New Dynaudio Heritage Special..?..!

I had the original Totem 1 for 20 years and these are the Totem 1’s times 10.

 

I tried the Totem Model 1 in my system for a brief period many years ago and thought they are average, not spectacular. It's a fun and bouncy type of sound but not very refined. There is a certain edginess in the midrange and treble.

Have a pair of HS driven by a CODA CSIB and the pairing is sublime. Cavernous soundstage depth if you pull the speakers out into the room. They do benefit from the CODAs current for dynamic bass impact. Absolute necessity to have them bolted to the Stand 20s IMHO. 

Glad this came up again.  I purchased the Heritage Specials and love them. I had the original Totem 1 for 20 years and these are the Totem 1’s times 10. Dynaudio hit it out of the park.  These are an absolute bargain.  Furthermore, I’m over listening to all the talk about needing enough power to drive these speakers.  Mine are just fine being driven by an ARC VSi75.  Mine came with Dynaudio stand 20.  If you don’t have a mansion sized room,  these are incredible.

@tom6897 hope all is well on your side!  I have been listening to the CODA with the Heritage Specials.  The comb is pretty stellar.  I find that there is a ton of bass and I'm having to play with the positioning of the HS relative to the back wall to properly dial in things.  But there is certainly enough power in the CODA integrated to play whatever you want in this pairing, and the HS provides an impressively wide soundstage.

 

@pdreher Hi there! We've touched base in the past over Plinius (among other things). Thanks for sharing that experience with Simaudio. FWIW, A class AB Plinius SA-201 powered my Contour 2.8's and Confidence 3's and sounded amazing - I had a series of tube pres, but ended up with a Klyne 7 series with phono. Full on class A was too hot to handle, so the other SA series amps couldn't live here. Plinius and Dynaudio are definitely a stellar pairing

@budburma It's been years ago, but prior to turning into a Harbeth lemming, I had Dynaudio C4's and tried Simaudio W6 mono blocks, thinking it would be a synergistic pairing.  I found the W6's to be a big disappointment and sold them within a week of buying them.   The best SS amp I used with Dyn's was a Plinius SA-102, heavily biased in class A.

Getting to this thread late. That somebody can compare these Heritage specials to the Confidence 3's is both great to hear and high praise! Having started with Contour 1.8's, then 2.8's - which had the Confidence Esotar tweeter - the sonic value of their upscale tweeter was so obvious. I picked up a pair of Confidence 3's and, ohmystarsandgarters!, the relaxed precision, imaging, detail and tonal density was gobsmacking. Loading them up with a lot of juice - current and power - using a Plinius SA201 let them sing at any volume. Never would have sold them except that a financial downturn made it necessary.

I've been rebuilding and swimming in the warm sea of tube powered more efficient speakers with Leben/Devore and now Tannoy, but have such inviting musical journey memories with the Danes that I'm now tempted back! I still have the stands I made for the Confidence 3's! Finding a good pair of them is challenging, but these Heritage are calling me!

The CODA amps have the current and pedigree - my memory of the Plinius and Threshold house sounds being familiar. I'm plotting a course to the Dynaudio's using Simaudio ( maybe a W5.3?) and Supratek (soft spot for octals/6sn7's especially).

Does anyone here have any experience pairing Dynaudio with Simaudio?

@tom6897 -- sounds good I'll let you know how the CODA integrated pairs with the HS speakers.  It's great to know you have been really happy with your CODA setup and that's it's been in place for so many years.  I'm hoping this will be an endgame piece for me :)

@samgupta101 sure! I would like to know what you think about the CODA. I have been enjoying my CODA system for the last five plus years. I hardly ever think about upgrading the CSX amp, it is that good, but still enjoy looking from time time.

those Luxman units really are eye candy :)

 

@tom6897, it's interesting you mention CODA...I should be getting a CODA integrated around March/April, if you're interested I can pass along my thoughts after hearing the combo. 

Looking great Beatlebum! The Heritage Specials look good. The Luxman L-509X looks good too. I have the Luxman L-590AXII with Marten Duke 2 and they both go very well together.

 

 

Sorry, no pictures of the Heritage Specials. 😁

Love my Heritage Specials! My newly aquired Luxman L-509x is a great sonic match with them.

 

My initial observation: DHSs are an "audiophile speaker" while the S40s are a "music lovers speaker".

Audiophiles don't love music???

@ianrmack Great to hear you are enjoying both. Years ago I owned two different pair of the Contour S 1.4. The HS and S40 have both been on my short list to be driven by CODA CSX and CODA pre. 

