anybody upgrade from Dynaudio Special 40 to Heritage Special?

Listen to the ATC 19s. $3,300.

on my shorlist for the future

Keep the 40’s IMO the heritage are not worth the price to upgrade. I traded my 40’s for the heritage and I am thinking of selling and buying another pair of 40’s. I am using a passlabs 250, so it’s not an amp issue. I will say, the heritage is more transparent than the 40. In my room the 40 has a much puncher and impactful bass, that I miss. The Heritage is also ruthless to the source. Besides the Transparency the heritage has a much large soundstage then 40. 

`Mark On HiFi` is a youtuber who has spent a lot of time with three Dynaudios, the C1, Heritage Special, and the Special 40. He has videos comparing them. The C1 were were long term speakers, he tried the 40s, and ended up Heritage Special.

I enjoy his take and it’s an enjoyable watch for me:

Heritage Special vs C1: https://youtu.be/nQWMHUGDqEI

Dynaudio C1 vs Special 40: https://youtu.be/y7SIjixTsMA

Deciding on the Heritage Special: https://youtu.be/ZV56xgUqIhA

soundstage is enormous on the HS...if you find that lacking in your 40s, it could be worth the upgrade on this factor alone.

Note: I think the market may have softened a bit on the HS, meaning if you can find one it may not come at the same premium as it did 9-12 months ago.  

Just sold my HERITAGE and downgraded?, back to the special 40’s. The Heriatage were too much for my room. they sounded very forward to the point they were hard to listen to.I’m not saying they are bad speakers. They just did not work in my environment. Special 40’s work much better in my room and I can listen all day long. So, I would say if you like the sound of the 40’s and you are in a small space, I would not recommend the Heritage to upgrade.

I have heard both and own the confidence 20s...IMO the Heritage is a much more refined speaker and definitely worth the investment, a no brainer.

selling my HS, find em listed on Canuckaudiomart  if you want a pair that will cost you less than US used prices

different sound profile so fail on wanting a "better special 40"

the HS are amazing speakers

the 40's are better with non audiophile music, at least as far as energy and speed

i suspect audiophile types would prefer the HS 

at their price point, along side their fit and finish, 40's are a steal

neither are dynamic enough for me at higher volumes, compression, congestion, and massive fail on instrument separation

my pick if they were the same price point would be a toss up but at half price, definetley the 40s (actually used prices in my neck of the woods put the 40's closer to one third the price)

both have large sound stages with the HS projecting about as much as possible for a standmount, class leading

both bettered my last in home comparison of Harbeth 30.2XD and Super HL5plus XD

I just saw your ad pics from Canuck, it looks like a corner placement for one side and open to the other which makes it tough to get great sound and balanced imaging. I can't think of a speaker that wouldn't experience compression, congestion etc. at high volumes without serious room correction. Maybe a pro audio nearfield monitor is what you need. Or try open baffle which radiate less to the sides. Good luck with the sale.    

thanks, that's not my main listening area, rather where I keep gear for audition to prospective buyers as its easily accessible

to clarify, the limitations of the heritage also apply to the special 40s and all similar sized passive direct radiating speakers imo

good suggestion on the pro audio monitors, these solve alot of issues and the best ones handle dynamics in a way most home audio gear can't

big multiple drivers and big cabinets solve alot of problems particularly relative to the sound im seeking, i..e towers notwithstanding their own issues

I will likely need to move to larger towers however I've very much come to appreciate the logistical ease of monitors, i.e. setting up, moving, selling, shipping....etc....and my back is the worst for lifting / moving

the heritage remains an amazing speaker at mid volumes, world class imo minus the bass

very happy that I have in my special 40s an inexpensive mainstay option and something that will always be here to serve as backup and even main duties as I try out further speakers , never had a 'back up' that I have enjoyed so much and wanted to keep forever

You might want to check out Revival Audio and their Atalante 3 monitors. The owner/designer is Daniel Emonts who was lead engineer at Dynaudio for about 7 years and he did the Special 40 and Heritage series along with the Evoke, Countour 2016, Confidence 2019 and others as well as driver designs.

His Atalante line is designed and built in France, including his own drivers, unique to his brand only. I have the Atalante 3 and they give up practically nothing to my JBL 4319 with their 12" woofer (the Atalante 3 has a 7" mid-woofer). The best thing is the price: $2500. If you can find a pair to audition, it might be worth it for you.

All the best,
Nonoise

I have a pair of Dynaudio Heritage Specials. Great speakers but I’ve replaced them in my main listening room. The HS speakers require a lot of power. I think they should be driven with an amp or no less than 150 watts to sound their best). 

I picked up the Buchardt s400 mkii speakers which I sort of prefer for regular listening sessions. 

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