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Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Dynaudio CONFIDENCE 5 Speakers by BHAGWAN72 General speaker questions for audio and home theater. |
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Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Dynaudio CONFIDENCE 5 Speakers by BHAGWAN72 General speaker questions for audio and home theater. |
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203.94.232.5
Model: CONFIDENCE 5 Category: Speakers Suggested Retail Price: $ 10,000/- Description: 3 WAY SEALED BOX ISOBARRIC DESIGN Manufacturer URL: Dynaudio Model Picture: View
Review by Bhagwan72 on August 04, 2002 at 02:17:04
IP Address: 203.94.232.5Add Your Review
for the CONFIDENCE 5
08th August, 2002.DYNAUDIO CONFIDENCE 5 LOUDSPEAKER
Serial Number :- 729879 & 729880.
Date of Purchase :- 05th May, 1999. [70 % Advance Paid]
Date of Delivery :- 06th June, 2001. [YES ! THE DATES ARE CORRECT, IT IS NOT A TYPING ERROR. I SHALL EXPLAIN LATER]
Price Paid :- US $ 7,961/- + transport cost from Denmark to Mumbai [Bombay] 900/- + Customs Duty & Local Taxes [Indian] 2,500/-.
SUBLIME, SEDATE, ACCURATE, FATIGUE FREE, TRANSPARENT, WELL BUILT, FAST, DETAILED are some of the adjectives that come to my mind the instant Confidence 5 is mentioned.
One of the finest dynamic drivers have been used in the making of these lovely loudspeakers [I am tempted to call them ‘musical instruments’]; THE ESOTAR DOME MIDRANGE & ESOTAR DOME TWEETER. Of cause there is the Scanspeak ‘Revelator’ & the Focal ‘Titanium inverted dome Telar 57 pole-piece’, The Seas Magnesium etc., but none in my opinion can come close to, let alone perform better, than the ESOTAR. It is the closest one can get to any Electrostatic or Ribbon / Planner driver. Smoother than a 18 year old ‘The Macallan’.
The Confidence 5 is a ‘Time Alligned’, ‘Phase Coherent’, ‘Impedence Compensated’ ‘Isobarically Loaded’ floor standing loudspeaker. The speaker plays very ‘REAL’ Bass, although the ‘Anacoheic’ response says 43 Hzs. the
actual ‘in-room’ response is much lower and the speaker plays well below 30 cycles @ - 12 dB. Considering that the speaker is a compound enclosure [2 bass drivers, 1 behind the other] in a sealed box, the bass is really ‘fast’ and does not have any ‘boomy’ ‘hang-over’ characteristics. In fact this is the only ‘sealed box’ design loudspeaker in the Dynaudio stables.The speaker is rather in-sensitive @ 86 dB and hence requires a ‘high current’ very powerful amplifier to drive it. Mono Blocks are a preferred choice. The speaker has a 6dB per octave crossover topology and is therefore very placement critical, rather the ‘sweet spot’ is a very small area. Setting up the speaker right is very crucial and extensive exercise, not to mention time consuming and arduous. However when you get it right, then, it is in a different league by itself.
Any person with a budget of US $ 10,000/- for a speaker must audition the Confidence 5 prior to choosing any JM Lab Utopia, B & W 801N or 802N, Vanderstine Model 5, Aerial Acoustics Model 10 T, Dunlavy SC IV A, Theil’s etc.
I recommend the speaker with all my heart, I have spent many an hour listening to my favourite music through the Confidence 5 and I shall only replace them for the ROCKPORT TECHNOLOGY or WISDOM AUDIO M-75’s [which in my humble opinion are ‘exceptional’ ‘cutting edge’ ‘revolutionary’ loudspeakers]
The speaker has monitor like attributes, if it gets a CD with a poor recording it plays it ‘as it is’, no ‘cover ups’ here. It also needs top class electronics and complimenting cables. Please do not mis-interpret the ‘pedigree’ of this speaker.
With regards the delivery time, I paid an advance of 70 % of the value of the speaker to Dynaudio directly on the 05th of May, 1999 and the speaker was delivered to me only on the 6th of June, 2001. The speakers arrived into India [at Madras / Chennai] in December, 2000 & the Local Distributor / Dealer Ms. Intech gave the same to me only in the month of June, 2001. Hence all prospective clients of Dynaudio products, please, do not part with your money until you get the delivery of the speakers or else you shall have to face the same ordeal of making an advance payment of more than 70 % and having to wait for 26 months for your speakers to be delivered to you. Very sad, yet very true.............
To get away from the commercial and dark side of Audio...........
The Confidence 5's have finally come to light, they were very good and have provided me with 1 year of tremendous musical pleasure, yet over the past 1 month or so, they have 'shifted gear' [If I may say so !].
