Thanks everyone. It'n not that I was not aware of break in as a concept and need, I am just not experienced with how significant it is. My instincts align with millercarbon; I expect break-in to improve the sound, but not reinvent it. These speakers simply do not sound as good in at least the mid-range.
Okay, How Important Is Speaker Break In? (Dynaudio Contour 60i)
I have been running 25+ year old B&W Matrix 803 S2 speakers in my 2-channel system for about 15 years, and I finally treated myself to new speakers. Mock me for buying based on research alone, but I got a really good deal and just unpacked my beautiful Dynaudio Contour 60i's. The Dyn's are not broken in, just starting to play around with different songs, but I am expecting an improvement out of the box, and not getting it. They are no more revealing, and slightly harder and more jangley in the mids and highs. The bass is of course much better with the big Dyns, but the B&Ws with the Dyn Sub6 subwoofer I was running were better. I have very good equipment so it is not a matter of driving bigger speakers (ARC Ref preamp and Bryston 7bSST2 monoblocks). Unless speakers get A LOT better with break in, I thinking these Dyns may be converted back into cash. Thoughts? Thanks.
Showing 12 responses by mathiasmingus
Thanks for all the feedback guys. The good thing - interesting story - is that I got them for a song due to a series of retailer and OEM errors, so I could easily sell them in the used market for what I paid. I can wait a bit to let articdeth's experience play out, and I have kept the old speakers - I will be setting up both in the room (like an audio demo room!) for better A/B testing. |
Yeah, I sort of ignored the fact that a lot of people have been talking about room...and there could be something there. Some of the sound issue I would call ringing, which (to my untrained thinking) seems consistent with a room issue. Not sure what to do with that; this is not a dedicated audio room, so I can't move them much or start adding foam to the walls. And the fact that the B&Ws were running in the same place without this issue seems important; whether or not my room is optimal, the old speakers did not ring. I may finally be getting "what type of music you listen to" with speakers. I EXPECT exquisite refinement on vocals and strings when I want it, but most of my listening is rock/metal. With a high quality heavy recording (e.g., Metallica black album) the Dyns sound incredibly good. WIth more delicate fare, they seems a little ragged and ringy in the mids. |
Thanks Charyo. Indeed the B&W's (to whom I have sincerely apologized for being momentarily attracted by the tall, brown-skinned younger model) may be restored to their prior home, and nice thought on how good my cables could be for a fraction of the cost of new speakers. My weekend project now is going to be building some low-rise wheeled platforms so I can throw speaker options and placement around a bit more freely in the space. |
Thanks again for all the input. I have some tinnitus in my ears, and it is triggered by harsh sounds or a poor recording, and is muted when listening to nice hifi audio. The 60i's are maybe 8 or 10 hours into break in now and the tinnitus fires strong as soon as I enter the room. They are definitely more harsh in the mids than the Bowers. My wife noticed it too; when she first came into the room in which they were playing, she commented on distortion (she is not an audiophile, but noticed a degradation from the old speakers). Unfortunately, the advice from this group seems pretty mixed - plenty of indication that I will see real improvement over time, plenty of indications that first reactions are probably not going to change that much. Oh well, on with the journey...continue to break in, make a decision at some point. To gosta, the 803's are an mid 90's speaker...not sure what they cost new, one post said $3000. I would expect $10K 2020 model from Dyn to be better, but that question is open..... Thanks again - appreciate this community |
jjss49, when you say system matching, are you still talking about room, or getting into the components? From what I have read, there should be no significant component issues, i.e., Big Dyns should like 600W Bryston solid state amps. Of course, every combination could yield differences, but this system should generally be harmonious. |
My ARC preamp made a big step up in soundstage from Bryston BD26. I imagine nice ARC amps would round out this system, but so many tubes....and a big price tag to get the effortless power of solid state. I wonder if there are SS amps that would adjust in the right direction...Halo JC1? The search for the next tweak goes on...... |
