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Would the dynaudio special 40's be a noticeable upgrade over the ELAC UF5?

Hello

I've been running the Elac Unifi UF5 (towers) on a yamaha A-S801 integrated for a year now and have been mostly happy with the sound but recently I've been looking into upgrading my speakers just to see what is out there, how much better does it get, or what am I going to hear that I'm not hearing now?

I found a good deal on a pair of mint Dynaudio Special 40's for 2K and have been considering getting them, but wondering whether is it going to be a noticeable upgrade or am I better saving longer for a bigger jump like the KEF Reference 1?

My source is Amazon music HDl being streamed from a bluesound node 2i, connected via optical to one of the two integrated that I have home right now
   The Yamaha A-S801
   A McIntosh MA8900 (loaner till next year only)

My Room is an 18x26 open floor plan that opens up to other rooms in the house. The ELAC's are currently places 2ft away from rear wall and 4.5 ft from the sidewalls and my listening position is ~8ft measured from the from the speakers.

As for the McIntosh, I borrowed it from a friend that was not using it since he sold his speakers and will take a few months to get his new set; I connected the ELAC's to it and I had the impression that it sounded nicer, but honestly couldn't pin point and after 2 weeks of listening I went back to the Yamaha and didn't feel I was missing much. When I mentioned that to my friend his answer was: "You need better speakers". So here I am. :)
asilvr
hilde45's avatar
hilde45
4,974 posts
 
The Yamaha is a $900 integrated. The speakers are about $1750/pair. I've heard neither, but if this was all you had, I'd recommend improving the power. But you have good power in the MAC gear. They should sound better with the MAC gear but if they don't, I see why your friend would say get better speakers.

Here's the thing: I've heard the Special 40. It's a great sounding speaker, but it deserves a really good amp. I don't think the Yamaha would do it justice. You could get a pair on trial and see what you think and upgrade the amp later.

OR: You might also consider trading in both amp and speakers. The Dynaudio Evoke series sounds pretty great, too, and along with a new amp for them, you might wind up spending the same as the Special 40's but the amp/speaker synergy would be overall, better. Consider the Dyn Evoke 10 or 20 along with a good integrated with some power.
asilvr OP
7 posts
 
@hilde45 thanks; I wouldn't not limit the speaker purchase solely on the need to upgrade the amp. While Yamaha may or may not be the best I can also upgrade it later and I can still use the McIntosh MA8900 for a few more months; So when I return the mcIntosh and go back to the Yamaha I find it not to be enough, I can get a new amp to go with it.
If focusing on speakers alone; My question is whether the Special 40's are a noticeable enough of an upgrade over the UF5's making it a worth purchase or if I'm better off waiting and upgrading speakers later to a tier above.
hilde45's avatar
hilde45
4,974 posts
 
@asilvr Well, the 40's are not easy to drive, but I thought they sounded magical. Really great. I'd just hate to see you get them and then have them lose their magic when you defaulted to the Yamaha.
ebm
9,311 posts
 
Maybe.
mcmvmx
108 posts
 
45 years experience under my belt I would buy the speakers and change the amp later . 
The better the speaker the more revealing . Get the speakers but be aware they will reveal much better the sonic differences between the Yamaha and Mac .
The dynaudios merit something like a pass lab , krell or Hegel . Something that will tell the the speaker what to do with a iron grip...pass labs keeps coming to mind. Take care friend and stay safe .
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