I had my electronics replaced with new electronics from Gryphon Audio Design. Now I know why Dynaudio advertises & distributes Gryphon products through its own web site ! The uplifment in the performance of these speakers have been stupendous. The accuracy of the timbre of instruments from a violin in a quartet to the discrete representation of all instruments in an orchestra is just too over whelming to describe in words. The speakers are speaking a new language. The 'size' of the instruments too is really 'life like'. Even Female Vocals; what can I say......One word of caution, if anyone is planning to buy a C-5 [I do not know if they are still under production] then, please do budget for the right quality of electronics to go with it [Pass Labs X-600, Krell FPB-350 or higher, ML 336 or higher]. It is only then the the speaker will reveal its true potential. This is ipmerative.
Testing and review carried out with :-
A] Equipment [I own and use]
Gryphon Adagio CD Player[Serial # 0401111]
Simaudio Moon Eclipse CD Player [Returned back]
Electrocompaniet EMC-1 CD Player [Serial Number 01334]
AUDIOMECA MEPHISTO II CD TRANSPORT [Serial Number 2001045]
AUDIOMECA ENKIANTUS 24/192 DAC [Serial Number 2001073]
Ultech Audio UCD-100 CD Player + Sonic Frontiers SFD II [DAC] Spare
Simaudio P-5 Pre Amplifier [Serial Number A-081291-PRE]
METRONOME T1A MK II TRANSPORT + UP SAMPLER
METRONOME C1A MK III TUBE 24/192 DAC
Bryston BP-25 Pre Amplifier [Serial Number 251744]
Pass Labs X-1 Pre Amplifier [Serial Number 010388]
THE GRYPHON SONATA ALLEGRO PRE AMPLIFIER [Serial # 8890099]
Bryston 7B ST Power Amplifier [Serial Number 773775 & 773793]
THE GRYPHON ANTILION STEREO SIGNATURE POWER AMPLIFIER [Serial # 118]
Dynaudio Confidence 5 Loudspeakers {729879 & 729990}
vdH [Van den Hul] ‘The Second’ Balanced XLR Interconnect
vdH [Van Den Hul] ‘The Revelation’ Speaker Cable
vdH [Van Den Hul] ‘The Mainstream Hybrid’ Power cable
THE GRYPHON GUIDELINE REFERENCE BALANCED INTERCONNECT
THE GRYPHON PSC REFERENCE SPEAKER CABLEB] Music
M.A. Recordings - Begona Olavide / Mudejar MA042A
Water Lily Acoustics - Tabula Rasa WLA-CS-44-CD
ECM Records – Making Music / Zakir Hussain ECM – 1349
Moment Records – Ustad Sultan Khan MRCD – 1006
Reference Recordings – TUTTI ! RR-906CD
Telarc – A tribute to Oscar Peterson CD – 83401
Chesky Records – The Raven/Rebecca Pidgeon JD 115
Mercury – Essential / Yello 512 390 – 2
Pope Music – Entangled Devotions PM 1004 -- 2
The Grapevine Label -- Mary Black – Best of…GRACD 012Mazher Bashir JAFFAR
08th August, 2002.
Mumbai [Bombay] INDIA
e-mail :- schwinn@bol.net.in
www.schwinnwarehousing.com
Product Weakness: Low Sensative @ 86dB [Needs crazy amplification]
Placement critical
Requires 'blue blooded' front end and electronics
Sitting position is very critical, ears to be at woofer heightProduct Strengths: Small Foot Print
Clean Mids & Highs
Tight Fast Bass
Build Quality
Associated Equipment for this Review: Amplifier: The Gryphon Antilion Stereo Signature [# 118] Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): The Gryphon Sonata Allegro Pre Amplifier [# 8890099] Sources (CDP/Turntable): The Gryphon Adagio CD Player [# 0401111] Speakers: Dynaudio Confidence 5 [C-5] {# 729879 & 729990} Cables/Interconnects: vdH & Gryphon [Details mentioned above] Music Used (Genre/Selections): Western & Indian Classical, Contemporary Vocal, etc. Room Size (LxWxH): 20 x 10 x 7 to 10 Room Comments/Treatments: All room walls are non parrellel, ceiling is curved & fully clad in American Red Oak real wood. Time Period/Length of Audition: 2 years Other (Power Conditioner etc.): 10KVA Servo Controlled Voltage Stabilizer + 10 KVA Ultra Isolation Transformer Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner Your System (if other than home audition): 7.1 set up with Paradigm [Main], B & W [Center] & Boston Acoustics [Rear] Speakers & Harmon Kardon AVR 7000 AVR Processor etc.
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Topic - REVIEW: Dynaudio CONFIDENCE 5 Speakers - BHAGWAN72 02:17:04 08/4/02 ( 0)
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