I've tried some a long time ago and I found them muddy and boomy, but maybe I've tried the wrong ones. Paradigm has also been recommended to me many times for rock, however I think they're crap (at least the ones I listened to which are Monitor and Signature series). The highs were ear piercing, no detail and I just wanted to turn the music off after half an hour.

One option that was recommended that looks good is the Legacy Focus HD, but it's a huge speaker weigning in at 185 lb and I most likely will need a big room in order for it to sound its best. If you have any other recommendation I would gladly look into it.

"there was something I could do to get more "impact" at the odd time I need some"...Yea, different speakers!..Im a Dynuadio owner and its widely know that their strenght is not rock of any type..You may like the detail your hearing but your options are endless for speakers that out perform the C1s when it comes to rock and roll/heavy metal.Add a sub if ya like but as stated there are numerous speakers that will fit your bill better

Toetapfactor: I don't listen to only heavy metal, that's just one of the genres I enjoy listening to, and granted I have quite a few albums. Like i said though I loved the C1s when listening to Pink Floyd and the likes, I was just sitting there enjoying the music and being amazed and the detail I was hearing. Also with heavy metal the drums and cymbals sounded awesome and since the guitar is a midrange instrument it sounded great through the speakers. I mainly wanted to see if there was something I could do to get more "impact" at the odd time I need some. I was thinking maybe a higher power amp would help (note I don't need it any louder), or maybe it's just the room.

I totally disagree..If your listening to heavy metal your barking up the wrong speaker tree..Forget the C1s,that speaker outclass what your listening to..Much better speakers out there for a lot lot less money to listen to "heavy metal"...Try an old set of JBLs!!!

The main I'm asking this now is because when spending this much money there's a whole lot of other speakers to choose from but I don't know which ones would match the C1 in clarity, definition and musicality.

Personally in that price range the only other speaker I heard that was somewhat close were the Sonus Faber Cremora auditors M. Notice I said somewhat close. A little too laid back and with less definition and clarity for me. The day I heard the C1's I stopped shopping. Never even listened to the Contour 1.4's or Special 25's. I did listen to the sapphires and as good as they are I prefer the C1's. Had the sapphires been priced at 8k I may have considered them. Better bass but a more forward mids.

Thanks Xti16.

My dealer's pretty good and he will let me audition them home I just want to make sure I don't waste his time. I don't have an amp currently either and I was looking at getting the Cary from them as well. The amp was plenty loud to me. I had the volume half way in triode mode and it was lod enough, so that's why i want to make sure that increasing the watts doesn't just increase the volume since I don't need that. Next time I'll go by I'll try a higher power amp to see the difference.

The main I'm asking this now is because when spending this much money there's a whole lot of other speakers to choose from but I don't know which ones would match the C1 in clarity, definition and musicality.

The C1's have a 3" voice coil and they use aluminum wire which is extremely light in weight. Therefore they are very 'fast' and natural sounding to me when compared to the traditional driver. I power my C1's with a Bryston B100. At moderate listening levels I think they it sounds great. At high levels it sounds great too BUT I know from being at my Dyn dealer more power will make them go even louder and still sound fantastic.

They really like high current so don't always look at watts. What I mean is the entry level Naim integrated at 50 watts sounds louder than my 100 bryston watts. At my dealer we paired up that same entry level naim with the sapphires and all I can saw is WOW. That being said I will admit I bought the bryston B100 before I ever heard of Dynaudio. So if you really like loud then more power is something you want and again at high levels I would think you would get closer to the 'impact' you are speaking of. It's pretty hard to pressurize a room with 6.9" drivers. I do have a REL B3 for a sub and a concern I did have was the bass from the Rel seemed slow. It just didn't seem to match up very well UNTIL I upgraded the Rel cable. I had Nordost make me a baseline sub cable to the 'Rel spec'. Now all lower tones blend in very well.

At 1 time considered upgrading to the C2's and my dealer let me demo his C2's in my home for a week. My first impression was WOW but found they were hard to position in my house for the best overall sound. My room is very strange (26' X 12') and I have to listen near field. After a few days I put the C1's back and for me everything was more focused. My dealer has a better room for listening and the C2's really kick butt at his place and the C4's are even better. So the room does have a huge impact of how they will sound.

If you are serious about the C1's ask the dealer if you can demo them in your home with your equipment. A side note if you do get new C1's be forewarned they will sound great out of the box but between 150 and 200 hrs you will ask yourself why did I just spend 7k for these. From there will will get much better. I had what I considered a flaw in the cabinets on the first pair so I did 'break in' 2 pairs. Between 300 and 400 hrs is what they need to be fully broken in.