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Mini Monitors - Dynaudio and JM Labs

After 11 years with my Thiel CS22 floorstanders, I’m ready to make a change and have decided to try out some mini monitors because of room size 15’x17’x7.5’ and the fact that I have a REL Stadium III to take care of the low end. I’ve narrowed my search down to two brands, Dynaudio and JM Labs. I’m looking at the Micro Utopia Be and either to the three Dynaudio models, Confidence C1, Special 25, or Contour 1.3SE.

I listen to pretty much all types of music but the majority being Jazz, Rock, and Alternative. One thing about the Thiel’s that I have always had a difficult time dealing with was that the listening position was extremely critical. The way that I have my speakers positioned, only one person at a time could truly enjoy the music from my Thiel’s. I’m hoping that I can improve my predicament with the speakers listed above as well as moving a step up in the quest for the absolute sound. I believe I have plenty of power to drive any of the speaker listed. A list of my associated equipment is listed “my system”.

Please, your recommendations or comments are welcome if you have compared or owned any speakers listed above.
islandflyfisher

Showing 3 responses by aktchi

aktchi
274 posts
 
Goatwuss: The phenomenon is called "superposition of waves" and is basic to all physics. Any college level text should have it.
aktchi
274 posts
 
Everybody: This question of whether or not we can hear very low frequencies (say 15 Hz) keeps confusing many people.

I hope I am giving away no secrets when I reveal that music is a complex superposition of many frequencies. :) To understand the basic physics involved, let's take a simple example, when there are just two frequencies present: 100 Hz, 15 Hz.

So you start with 100 Hz and that you can hear. Now, adding 15 Hz you might think that being inaudible it would make no difference to what you hear. However, the way physics of waves works, the mutual interaction (or superposition) of the two frequencies also produces 85 Hz and 115 Hz (difference and sum), and these extra frequencies are audible!

(In a somewhat different context, had the two frequencies been close to each other, the brain would perceive the difference as a "beat", which is why musicians are always tuning their instruments to one another's)

So, even if you cannot hear 15 Hz by itself, you can hear its interaction with other frequencies. The frequency is not audible, but its presence is. It is like "seeing" the air because you can see the leaves move. I hope that makes some sense.
aktchi
274 posts
 
Goatwuss: I missed your post in which you wrote: "Aktchi - We are not talking about low frequencies, we are talking about high frequencies above 25khz. I certainly agree with you about the low frequency point..."

Clearly, you missed the whole point. It had nothing to with low or high. It was that an inaudible frequency, in the presence of another frequency (which may or may not be audible), can produce audible effects.

Take your favorite 25 khz. If you had 25 khz and 15 khz present simultaneously, their combination will produce 10 khz and 40 khz, the former of which will be audible.

Heck, if yo uhad 25 khz and 35 khz present simultaneously, both inaudible, their combination will produce 10 khz and 60 khz, the former being audible.

These are trivial example, actual music contains much more complex superpositions.
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