From B&W 801D to Dynaudio evidence temptation?

Nice problem to have :)

I spent a few hours this week listening to B&Ws (803 and 804s not 801) at the local shop.  As a Dyn owner I found them much more forward than the Dyns I've heard (haven't been lucky enough to hear Temptations) and sharper in the highs.  I think for me the B&Ws would be fatiguing though I did enjoy the dynamics and overall sound. 

That said you are happy with the sound of the B&Ws.  If you can keep both for a while and compare to see what you like better I would think you could move the other pair easily enough as both are well regarded speakers and you mentioned the Dyns are at a reasonable price already.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the two speakers if you do get the Dyns and compare them.

If you Google "Dynaudio C4 review", an old Soundstage review directly compares Dynaudio to B&W. 
http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/dynaudio_confidence_c4.htm

I heard the dyns at the shop, liked the sound, but i have not yeat heard both side by side, i went ahead with the temptation, will proabably arrive in a month, cant wait..

Nice - hope you update us once you've had a chance to hear the Tempatations in your setup.

The issue is, the Temptations are so old, tech has improved a lot since then. I mean, they are still super high end but, the Esotar 2 is very old tech by now. I'd at least look around and listen to a pair of the new Contour 60s, they are pretty large and I was extremely impressed by the 20s.  I think the new mid woofer units may be a lot more revealing than their own flagships from the past. You might be surprised at how good these are.

About the issue of a 15 year old design, thats what im afraid to hear, that technoloy has caught up with time, i mean the sound quality of a temptation can now be attained on the level of a countour series?

I don't think the tech has changed nearly enough that a near top of the line speaker with the very best components is now outclassed by something 2 levels below it. (and if so then Dynaudio is taking a very strange approach to their speakers - trickle up I guess).

The Evidence line is generally considered among the best out there.  Temptation reviews had it competing favorably with the Master considering price point.

Contour uses the Esotar 2 and the only change Dynaudio has made to Esotar 2 is a precision coating that supposedly helps at lower volumes but isn't a radical change.  It's still considered one of the best dome tweeters in the world.  Even the new Esotar 40 used in the Special 40 is considered "different" by Dynaudio but not better (see their website video for reference).

I'm sure they've made incremental improvements and that the new Contours gain from it, but the Tempations use very expensive cabinets, crossovers (not to mention has more drivers) etc. that I doubt have been bested.  I haven't heard either, speaker but I'd be surprised if you end up disappointed with the Temptations.

Still waiting for it to arrive, the anticipation of its arrival is getting harder by the day...

I just got my Confidence C1 Platimums and I'm blown away at how great they sound.  I listened to some music that's very trebly and had 0 fatigue after several hours of listening.  With the B&Ws I was already sensing it after 10 minutes at the shop, so to my ears at least the Esotar 2 is the best tweeter I've ever heard.   I haven't been able to optimize my setup (waiting on stands and main preamp to get fixed so temporarily in my bedroom on cheap stands) and I can already say I like them better than the B&Ws, Vienna Accoustics, and Dali speakers I auditioned - all of which were full-range and top-of-the-line.  The imaging is amazing as well - the speakers just disappear.

Can't imagine how good Temptations would sound!  hope you get them soon.

Curious if you got your speakers and have had some time to listen?

I got to hear my speakers for 4 months, and compared to my B&W 801D. I think its a nice step up in terms of overall sound quality. What really surprised me is that the bass response of the temptation in my room is much better, tighter, more solid without boomines. While the B&W 801 D sounded a bit boomy and thick in comparison. So now i understand the importance of speaker/room synergy. In the mids and highs, the temptations are a bit brighter overall so speaker cable matching and ampkifier matching is very very important.