Look forward to your next update.😉

I am in the middle of doing a 60 day comparison of Dyn Heritage Specials with my Dyn Special 40s.I own both so not doing a dealer audition.

My initial observation: DHSs are an "audiophile speaker" while the S40s are a "music lovers speaker".

 

S40's replace Focus 140s in the kitchen/fam room driven by Cambridge CXA-81.

DHS in my basement office (9'x15') driven by: Belles Aria Sig/Denafrips Pontus II/Bluesound Node and Teddy Pardo LPs

Congrats @ianrmack! Loving my pair of these and I hope you do, too. 

Also, fwiw, from what I can tell our ol' pal Steve didn't actually sell his Heritage Specials. According to his most recent review, he's now got three systems he'll keep "forever", including the HS, the La Scala and his newest obsession, the Fleetwood Deville.

I have no idea what he'll be claiming next month, but I do know that my HS will be with me for a long, long time. 

 

@ianrmack - Congrats!  Do share your observations when they have settled in.

 

Joseph Audio Pulsar Graphene is 9K and Silverline SR17 Supreme is 7.5K,.

It's not as if the Heritage Special is in a price category of its own. 

I wasn't aware that affordability was a hallmark of this hobby!

Great news. I am a fan of mid sized monitors too. The Heritage Special should offer an improved and grown up sound from the S40 that you currently own. 

Enjoy ~

I'm the OP...😉

just took delivery of a pair of Heritage Specials.

nice surprise.

Not sure I'd recommend either upgrade path - if you love the S40s, why upgrade?  The HS is IMHO a better speaker, but a different sounding one.  Still a Dynaudio, but a more refined/laid-back vibe.  

I haven't heard the Benchmark, but it is a powerful amp. Thinks would probably improve by doing monos in a pair, but again, not sure what you are trying to improve?  If you love the sound of the S40s and the amp, I'd look at spending money on sources, power, acoustics before adding an amp or changing the speakers.

I've got special 40's and love love love them...hooked to a benchmark AHB2, great amp with just enough juice, though you know with Dyns you can alwasy feed them more...

 

Question - Should I get another AHB2 for bridged operation, or spend the money on upgrading the speakers to the Dyn Heritage?

 

Any opinions? Thank you!

 

JKT

Not to defend Huff but maybe he is just addicted to audio equipment and has a lot of time and effort in it and likes to try new things. He does say often that he wishes he didn't sell particular items and even mentioned purchasing the same item again. Just a thought 

@keithr How true. I peruse his writings from time to time because he is seemingly a nice guy AND, perhaps more importantly, his "review" history is actually more of a chronicle of what he is hearing as a normal hifi enthusiast as he moves up the equipment ladder. Just something to read to avoid the latest headlines on covid or Afghanistan or politics or other similar topics. LOL. I hope you are well and enjoying your new Fyne's.

Said years ago he’s not a reviewer and shouldn’t be considered one. Surprised people still read him.

Huff sold his Int25 and has an Int250 right now. In his latest klipsch review he is usingbthe preamp outs into a pair of XA60.8 monos. Imagine if he used a proper preamp.

This is no surprise at all. You would think that he would be embarrassed after a while, but again and again he makes these "best ever" proclamations and sells the gear a couple of months later. 
How can he think that anyone trusts his opinion?

riaa_award_collectors_on_facebook829 posts06-20-2021 5:04amNewsflash.....Mr Huff has listed his Dyn Heritage and is going back to Klipsch. You read it here

Missed this earlier. Really? I used to read about his enthusiasm with the Dynaudios, Pass Labs INT-25 and Luxman L-590AXII, saying that they are likely to stay in the system forever. The Luxman has gone, so now it’s the Dynaudio, next the Pass Labs?

I don't use them with a sub - not needed in my room.  I think they would integrate well with a good sub though.  I've heard both the S40 and HS.  The Heritage Specials are in a different league, although the S40 might appear to be a bit more fun at quick listen.

wjob
hey I just purchased the special 40s and have a Manley stingray tube amp and also purchased the Aurelic g1 DAC 

with that I have the kf92 sun from kef 

I have time left to return these and get the heritage special 

I may splurge but was wondering your thoughts of having them with a sub? 
Thanks ! 

earlflynn,
I actually agree with you on that. Whatever he rave reviews is the "best thing ever" until the next one comes along and it's better. 
He is the boy who cried wolf.

Huff is a schill and a drama queen. Bloviates till he is bored and moves on to a new flavor.

