Dynaudio Evoke 20 vs. Totem Signature One vs. Acoustic Revival Adalante 3
Hello Agon members,
I am getting ready to purchase a new pair of speakers and looking for some advice and first hand experience with a few of my possible choices:
I own a Hifi Rose RS520 integrated amp/streamer. My speaker cables are Tellurium Q Black II and the power cord is generic. I am currently using a pair of Vanguard Scout speakers to great effect (especially considering the modest price) until I settle on my next speaker. In the past, I have used Omega Speaker Systems SAM (still own) and did not find this to be a good synergy with the Hifi Rose. I have also auditioned a pair of used Harbeth C7ES and, even though I wanted to love these speakers, there was again poor synergy. So finding a speaker that will play well with the sound signature of the Hifi Rose is important to me.
My room is 16.4 ft. x 19 ft. and my system is against the shorter wall. Speakers will have plenty of room on the sides, but I doubt I will be able to position them more than 2 ft. off the back wall.
My preference is for a warmer sound with a good tone, but I also articulation, dynamics, imaging and soundstage. I generally stay away from bright and forward sounding equipment. Music is mostly centered around rock and indie, with some country, bluegrass, folk, hip hop, reggae, etc. thrown into the mix.
I will listen to all 3 speakers again before I purchase, but demos are much different than actually living with a speaker. Therefore, if you have spent some time with any of these speakers, please share your thoughts.
Thanks in advance - Billy
That was quite a mouthful! I only know Dynaudio speakers, especially their former flagship Consequence, which I owned for ten years. These sound best with a LOT of power. If I were you, judging from your sound preferences, I would think about a tube amp in the future, and go with the most easy to drive / tube friendly speaker, all else fairly equal. |
Greetings-I owned both the Dynaudio Evoke 20s and Revival Audio Atalante 3 speakers. I do not have any experience with Totem. The Evoke 20s were paired in my system at the time with the Yamaha A-S2200 integrated and sounded energetic, lively, and dynamic. They imaged well, good sound stage, and were fun to listen to. I upgraded from these to the Evoke 50s and continued to enjoy this sound. I currently have the Dynaudio Confidence 20s paired with the Hegel H600 and am very happy with the Dynaudio sound. I would recommend the Evoke 20s especially at a used price point of probably about $1200. They are well built, solid, larger, and heavier than most speakers this price.
In another system I had the Atalante 3s paired with a Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum III integrated. I would describe the sound as detailed and slightly warm and forward in presentation. The cabinets are beautiful, really well built. They could play loud and not sound fatiguing. I enjoyed my time with them. The Atalante 3s will cost more used probably. Both were very enjoyable speakers in my experience. |
The Dynaudio Consequence speaker was quite extreme. I used a Krell FPB600 amp, the best in class at the time, but even this was not enough to get it to wake up fully and dance and sing. It had been developed with an in-house 1200 watt amp I believe. Like two of my Krells. Later I have heard less power hungry Dynaudios including good monitors. But I suspect that the quantity and quality of the amplification still means a lot for how good they sound. |
I gradually got tired of the Dynaudio Consequence. Even if the speaker was good and innovative - a sybaric double bass solution at the top, with drivers arranged from larger to smaller downwards to the highest treble - at the bottom! A speaker designer asked me, is that really the case. Doesnt the sound become the wrong way up? But no, it worked. What did not work was that they were "over-controlled" (the way I thought about it) - needing very much power, like 2 x 1200 watts. For example, compared to the Proac 3.8 floorstanders, which I also tried, that woke up to dance and sing at a much lower volume level. i tried the Consequence with quite powerful tube amps, Atmasphere MA-1. It did not work out. They would have to be twice as powerful or more, the get the speakers into their comfort zone. I ended up selling the speakers and keeping the tube amps. Later I heard a pair of Dynaudio monitors that really made an impression, quite different from the Consequences. Cant remember the model right now, but it was a special edition something. They were set up very well, on stands, with a well-treated and damped room. We were three friends listening, and we all commented on how the monitors seemed to disappear, the music coming from a larger soundscape. This was with a Cayin integrated amp, maybe 40 watts or so. I thought Dynaudio speakers with tube amps was a lost case, no good, but this showed otherwise. It depends on the model.
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Funny you should mention those three speakers. Here's a YouTube video that, if you have a decent computer set up, can give you a good idea as the sound differences are readily apparent, despite the flaming that will result form me posting this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t6sdLnhLTs&t=112s Also, Daniel Emonts, who owns Revival Audio and designed the Atalante 3, was lead speaker designer at Dynaudio for 7 years and the Evoke 20 was one of his creations. His drivers are proprietary and everything is designed and made in France. I have the Atalante 3 and will never part with them unless I get a bigger space and then, the Atalante 5 will replace them. All the best, |
