Where do you go after a Dynaudio C1 ?

I went from C1 to magico V2. Have not heard the Raidho, vapor or violin. If it is the magico or focal sound you seek, I don't think the sonus fabers will do it for you.

Don't get me wrong, I think the C1 is a great speaker. The V2 is just so much more resolving top to bottom. There is no bloat, no overhang of notes no bass port smearing the midrange. The C1 actually has more bass "slam" which caught me by surprise. It took me a while to get used to the sound of a sealed box and quite some time for the speakers to break in or come alive. I think that the C1 offers a lot for it's size and can be "hi fi" sounding or relaxed given the upstream components and it is certainly the more forgiving of the 2. C1 does sound terrible at low volume and I had some serious gear behind them. Crank them and they are certainly more of a party speaker than the magicos. I have heard the diablo side by side on the same electronics same day as the magico V3 and my simplified conclusion was that the diablo sounded like a cooler, more controlled C1 with hyper speed treble, the V3 changed my perspective on home stereo. Granted, at the time, I had little experience with speakers this expensive but to this day I wish I had room for the V3- especially at the used prices now!!! The only speaker I really have any interest (given my room contraints) in swapping the V2 for is the Q1 but I just cannot bring myself to drop that kind of dough for that little box. I don't know that I will ever go back to a ported enclosure. I try to keep an open mind and again, have little experience with the mega buck big speakers.

Your demo of the Rowland and the Diablo pretty much sums up my feeling for every rowland piece I have ever heard- soft and slow..... the diablo is not soft or slow.

I have heard the kiss and the music on the exact same electronics I own at a dealer- they sound "nice" and forgiving but I do not think they are of particularly high fidelity and certainly not on the magico/ focal side of the spectrum.

Hope that helps.

Noelpastor,

I think the C1's provide the illusion of more bass slam as they certainly do not go as low as the V2. The difference to me is texture and nuance over what is perceived as a dynamic explosion that can not be delineated. The V2 is all about control. Which is what I was referring to with the sealed box. Which also is a reason why I feel the magicos are so controversial. I had the C1's for about 18 months and I was looking for the Magicos to "jump out" at me but they just never will. The C1's ask the same driver to produce the lows and mids where the V2's have a dedicated mid (with an interesting crossover) and a dedicated low end driver. The C1's simply cannot compete with the delicate and refined midrange of the V2. The port also provides a hump in the low end which muddles up the midrange as well.

They take up about the same amount of floorspace. The V2 is considerably heavier and more difficult to move around but I actually think the C1 was more sensitive to placement as it seems to be more directional in regard to the tweeter than the magicos.

The C1 is a great speaker, you may even prefer it to the magico on a day to day basis as it is more forgiving and sweet sounding. However, the V2 is significantly truer to the source- it's also 2.5X the price......