Focal vs dynaudio

Hey everybody look.....Kenjit's back!

Where ya been, buddy?

I owned Dynaudio Sapphires for five years and really enjoyed them but when I heard their newer stuff the last 5-10 years it sounded punchy and a bit in your face.

Of course Focals (at least for my own ears) would be twenty minute session speakers...too high pitched a sound for most of their products in my book, too much fatigue, too early.

I'd keep the 1028s and keep listening and researching. Like someone said, moving to 1038 may not change that much overall. Better hear the Dyns before plunking down cash.  Good luck; always fun shopping for new gear!

Daros...Did you actually read the entire thread you pasted ..where the poster after the speakers got some hours on them and more  broken in he said they were great..Dyaudio even though a mainstream name makes very good speaers..yea we all have read your numerous bashing post on the brand..dude you bought tekton to replace them lol..so enough said about credibility 

It depends on the kind of music you like, if you wanna listen to calm and lovely music go to dynaudio without any hesitation, if you like loud noisy focal would meet your goal.

enjoy both and decide.

Recently heard a pair of the Dyno 20i monitors which are new to the line.  I was never a dyno fan but these have a great sound.

I snagged one of the first pair of black Focal Sopra No2's that arrived stateside, after listening to a number of other speakers, including the then Dynaudio Confidence D4 model, which I thought were excellent.

I am driving my Sopra's with an amp that is "smooth" sounding.  I've heard the Sopra's driven by amps which tend to sound a little shrill and the result was not at all pleasing.

I might recommend that you consider a pre-owned pair of Sopra No2's, instead of the 1038's.  I find the Sopra's sound really good at all volume levels, are just as impressive playing natural sounds (classical, acoustic jazz, bluegrass, etc.) as they are cranking out rock and roll.

Don't.

I am a Dynaudio fan, but Focals are more enjoyable. I will throw a wrench and say you should audition the Totem Sky Floorstander as well.

In my experience Focal has a faster but leaner, dryer sound than Dynaudio.  I heard the 60i at my local dealer recently and was impressed.  
Very coherent, even tonal balance.  I am curious if anyone has compared it to the discontinued Confidence 4 with the older tweeter model, which is now less expensive here used than the 60i retail price.

Here you can find a few other people which had exactly the same experience i had with the Contour 60. Good luck
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/okay-how-important-is-speaker-break-in-dynaudio-contour-60i

op

not ford vs chevy -- more like citroen vs volvo :)

more seriously, listen to scott at verdant - his advice is solid

focal is warm mids but with plenty high end energy, dynaudio more neutral, bit cooler presentation, also with clear extended treble

need strong and lovely sounding amplification (expensive) to get the best from these speakers

Dynaudio remains an exceptional company, in many ways more innovative than before. While I dont presently own any Dynaudios I have in the past owned C1 plats and its been my pleasure to hear wonderful things across their product line. If you havent heard the new Dynaudio Heritage Special, and by your comments I must assume you havent, you owe it to yourself. Maybe the best 2 way monitor Ive ever heard and Ive owned about every Harbeth, Duette 1’s and 2’s etc.

”What i can tell you is that the good reputation Dynaudio has is for the products before 2014. In 2014 the company changed ownership and probably a new philosophy is ruling the product line now. I know some of their old product like contour 1.3 mkII, contour 3.3, Confidence 5, Confidence C4, and all of them are great speakers, with a clear idea about timbre and spatiality. The new speaker lines have absolutely nothing to do with the old series on which the reputation of Dynaudio relies.”

What i can tell you is that the good reputation Dynaudio has is for the products before 2014. In 2014 the company changed ownership and probably a new philosophy is ruling the product line now. I know some of their old product like contour 1.3 mkII, contour 3.3, Confidence 5, Confidence C4, and all of them are great speakers, with a clear idea about timbre and spatiality. The new speaker lines have absolutely nothing to do with the old series on which the reputation of Dynaudio relies.

I had Focal 1038be before. Definitely not my cup of tea when I paired them with my Ayon tube amp. They sounded a bit better with my Ayre v1 amp but the midrange still sounded thin compared to my Dynaudio c4. I know it’s not a fair comparison. The high was more prominent on the be1038 though. You’ll need to hear the Dynaudio in person to decide whether Dynaudio sound is for you.

I replaced the Dynaudio Contour 60 with the Focal Sopra 2. Gave up a higher level of technical performance and analytical sound for a much greater level of musical performance and pure pleasure (yes, I already know that the analytical purists and I don't agree on the meaning of the word musical).
For me, it came down to the listening to the sound vs. listening to the music issue.

The Focals are great speakers but warm is not a word I would use to describe them.  The M33 is a great amp and the feature set is insanely good but it is neutral, not warm.  What features in particular are you using?  The M12 does not have room correction for example.  

Dynaudio is definitely more neutral and is a bit harder to drive than the Focals.  I am not sure the M33 is going to be completely up to the task.  Focals are musical and energetic and match nicely with NAD which is neutral and not exciting.  Dynaudio is neutral and I like it better with a more musical and exciting amp.  They will shine like the sun with an amp like Sugden.  You may find that some of the excitement you get from the Focals is gone with an NAD/Dyn combo.  

I know it is in a different price range, but the Naim NAC-N 272 and a Naim NAP 250 would be the best possible solution IMO.  Super musical and tonally magical with Focal speakers.  If you traded in your M33, those items would be $8850 with cables.  Naim is a sister company to Focal and Naim and Focal go together like peanut butter and jelly.  I could even see if we could get you a replacement tweeter.  

For that price, a serious listening demo would be in order. 
  Audition each pair. Ask if anyone on here owns a pair of those. Bring cheese, or some food, and ask what they like to drink,...
scotch, or just some rc cola. 
I have bought speakers unheard before, some have been blah,...and some have been amazing!
 Dynaudio would be a unheard buy, but when getting into that much coin, I would want a definite answer to the highs of each speaker!
    I am very finicky when it comes to highs that make me nervous feeling, or grit my teeth, or feel anxious. 
 Good luck on your search. 
 

I bought the Contour 60 after owning for one year the old Contour 3.3 (very good speaker) hoping in a improvement. Worst buy of my life. Wrong timbre, messy soundstage, boomy, boring. I don’t know your focals but i would not go for the Dynaudio. The "i" will not make the difference. Go to a dealer and choose.

to kenjt;s ears:)))

 I know this seems obvious but what I mean is that they are tuned quite differently from each other

And whose ears have they been tuned to? The designers or the owners? Answer that.

The 1028 with subs will be better than the 1038 without. You will end up using the subs even on the 1038. I have heard both and tried the 1000be? (Monitor model) with a fathom 13. I would not swop the 1028 be for the 1038 if I already owned the 1028. Unless you have a home theater combo setup and would move the 1028 to the back which would be amazing.
I can’t help with the Dynaudio.

If you want to avoid going on a merry go round of speakers, here's my suggestion:

Keep your speakers

Get an amp that has really good current drive.

Look at your room acoustics as the next big place to spend money.

Dynaudio has made a number of different ranges of speakers.  I know this seems obvious but what I mean is that they are tuned quite differently from each other. Using a neutral, U or W shape.  You really need to listen to them and either fall completely in love with them, or leave them alone. I would not immediately think of them as an upgrade, but a lateral change.

The Focal 1038 is more demanding of an amp than the 1028, and the 1028 is demanding. You'll get more bass by better room acoustics and be happier with the results.

Dynaudio rocks.

 You need a more powerful amp.