not familiar with Dyna C4...what sonic attributes about the C4 do you like/are you looking for? type of music? size of room (do you need a full-range floorstander or will monitors do)?
25 responses Add your response
My favorites in this price range: Totem Forest (used) Revel F32 (used) Devore Gibbon 8 (used) Dynaudio Contour S3.4 (used) Usher Be 718 (used) If your taste runs towards a bit more laid back presentation: Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Baby Grand (used) For a unique presentation that some people find very musical, but very different from the C4: Vandersteen 2ce Signature II (new) I have heard the Contours with Simaudio gear and they sound very good. Others sound good with similar solid state gear. |
I recall the THIEL as being voiced closely to the Dynaudios. Jim, during the early years sourced or had made to his specs, drivers from them, as I recall. The Dynaudios are very flat. Maybe a little thin in the midbass, (or maybe I just like a little bump in the 60HZ region to 'sweeten the sound'. Taste is so critical in these decisions obviously. The Ariels I've heard place the soundstage at the face of the speaker and to the rear. I prefer a more forward (I call it halographic, some would say colored or incorrect), soundstage. Good luck in your search. Take your time--to me part of the fun is the chase. Best, Larry |
There are three pairs of Acoustic Zen Adagios for sale on the A-gon Classifieds in your price range. There is also a pair of PSB Synchrony One towers in the A-gon Classifieds for $2800/obo ($5K list). |
Excellent ideas. A few others. Used B and W 703s. They are now discontinued and that's too bad. They sound great and would, I gather, thrive off your amp. B and Ws 6 series line is now Made in China and frankly, in my view, was nothing special when they were UK made. Try the Paradigm Ref Studio 60, 80 or 100. There are lots of Paradigm dealers and it will be easy to spend some time listening. By the way, many stores in our spiffy economy, will let you demo already broken in stuff at home after taking a cancelable swipe of your credit card. Listening in your room on your equipment is the key. I'm a Triangle fetishist and they are certainly worth a listen if you can. On a personal note, I ended up with the Triangle Celius (now discontinued but widely available on this site) after spending time with the B and W 703s and the 683s and a lower priced Dali as well as the Gallo item with the alum arms. I thought the Celius and the 703s were the same in overall enjoyment (they were different but the fact the Triangles would do ok on tubes sealed the deal as that's a possible next step). Neither the Dali or the 683 were near that level and I disliked thev Gallos although I later found out that the pair was still somewhat green. Had I heard the Paradigm 100s, I would have likely picked them although they might be a bit less detailed than the Triangle Celius. Finallty, is there a Focal dealer near you? If so, they are also worth a listen. Excuse any typos etc as I wrote this from my PDA. |
Blazerfan, Are you in Portland? If so, some great stores in your area to demo speakers - Fred's carries Gallo, Paradigm, Thiel and Totem. Stereotypes also in Southeast is a nice store with knowledgeable and low pressure staff that carry a number of the products discussed above. Pearl carries Dynaudio, which I assume you've already heard. |
If you can find a clean pair, the Dynaudio 3.3's are actually quite good speakers, and they go for roughly $2,500-$3,000 used. They are also less forward than the C1/C2/C4, which is what many people find off putting about the sound of those models. Of course, this recommendation assumes that you like the Dynaudio house sound, which you must if you like the C4's. |
These have already been said but I will list them for you: Vandersteen 2CE MKII Magnepan 1.6 Gallo 3.1 Ref. I've owned all three of these speakers and would agree with the great press they have gotten. Also check-out Jim Salk's offerings. I've heard his speakers at RMAF a number of times and have always been impressed. He has a strong following over on AudioCircle. |
If your room is larger you want to move a lot of air otherwise you may feel disapointed. For the money you want to spend I would definitely look at Revel F50a (I've owned and they are great...father now uses them in a 25 x 18 room and they are room filling). Budget might dictate a look at F32 or F30 models...The F32 would give more fidelity than the F50 but still not match the SPL's you need to push for Rock or heavy musical passages. It really depends on your style. I own the Usher Be-718 previously mentioned and I would not recommend them in a large room. Also I would be skeptical of several of the other speakers in large rooms. Be careful! When in a large room fidelity of the speaker only matters so much if the speaker sounds lost in space. |