None of his reviews are to be taken to seriously. 

riaa,
Really not surprising. I'm sure that the Heritage is a really fine speaker, low distortion, very good imaging and impressive bandwidth for it's size, but I personally don't thing that that can make up for the lack of realistic dynamic contrasts that the Cornwalls have, being a horn speaker.
Once you experience that, small dynamic speakers just seem to be lacking. At least that's my experience. 

wait a  minute, I just researched,
 a  pair sold  the other day asking 6500, not sure final price, sold in 1 day..unreallll
for 5G's you can get a  AER, Feastrex, Voxativ
 For 7G's  you can get Fieldcoils. 

kenjit1,418 posts11-22-2020 9:27pm7k bucks for a wooden box. looks like a DIY job done in the garage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Typo error
700 not 7G's, 
For 700 not bad. But  I can do better for 700. alottt better.

Newsflash.....Mr Huff has listed his Dyn Heritage and is going back to Klipsch. You read it here first

Ghasley, well said. Good gear is surely capable of bringing us closer to the core of the music. I own the Marten Duke 2 but have not experienced the Dynaudio Heritage or Wilson Tunetots. All these high calibre gear especially the Tunetots surely look great.

At the meantime, I will continue to enjoy the hifi that I currently own, all newly assembled last year. The gear is not particularly high-end but it does deliver. My days of buying luxuries are over but great gear keeps appearing which is useful for people who are looking for an upgrade.

@ryder all valid and excellent points. I’m not quite sure how the Tunetots were measured (ports open or closed, free space or closer to a boundary). I did not expect much low frequency energy but they are quite satisfying by themselves.

The Heritage Specials are indeed special and I have also heard great things about the Martens although I have not experienced them in person. What a great time to enjoy audio, the gear is better than ever.

The Wilson Tunetots only go down to 65Hz but they cost $10,000 a pair. They must be very special high-end speakers.

At a price range up to $7,000, you may look at the Marten Oscar Duo other than Dynaudio Heritage. I own the Harbeth SHL5+ and listened to M30.2 at the dealers. I understand it’s all subjective but similarly I find the Marten to play at a higher league than the Harbeth. I’m not surprised that the Dynaudio Heritage is a more talented speaker than the Harbeth M30.2 as there is a 30.1 owner who just upgraded to the Heritage and found it to be superior to the Harbeth in many ways.

If not planning to use subs (usually a pair is recommended for music), I would suggest getting a speaker which is able to go down to about 40Hz @3dB. Both Dynaudio Heritage and Marten Oscar Duo are such candidates.

@maholl50 At a similar price range one might cross shop with the Harbeth 30.2 and priced above these two are Wilson Audio Tunetots. There are pros and cons and I have experience with each. No affiliation with any of the three companies.

The Heritage Special form factor is narrower, shorter and deeper while Harbeths are a visually larger speaker albeit more shallow for placement purposes. The Tunetots are taller than both, in between both on width and more shallow than either. Harbeths are front ported without alot of port energy concerns, the Dyns are rear ported and alot of energy exists at the ports although they come with port plugs. The Tunetots are uniqely slot ported in the rear and the port plug implementation is pretty advanced. The Tunetots sounds like two completely different speakers with/without the ports plugged but sound great in either configuration depending on placement forced on the user.

Harbeths are a little easier on a given amp to drive and slightly warmer but with the Dynaudios there is more there there in terms of detail. The Dyns feel faster, more agile. I personally believe the drivers in the Dyn are at another level entirely from the 30.2’s. The Tunetots are warmer than the Heritage Specials while being more complete sounding than the Harbeths. The Tunetots are more dynamic and amplifier friendly than both to my ears. The Dyanudios would probably require double the amp horsepower than the Tunetots to perform at a similar level.

The Dyns image and soundstaging is far superior and the bass is far stronger than the Harbeths but the Dyns take a little more work for setup. The Tunetots are not as placement fussy as the Dynaudios. Say what you will but the Harbeths kindof work wherever you place them, the Wilsons are nearly as simple to set up and the Dynaudios require still more. The Tunetots can be placed almost anywhere and have a whole extra performance level above the Dyns, which have the edge on the Harbeths. My feeling is that the Harbeth price increases and USA pricing is now beyond the value sweetspot whereas the Dynaudio Heritage Special is really, really great for the price asked. The Tunetots with their iso stands, etc really jump the price. If my room had no placement issues it would be hard to not consider Sabrinas vs Tunetots since the pricing gets pretty close.

