upgrade path from Dynaudio 52SE

Stricken and Okocza,

I didn't mean for the "house sound" comment to be taken negatively, and maybe I used this term in error - its just that Dynaudios I have listened to - mostly Audience, Focus and Contour lines - have had a similar presentation and behavior when presented with a signal. I have noticed as others have mentioned here that they all like power, that they sound a little sterile at low volume when under powered and communicate pretty clearly how lower powered amps are laboring at higher volume. This honesty can get in the way of enjoyment that less precise or demanding speakers gloss over.

Given enough juice, the Dynaudio speakers I have heard sing and are uniquely capable of making the broadest range of material sound good. When somebody says for example "I like orchestral music, acoustic world music and rap(!), what speakers should I get", I suggest Dynaudios because of their "neutrality" and overall capability to reproduce all forms of recorded music well. I also personally love their design aesthetic, which can be an acquired taste for their more expensive speakers. Go up the line in price, and the "house sound" as I put it just gets more clear and nuanced, if your electronics can highlight what the speakers have to offer.

One additional note, I have heard the 52's (do not recall if they were SE or non-SE) connected to a PrimaLuna Prologue II (40 watts) and Rega P3, and the combination sounded fantastic at low to moderate volumes. Things got a little loose at higher volumes that rock or orchestral music might requre. On the other hand I listened to the Dynas with a Creek 5230SE, which has significantly more rated power in solid state, and a mid level Sim audio CD player and did not care for the combination at all and attribute it to a mis-match with the amp.

So from this I would take that quality tube power of 35 watts or more in a modest sized room may be fine for moderate listening levels with these speakers, but agree that as a general rule I would error on the side of higher quality sources and bigger and better amplification with Dynaudio products.

Stricken,
My amp is beefy enough for the 52SEs. It is 500w/8ohm and 1000w/4ohm - more than the 52SE can handle.

I have tried repostioning my sub and it helped emminsely. My room is not the best either - 12W x 20L x 8H with wood floors and is open on one side of the 20L with 2 arches. After a lengthy listen last night I really don't kow what I could do to improve - I was very pleased with results.

So Miner42, upgraditis delayed for now? I didn't pile on the Rotel-Basher Bandwagon because I really like the 1082/1092 combination. That kit is definitely not "Lo-Fi". I would think set up properly with decent wires this pair could make the Dyanaudio combination you are running sound very good.

Perhaps you have already done this, but I find using a test disk/record and a not-so-expensive digital sound meter from Radio Shack to integrate the roll-off for the sub and speakers yields a tremendous return on investment. Best forty bucks and two hours I ever spent on audio.

Yes, delayed for the most part until I can decide which path to take. I enjoy seperates but may contemplate a nice integrated - McIntosh, Classe', or Krell. I am currently reading Get Better Sound and am finding most of my problems may be the default setup I have - position of cabinet in relation to speakers, etc. My Dyns have really began to open up and am thinking, as suggested, replace the electronics. What a viscious merry-go-round this is.

It is a toss-up between the Rotel amps and the Dynaudio speakers.

07-03-09: Miner42
After a lengthy listen last night I really don't kow what I could do to improve - I was very pleased with results.

If that is the case I would suggest that you stay put and don't do anything. It is a vicious cycle as once you start to change one component in your system you would start looking at the next. Having said that, if you really have the urge of improving your system and want to get a little bit more out of it, I would suggest to go with your initial plan that is to go with a speaker upgrade. Although the Rotel amps may be mid-fi, a different speaker will yield a more significant impact in sound improvement compared to a change in amps. If looking at a different speaker, I would suggest getting one that has bigger drivers in comparison to your existing Dynaudio 52SE that your room can accomodate. Speakers with bigger drivers will always sound more full and coherent compared to equivalent speakers with smaller drivers. You only need to decide whether you would still want to stick back to the Dynaudio line or consider other brand of speakers.