Dynaudio C4 - Anyone with first hand experience


I'm strongly considering making a speaker change and the Dynaudio C4 is one of the contenders.I've heard the older 3.0 and 3.3 Contours and enjoyed the Dyn sound.
My listening space has relatively low ceilings 7'3' in a room that's 18x23. I feel the limited vertical dispersion of the C4 may work well in the room.
One of my concerns is JA comments in the recent S'phile review of over emphasised base in his room .
Lastly, the electronics I currently have are Pass X-1/Pass X-250 and Valhalla throughout. Anyone have experience using these with the C4?
Thanks.
rcupka
I owned the 3.0's for about 3 years and am a big fan of Dynaudio speakers and their sound. I listened to the C4's at the dealer's showroom - well set up with superb electronics. They sounded really great - 3D soundstage to die for, great dynamics. Your Pass amp would drive them nicely, IMO.

They do have a lot of bass. My dealer suggested that it would make a difference if you were putting these in a room with a basement below or if it was on a slab floor. If it's a slab floor, the extra bass would quite possibly be desireable. If the room / floor reinforces the bass, it quite possibly would be too much.

I was a little dis-illusioned by the measurements in the S'phile review - it looked like elevated bass and highs. For effect, perhaps?

The limited vertical dispersion would work well in your room. I have an 8' ceiling in a 14x18 room with cement slab floor - I'd love to try a pair in here, but it'll have to wait for another day. -Kirk
Kirk,

Thanks for the input. I've had many speakers in the room including the Dunlavy SC-IV's, Aerial 10T's and the current tenant, the Maggie 3.6's.

It just so happens the room is a finished basement with a slab floor with carpeting. All the wall are double sheet rocked.

My experience with the other speakers is kind of funny in this room. The SC-4's were very weak in the bottom end, the 10T's produced too much bass no matter where I tried placing them and the Maggie's are just about right (a little thin)but I'm looking for deeper extention in the bottom end.

Bob
Bob, I've heard the C4 in a dealer showroom. The bass response has good extension but it is not overly warm, humped or tubby. I can't speak directly to your listening environment. I would arrange an in-home listening session before laying down the smack.

The other listening impressions of the other speakers you have noted are pretty typical.
Bob -

My local Dyn dealer told me that Dynaudio was dissatisfied with the C5's because of the way that they interact with the floor with respect to bass response. He told me that if I put a pair of C5's on a cement floor I'd find them thin sounding. He indicated that the new Confidence series, with their attention to vertical dispersion control, directly address this.

That seems to sync up with your experience with the Dunlavy's - probably floor and ceiling, since your ceiling is low.

I'm guessing that my local dealer would say that the C4 would work very well in your room, given it's size, the cement floors, and despite the low ceiling. He suggested that my 14x18 w/ slab floor and 8' ceiling might benefit from the added bass. Your room should be a good match.

Kirk
I heard the C4 at the Stereophile show last year. I wrote about in my show report on here. They are amazing sounding speakers. The soundstage is unbelievable. The bass is fast and tight. Its definitely one of the best speakers I ever heard.
Thanks everyone. I just found a new review at www.sounstage.com reviewing the C4 and there was the usual praise but the reviewer also noted a bass hump in the lower bass. His room if my memory is accurate was 15x22x8.

He further noted that regardless of room placement the hump was there and he had not experienced this with other speakers in his room.

Twilo: What size room did you hear them in?