Okay, update......BREAK IN IS FOR REAL!!! - certaintly with these speakers. Contour 60i's are some very nice speakers. Detail is excellent, bass is excellent, soundstage is excellent, mid-range....is almost there. There are moments when I could say there is a touch of hardness or tinniness at appreciable volume, but increasingly fewer and more muted. These are calming down nicely, and becoming commanding and enjoyable. Can't say enough about the bass. In Eric Clapton MTV unplugged, Tears in Heaven, there is a very soft kickdrum beat that is quiet, yet crisp and visceral at the same time...very nice finesse on the bass. And I am only around 30 hours in. Thanks again for all your help. |
For glissando, no the B&Ws have not been serviced - thanks for the call out. I had no issue with the B&Ws, just wanted the indulgence of newer, better speakers. If I keep them, I may get them checked out. For jjss49, thanks. Based on my somewhat limited understanding of electronics, the Dyns are power hogs, so big SS amps are desired and what I have. Now, I have read some so-so reviews of this model (7bSST2), so that will be on my mind...though the system sounds pretty good now. To your point, I have a sense that with age I will move to quieter, more refined components, but for now, we are going with big and brash! For dwest, yeah brother, harsh was the word, but world of change now, and I still have a lot of breaking in to do. I am a Dyn convert. Enjoy yours! |
Coming back to this thread with my conclusions a couple months on if this is helpful for anyone. The Contour 60i’s have been sold and replaced with Harbeth 40.2, and the Bryston amps are still here but I also have an ARC Ref 150 in the house for amplification duty. I thought the Dyns had smoothed out, but it was only some tracks that sounded okay. Conclusions: Harbeth 40.2 are superior in the mids and highs. I never gave the Dyn’s full break in, but they were just never going to be as good. The Dyns have superior bass, tight and almost subwoofer like. My room does suck and it matters, exacerbating my issues with the Dyns. With the wrong track (particularly rock with high pitched electric guitar sounds) my system is still a little screachy....even with Harbeth + ARC tube amp + ARC tube preamp. I suspect vinyl would help (I am running all digital front end), but I’m not going to deal with tubes AND vinyl rituals. Unfortunately, it is not a dedicated audio room, and my wife will not allow me to put whatever I want on the walls and over the damned uncovered GLASS windows and door, so I need to figure a plan there. The Bryston SS amps (7BSST2) are not materially harder or more grainy than the ARC tube amp, and they are a bit more precise. But on whole the REF 150 sounds superior to me - bigger sound stage, bigger & more live, dense and real sound overall. I am likely a tube convert now...unless somebody wants to lend me their D’Agostinos! So that’s where I am. I am happy with the Harbeths and ARC 150 addition, and the system sounds quite good with many tracks. An REL subwoofer or two may be in the future to fill out the bottom end, and I need to figure how I can improve the room acoustics while keeping the peace at home. Thanks for all the help from you more experienced fellows! |
Coming back to this thread with my conclusions a couple months on if this is helpful for anyone. The Contour 60i’s have been sold and replaced with Harbeth 40.2, and the Bryston amps are still here but I also have an ARC Ref 150 in the house for amplification duty. I thought the Dyns had smoothed out, but it was just some tracks that sounded okay. My conclusions: Harbeth 40.2 are superior in the mids and highs. I never gave the Dyn’s full break in, but they were just never going to be as good. The Dyns have superior bass, tight and almost subwoofer like. My room does suck and it matters, exacerbating my issues with the Dyns. With the wrong track (particularly rock with high pitched electric guitar sounds) my system is a little screachy....even with Harbeth + ARC tube amp + ARC tube preamp. Unfortunately, it is not a dedicated audio room, and my wife will not allow me to put whatever I want on the walls and over the damned uncovered GLASS windows and door, so I need to figure a plan there. The Bryston SS amps (7BSST2) are not materially harder or more grainy than the ARC tube amp, and they are slightly more precise. But on whole the REF 150 sounds superior to me - bigger sound stage, bigger & more "live," dense and real sound overall. I am likely a tube convert now...unless somebody wants to lend me their D’Agostinos! So that’s where I am. I am happy with the Harbeths and ARC 150 addition, and the system sounds quite good with many tracks. (I am using all digital front end, and vinyl would probably help, but I am not going to deal with tubes AND vinyl!) An REL subwoofer or two may be in the future to fill out the bottom end, and I need to figure how I can improve the room and keep the peace at home. Thanks for all the help from you more experienced fellows! Repo |