I have two pair of Wilson Audio Tunetots and in the right room and the right ancillaries, they are objevtively far superior to both the Harbeths and the Dynaudios PROVIDED you are comfortable integrating a sub if your musical tastes lean that direction. The Dynaudios do not need a sub unless you are a heavy bass head. The Tunetots are a specialty product and they accomplished their design goal. They really can give a high end experience in a compromised room. I have one pair in my office and one pair in a TV room, in a bookshelf and they really shine. In my office they are drive by an Audio Note el34 tube amplifier and in my TV room the other pair of Tunetots are driven by a Boulder 866 (holy cow!!!! what an amp). The Harbeths in the exact same spot as the Tunetots never remotely satisfied.

Depends on what you are after but the capabilities of the Dynaudio Heritage Specials are levels beyond what the Harbeths can provide. The Tunetots on the other hand are levels above the Dyns except in the deeper bottom end. The unique port design of the Tunetots belie the bottom end specifications. In my rooms they dig alot deeper than I ever expected. At the pricepoint of these three monitor speakers I have mentioned, you really should seek them(and others) out and listen and arrange for a home demo with your gear. They are each at a pricepoint where floorstanding options are available for similar money so make sure you are after what these monitors do really well. The particular TV room to which I referred earlier has a serious bass suck in the exact position where floorstanders soundstaged the best. Since in our home we aren’t willing to live with the interior design downsides to treat the room to the extent required, we chose the Tunetots in their designed optimal positioning and then placed a small KEF KC62 sub optimally. We utilized a REL Airship wireless transmitter/receiver and it works wonderfully. No bass augmentation necessary in my office.

As I’ve said before (which is also not the norm in the Audiogon community), our hifi must live with us rather than the alternative. Good luck in your search. Peace.

I just acquired a preowned PASS INT-25 and am enjoying the Heresy IV’s that were previously  driven by a Luxman SQ-N150.

I know nothing about the Heritage Specials but at7K I’m wondering what other bookshelf speakers in the 5-7 K range might be an option or comparable. Any suggestions? And yes I like the IV’s. 

Sorry to hear that daros71

I have my HS pair in a small room, at one end of the long wall.  The left speaker is about 2' from the side wall, the right is basically open by comparison.  I have absorber panels for the early reflections from the left speaker. (Some additional base traps and other absorption/reflection - nothing too much.)  Imaging is fine - speakers disappear and good depth.  Sound extends beyond the speakers.  This is, of course, going to also depend on your upstream components - me, two ss monoblocks, tube hybrid preamp.

3 years ago i bought a pair of used contour 3.3 for 1200 euro. They sounded wonderful! Before i was used to listen to music with my Grado PS500 headphones. After getting the contour 3.3 i completely stopped to listen with the PS500. 
Then i sold the contour 3.3 and bought the new contour 60 confident to improve my listening experience. Wrong. My hifi system is turned off since many months and I'm back listening to music through  my Grados. I do not think dynaudio is anymore capable to produce high quality speakers. 

Most all speaker perform at there best has far as possible away from both front and side walls, my dynaudio S 25,s are 8.5 ft from the front and 6 ft from the sides leaving 7 ft apart in a 19x33x10.3 room.

I would imagine the heritage in my opinion is a modern day s25 would be best with lots of space as well.

Ghasley, great writeup. There are just so many luxuries in life. Can’t possibly listen or own them all and this new Dynaudio Heritage is one of them. From the reviews of people who have listened to them, I believe these are first-rate speakers that punch well above their price range (although few may regard these as overpriced). Despite few criticism of the seemingly plain wooden box, I actually like the way they look. Clean lines, real wood veneer, they actually look better than some high-gloss finish speakers with ostentatious or fancy looking shapes.

I actually favor standmounts for their minimalistic approach. Elegant looks and easy to carry or move around in comparison to large floorstanders. Also, equivalent floorstanders would usually cost a lot more than standmounts in the same category. The Achilles heel of standmounts is in bass reproduction but designs with 7" or larger main/bass drivers are usually quite decent, going down to 40Hz or lower.

Curious as to where other Heritage owners have their speakers set up dimensionally from the front wall and side walls?

Just received my pair of Heritage Specials yesterday. Currently hooked up to my Audio Note OTO Phono SE Signature (4 ohm taps). Initial impression is very good. Coming from fully updated Klipsch Chorus II's.

Not missing any dynamics at all. Bass is a touch less but better defined and more controlled. Treble extension is excellent. Midrange every bit as good as the CII's if not not smoother.

I'm loving the looks of these speakers.  But I'm wondering if I'm going to get any improvement in sound quality from my Thiel 2.4s.  Anyone have first hand experience with HS and Thiels?