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Review: Dynaudio Focus 220 Mk2 Speaker

Category: Speakers

Just wanted to post a quick review of my Dynaudio Focus 220 Mk2 Speakers.
I had purchased them based on consumer feedback,online reviews and dynaudio's reputation. I seriously cannot believe i spent 4000 for a product that i didn't audition ! I never did that b4. But Hifi shops are are very few and far between. Most of my local Hifi shops have gone out of business, so i had no choice.

Anyway, so I hook up the speakers to my NAD 375bee integrated and i enjoy the sound ! After 30 hours the mids start fading away and become fatiguing ! I had no idea what was going on. I was really upset and made few phone calls to Dynaudio USA. Mick had told me that Dynaudios need alot of break in time.
I was skeptical, since speaker break in is a controversial topic. After every 60 hours of breakin play, i auditioned the speakers with no improvement at all !
I was ready to give up and sell them quickly! Im glad i waited, because at the 260 hour make they started sounding AMAZING! This speaker really does need break in and they are super stubborn about this. There is no way of getting around this. I feel that Dynaudio should put a large warning on the speakers that say " Warning ! Speakers sound like shitt until they have at least 260 hours on them ! The voice that were harsh and forward sounding ,was now natural and very accurate and warm!

Just to describe them, they seem perfect. Amazing Highs , mids and all the BASS you can ask for. Very neutral sounding and they can fill a large room easily. Truly one the best speakers i have ever heard. The NAD seems to drive them very well with a natural smooth sound that sounds good at both very low and high volumes. The NAD amp will only sound good when its on for at least 2 hours! Many people who audition amps sometimes neglect this fact. An amp must be hot to the touch and fully warmed up to sound its best.

I also got improved sound with better interconnects from CD and DAC to NAD amp. This is a very noticeable improvement. I also got HUGE boost in sound quality going from AQ x2 speaker wire to type 4 ! Wow! Amazing!~

My next upgrade are Pre-Amp jumpers. Have KIng Cobras on the way!

Will post my results!

Associated gear
NAD 373bee, Yamaha A-S2000, Audioquest Type 4 Speaker Cables, NAD 565bee CD player
mmm208
5 responses Add your response
obsessed's avatar
obsessed
3 posts
 
Personally, I often wonder why we spend big $$$ on components - CDP, amp, preamp, speakers, etc., and we never recognize that the improvement in listening experience we find is directly related to the high quality of the circuitry and signal path of those components. Yet, after spending major bucks on those components, we naively connect one to the other with crap interconnects, speaker cables and power cables.

Think about it . . . I buy a $2500 CD player for the way it reproduces the source signal. I connect it to down-the-line components for which I've probably spent way more bucks, for the way they conduct the signal. But I spend $100 bucks to get the signal from one outstanding piece of gear to the other, and then wonder why I'm not getting what I want.

I'm a firm believer that connectivity is the secret to the truly exceptional sounding setup. Put a $X,000.00 signal through a $100 dollar interconnect or speaker cable and all you have is $100 dollar sound.

Don't short-change the value of high quality interconnects and speaker cables, and the value that they actually bring to the joy we share.
jaxwired
232 posts
 
Congrats on an amazing speaker! Love Dynaudio. I've owned the Excites, Contours, and now Special 25s. They are simply the best. I'll be a C2 owner eventually, just waiting for relatives to die, lol. I also think the NAD 375bee is one hell of a good amp for the money. I used to own the 165/275 separates which are basically the same thing and that setup was just plain wonderful. And will provide tons of dynamic power for your dyns.
sparks81
19 posts
 
Welcome to the club! I started with Contour S3.4s and moved on to C2s. It took close to approx. 300 hrs for mine to break in. Like everyone says, the rewards are at the end of that tunnel of 250-300 hrs.

Well done and happy listening.
xti16
1,525 posts
 
Yes Dyn's have an extremely hard and long break in but as you found stick it out and you will be rewarded. I'm on my 3rd pair of C1's (I wasn't happy with the finish on my first pair and Dynaudio replaced them). I have the Signatures now. 350 hrs seem to be when the magic number for them.

Congrat's and enjoy them
gpowered
153 posts
 
What you are describing with Dynaudio is 100% true.

I have owned:
Dynaudio Focus 220 II (briefly, a short stint and traded for C1's)
Dynaudio C1's
Dynaudio Audience 70, 42
Home auditioned Focus 140's

Indeed, they need time to break in! I can remem C1's needed 200+ hours. Happy listening! ;)
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