2. speakers
  3. 1261281103

Dynaudio C1 with more impact

I've just auditioned a pair of Dynaudio C1 hooked up to a Cary SLI 80 and I really liked the speakers, and I was actually very surprised by the Cary since it's a pretty low watt amp which seems to go against the suggestions of many around here. I listened to mostly older rock (Beatles, Pink Floyd, Queen, Zeppelin) and I thought they were amazing for this kind of stuff. There was a lot of detail, and every instrument was very well separated. The only "issue" I ran into was when playing metal, which even that sounded really good. The only thing I wish it had was more "impact", for lack of a better word. All the music was there in front of me, and every instrument was clearly audible and while this is good for most times, there are times when I'd actually like to feel the music hit me, if that makes sense. I realize that they're pretty small speakers and the bass on them while extended and went pretty low, it was refined rather than having any impact.

Am I looking at the completely wrong speaker for this? Don't get me wrong I still liked them very much as they were, but I'm wondering if the issue that I'm seeing has to do with the power provided (is a high watt amp really needed for that sort of this, or is that simply for more volume?), room setup, or does it just need a sub in some instances.
jibbonacci
james63
534 posts
 
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.
jibbonacci OP
31 posts
 
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?
fin1bxn
140 posts
 
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...
cdc
1,773 posts
 
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.
jibbonacci OP
31 posts
 
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.
More to discover