Last week I had to opportunity to hear the Contour 60 and Contour 30 back to back on Hegel equipment. Unfortunately I can't comment on the Paradigm speakers, however I was really impressed with the Dynaudio sound. In fact I felt shameful for not giving them more respect prior. I tend to like presence and tone a lot. Truth be told I think the 30's sound better than the 60's. Still their house sound is very appealing. They have hit my radar for future consideration.
DynAudio Contour 60 vs Paradigm Persona 7F
Hi all,
I know there is a big difference in price and that the 7Fs are roughly twice the cost of the 60s. But the reason I’m asking is that there are two time sensitive deals I could consider and so far my auditioning has brought the Contour 60s and Persona 5Fs to the front of the line in terms of connecting me to the music, and not having the opportunity to audition the 7Fs in person I’m trusting they maintain everything I liked about the 5F with the addition of improved bass.
Room and System...
I have a 21 x 18 room with nine foot ceilings which opens up to the house. When my renovation is done the back wall will basically be gone meaning the room will effectively be 21 x 40 (as it will open into the kitchen and breakfast room with just a support-column in the way). The speakers will be on the long wall (21 foot wall) which got rid of boominess with my current full range speakers versus when the stereo was setup along the shorter 18 (and the configuration needs to stay this way with the equipment and speakers along the 21 foot wall). I've got a Hegel H30 amp which is connected by Ansuz Carbon XLR cable’s from a Hegel HD30 dac. I'll probably be upgrading speaker cable’s on the future once the new speakers settle in. No preamp yet (dac has volume control).
I can space the speakers 8-12 feet apart and up to 3-4 feet away from the front wall, and I can sit 10-12 feet back (without a major furniture re-arrange).
Listening...
I love rock and so the final speaker choice needs to be dynamic and play loud when asked with satisfying bass. I like to dance and listen when working around the house so good dispersion is important. Also when critical listening to singer/songwriter and jazz or vocalist music I’m an imaging freak and need holographic 3D soundstsging and natural sibilant free mids for female vocals. Also looking for airy highs to allow sounds to float in good recodings.
Despite their different price categories and different engineering philosophy, both these speakers hit those marks. Having auditioned in different environments with different gear, my take away is that the Dyns are authoritative but also musical and deliver warm mids with an astonishing level of micro resolution with no hint of brightness. The 5Fs I heard took the resolution even further and bass sounded more real... though the mids were less warm and the highs threatened to be bright if powered by forward sounding electronics (Attributes I’m assuming carry to the 7F). I worry that with gear that is neutral (Hegel) that the Personas might sound clinical or synthetic (an untested thought) though they really sang with the Meridian gear when I heard them. I should add I heard the Dyns with my Hegel gear so that’s a known synergy.
Since I can’t audition in my home prior to purchase, and given the time sensitive nature of the deals I’ve been offered (Dyn C 60 vs Persona 7F)... your input is appreciated. Do I get the Dyns now and maybe upgrade later if not fully satisfied? Given my gear and room (which I could sound treat if needed) should I beg my partner for mercy and get the 7Fs with the belief that they could be "speakers for life"? I’m 46 and would much rather spend coming years experimenting with cables and preamps having a steady pair of transparent speakers that are anchors in my evolving system. Or would the Dyns possibly do that at 1/2 the cost?
Help!
Dave :)
I know there is a big difference in price and that the 7Fs are roughly twice the cost of the 60s. But the reason I’m asking is that there are two time sensitive deals I could consider and so far my auditioning has brought the Contour 60s and Persona 5Fs to the front of the line in terms of connecting me to the music, and not having the opportunity to audition the 7Fs in person I’m trusting they maintain everything I liked about the 5F with the addition of improved bass.
Room and System...
I have a 21 x 18 room with nine foot ceilings which opens up to the house. When my renovation is done the back wall will basically be gone meaning the room will effectively be 21 x 40 (as it will open into the kitchen and breakfast room with just a support-column in the way). The speakers will be on the long wall (21 foot wall) which got rid of boominess with my current full range speakers versus when the stereo was setup along the shorter 18 (and the configuration needs to stay this way with the equipment and speakers along the 21 foot wall). I've got a Hegel H30 amp which is connected by Ansuz Carbon XLR cable’s from a Hegel HD30 dac. I'll probably be upgrading speaker cable’s on the future once the new speakers settle in. No preamp yet (dac has volume control).
I can space the speakers 8-12 feet apart and up to 3-4 feet away from the front wall, and I can sit 10-12 feet back (without a major furniture re-arrange).
Listening...
I love rock and so the final speaker choice needs to be dynamic and play loud when asked with satisfying bass. I like to dance and listen when working around the house so good dispersion is important. Also when critical listening to singer/songwriter and jazz or vocalist music I’m an imaging freak and need holographic 3D soundstsging and natural sibilant free mids for female vocals. Also looking for airy highs to allow sounds to float in good recodings.
Despite their different price categories and different engineering philosophy, both these speakers hit those marks. Having auditioned in different environments with different gear, my take away is that the Dyns are authoritative but also musical and deliver warm mids with an astonishing level of micro resolution with no hint of brightness. The 5Fs I heard took the resolution even further and bass sounded more real... though the mids were less warm and the highs threatened to be bright if powered by forward sounding electronics (Attributes I’m assuming carry to the 7F). I worry that with gear that is neutral (Hegel) that the Personas might sound clinical or synthetic (an untested thought) though they really sang with the Meridian gear when I heard them. I should add I heard the Dyns with my Hegel gear so that’s a known synergy.
Since I can’t audition in my home prior to purchase, and given the time sensitive nature of the deals I’ve been offered (Dyn C 60 vs Persona 7F)... your input is appreciated. Do I get the Dyns now and maybe upgrade later if not fully satisfied? Given my gear and room (which I could sound treat if needed) should I beg my partner for mercy and get the 7Fs with the belief that they could be "speakers for life"? I’m 46 and would much rather spend coming years experimenting with cables and preamps having a steady pair of transparent speakers that are anchors in my evolving system. Or would the Dyns possibly do that at 1/2 the cost?
Help!
Dave :)
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- 22 posts total
- 22 posts total