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Special Forty?

So, I am an unabashed fan of Dynaudio.  I recently purchased a pair of Special Forty's with the stand 20.  At first, I thought...wow...did I make a mistake?  I added more sand to the stands, I changed their position several (read hundreds) of times, and even "tried" to rearrange the furniture.  All with the same outcome.  The sweet spot was miniscule.  It was there, but boy was it hard to find.  Then, I did something smart.  I moved them to an appropriate sized room.  And I again thought...wow.  but this time, in a completely opposite and positive way.  Oh my gosh.  These speakers (when placed in the appropriate room) are an amazing addition.  I absolutely love the sound they produce and the imaging is wonderful.  Rooms matter.  Room treatments matter.  And these Dynaudios will be staying right where they are.  My favorite new spot.

fmiller37

Showing 1 response by rossb

rossb
190 posts
 

I was curious about the Heritage Special, at least partly because I liked the look. Considered buying a used pair, but I noticed what seemed like an unusually large number of pairs for sale, suggesting that people were trying and being disappointed. ... Was the Heritage Special a sonic “miss?”  

Yes, it was a "miss", at least in my opinion.

Let me add the disclaimer that I have owned probably 5 pairs of Dynaudios and I hated every one of them (yes, I know, the definition of insanity), so I am definitely not a fan of the house sound. These included the Special 40, the Contour 1.3SE, the C1 and the Heritage Specials.

The Heritage Specials did have some good qualities.When adequately powered - at least 150 watts was preferable - they could go very loud without distortion. They imaged extremely well, to the far corners of the room.

But they were just strangely unmusical and unengaging. Whenever I played music on them I wanted to stop very quickly. Without knowing quite why, I came to avoid listening to the stereo. When I realised what was happening, I sold them and have ended up with some Rogers LS5/9s which I find much more enjoyable to listen to, even if they give up a bit of the hifi artifacts by comparison.

But this is of course a personal preference, and you may love them. So a lengthy audition is definitely recommended before buying.

 

 

 

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