Slowrey, that's very interesting.
I actually bought the last new pair of C5 in birds eye maple from Dynaudio NA, before that I bought another brand new pair from Europe so both were "late model". I had a long chat with Dynaudio NA marketing guy, he taught me a few good and not so good things about Esotar.
Esotar 2 is not a direct replacement for Esotar. It has a new rear chamber design so it does extend higher but does not go as low either. Therefore you will need crossover mod and Esotar 2 doesn't come in large "faceplate" like Esotar any more. If Dynaudio told you your C5 has Esotar 2 and it's a credible source, I would not doubt it. It's difficult to remove drivers from C5 since they are glued on the cabinet, otherwise you can remove them and inspect the model printed on the back.
Either way, it's a fine speaker and lots of happy owners will continue to enjoy them. For me, I love my Aerial 20T much more than anything else I have owned, I am also ready to buy another Usher with diamond tweeter for my 2nd home. Usher BE or DMD, both are world class and a huge step up from conventional silk dome. |
On the C5's: I agree with most of Semi's comments however there are 2 different versions of the C5's. The second iteration improved the efficiency a small bit. (86db/1watt/1meter vs. 83). They still need lots of current though. My version had the tweeters replaced to the current Esotar 2 by Dynaudio USA which increases both the focus and extension of the highs.
If I had to sight a weakness- it is the macro dynamics but the strengths more than make up for this IMO. |
Heard WB a few times, never owned them so I won't comment on their sound.
Owned several pairs of C5 in the past, bought/sold with other speakers in between. Thought I could not do better so kept going back to C5, but at the end I did give up on them.
They have a very nice and sweet tone, midrange and up is really special, so is the bass definition. But it does have drawbacks. Despite its low efficiency, it has pretty good micro dynamic, but lacks macro dynamic. Also, midrange focus is average,instruments always sounds bigger than reality and somewhat diffused. Top end is too sweet in today's standard, lacks extension and transparency when compares to newer SOTA tweeters.
In a small room, that's what C5 is designed for, it can sound very good if you don't mind the imaging and extension drawbacks.
Technology has advanced quite a bit in the past 20 years, you can do better than C5. |
The confidence 5 in room response is 33Hz and rolls off from there. In most rooms this is about as much clean bass you would need, and the key wood here is clean bass with definition. |
Sounds_real...
i agree. but i usually just stick to telling people that for my tastes, i don't mind not hearing the lowest octave.
the reason why i take that route (of explanation) is because i know so many people love that "muddy" sound.
; ) |
Ajazi
The deep bass that all but a few of the most expensive speakers produce is really just junk. Slow, with doubling and lots of cabinet resonance, muddy and it often smears the most important part of the music, the midrange. In addition you end up placing those speakers, not for the best sound staging but just to attenuate the bass so it doesn't overwhelm. Sound familiar anyone? |
agree with multiple comments here...
i own the curren model ACT's (full disclosure).
and yes, they don't reproduce the lowest octave. and for many, that's a deal breaker. but for me, i don't mind the lack of deep bass for my listening tastes.
and yes, the ACT's despite their sensitivity level, play very well with a variety of amplification types and power levels. i've used the Creek Destiny Integrated, the Audionet SAM V2, Parasound Halo A21, Synthesis The Theatre EL-34 mono blocks.
the flexibility in amplification is what makes the WB line of speakers great. you can try out so many things and change the sound whenever you want to based on your tastes.
a speaker that can play very well with both solid state and tube is a great thing (for those of us who like both of course).
my dealer used to pair his WB Chimera's (top of the line) with Manley 300B mono blocks.
either way, it sounds great. |
First a disclaimer. I am a dealer for Wilson benesch. We took our A.C.T.s to the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest this weekend. I am sure there will be a few posts on agon pretty soon, though not all on the A.C.T.'s because we also brought the Wilson benesch Curves. We had a listener come in to our room who owns a pair of the A.C.T. 1's. I think he was mightily impressed by the sound. We paired the A.C.T.s with the deHavilland GM070's single ended amps with 50 watts. I think he was concerned that they wouldn't be powerful enough to drive his speakers but we put on the Hugh Masekela CD called Hope. Kind of an audiophile shock and awe CD. Played very loudly. The nice thing about the Wilson benesch speaker is they use a very simple crossover that doesn't suck the life out of the music, and allows you to use lower output amplifiers.
I have his contact information so I will ask him if he would post some comments here. |
Thank you Ajahu.
Any comments on driving the C5s with the DM100 or Antileon(no signature)? |
Probably the best solid state match to WB is gryphon. Altough I am not familiar with DM100, but the warmer sound of gryphons are complementing well the rather cool sound of WB. Still, I think WB is an overhyped loudspeaker. It is a typical modern nice and room friendly speaker, with nice imaging and fairly detailed sound. It is designed not to be sharp at top, so your ears wont be bleeding. That is nice, and makes it very musical. None the less, rolled off highs also means that they lack somehow transient attack. Nice if you like romanticised music, but not when you are want to heat violins biting. But this is a smaller problem, and even you may like it. Its biggest shortcoming is that its small woofers unable provide bass foundation and body for music. Ultimately, they are disappointment because of this. WBs are expensive compared to their flaws. |
Power,should not be a problem with my Gryphon DM100,even considering the 17m2 of room size. |
I agree..Although the Confidence C5 has a cult following they are extremely difficult to drive.Ive never owned them but have listen to them a few times,nothing I would buy..If limited to your short list I would go for the WB,a better balanced speaker |
no experience with WB.
Dynaudio Confidence 5 is very nice but
1. they need a VERY powerful amplifier
2. bass roll off is a bit severe at around 40hz and this roll off is very audible.
Otherwise, if bass frequencies below 40 are nothing you're concerned about and you have a big solid state amp that provide at least clean, free breathing 200w/ch, they are beautiful sounding speakers. |
