[Freo-1]

Been looking for a nice pair of floor standing speakers that both sound great and have good esthetics.  Came across a nice pair of
Dynaudio Focus 360 speakers at a very reasonable cost.   I've always been impressed with speakers that use Dynaudio drivers.

I have a 110 watt tube setup, along with a SS setup that will provide 1100 watts at nominal 4 ohm load of the speakers. 

I'll post some observations in a week or so once I get some time to listen.  Should be a fun learning experience. 


 




 

[TrungT]

Very nice!

[Freo-1]

Thanks, Trung.  Looking forward to some listening sessions with friends and family. 

I'm going to try both tubes and solid state, and see which works better with them.

[mcgsxr]

Dyn's are speakers I have never owned, but likely will at some point. 

All the ones I have heard I have enjoyed.  And a set of Totems I had used their drivers and I liked those.

Nice catch!

[mresseguie]

Nice one (two rather!).

I think I've never heard these before. I will look forward to reading your impressions.

[Freo-1]

Well, have not had as much time as I would have liked so far to listen to them, but, based on listening impressions to date, some traits are readily apparent.
 
 1) They present a very balanced and detailed presentation.  The octave to octave balance sounds neutral, with no added emphasis on any aspect of the spectrum.
 2) The treble is among the best I've heard with home audio speakers.  It strikes the balance between detail, dispersion, and clarity.  (I find too many ribbon tweets to be a bit too hot). 
 3) Excellent bass extension, very tight.  No bloated overhang with these.  No subwoofer required for most all music. 
 4) These are one of the very few speakers I've heard that sound good at all volume levels.  Too many speakers need to be cranked up a bit to get them to really sing.  These speakers sound great at all volume levels.
 5) These are among the best I've heard at reproducing piano and non-amplified instruments.  Human vocals are reproduced with life like clarity and depth.   
 
 The above impressions are with a Benchmark DAC-2, Primare Pre32, and a pair of Primare A34.2 power amps in mono.  This setup provides 1100 watts at the nominal 4 ohm load of the speakers. 
 For the time being, won't bother using tubes with these.   They seem to work very well with the high powered SS setup.  While they are 88 db/1w, they seem to crave a high powered amp.
 
 I'll post additional observations once I get some more time with them. As many of us who have been in this hobby awhile already know, impressions can sometimes change over time.  So far, it looks as if these speakers will be my primary set for a long time to come.

[JLM]

I have roughly 300 hours on my Dynaudio BM5 Mk III's (active 2-way monitors) and seems they share many of the same attributes (but could use subwoofer help). 

I encourage you to write up a review for the Critic's Circle.

[opnly bafld]

While they are 88 db/1w, they seem to crave a high powered amp.

85 dB 1w/1m    88 dB 2.83v(=2w)/1m


I really liked most Dynaudio speakers I have owned or heard; especially the treble.

[Freo-1]

85 dB 1w/1m    88 dB 2.83v(=2w)/1m


I really liked most Dynaudio speakers I have owned or heard; especially the treble.

Yep.   I mis-typed the spec.  From the Dyna website:

Focus 360

Sensitivity (2.83 V/1 m):	88 dB
IEC Long Term Power Handling:	>300 W
Impedance:	4 Ohms
Frequency Response:	31 Hz - 25 kHz

Crossover Frequencies:	400Hz / 2200 Hz
Weight:	36,1 kg
Dimensions (W x H x D):	248 x 1240 x 385 mm

Comparing them to ATC SCM-19's is interesting.  While the ATC's are among the best monitors I've heard, these have more of a fuller sound through the all important presence region.  I suspect it has more to do with the fact it's a three way setup vs. a two way.  They also can play a bit louder than the two way ATC. 

The biggest difference I hear is the treble range.  While the ATC is very good (and non-fatiguing), the Dynaudio treble is just better.  I do have the v1 version of the SCM-19, and the v2 does have the new tweeter, which is made in house by ATC, and is reportedly better than the v1.  However, my v1's have external crossovers, with foil coils, mills resistors, and Mundorf caps.  This improved the SCM-19's noticeably, to the point that I would put them up against the v2. 

So, I've moved the ATC's to a dedicated small size listening space (with tube gear), which is a great sounding combination.   The Dynaudio speakers are in the main listening area.   The fact that they don need a sub is helpful from a number of aspects.

[opnly bafld]

Nice speakers, enjoy. 
 

[Freo-1]

Thanks.

Speakers like these are what makes this hobby enjoyable.

[Freo-1]

After getting some more listening time, I'll take up JLM's advice and write up a review in critic's choice. 

I think one reason these sound so good is that Dyna makes their own drivers in house, so the speaker is designed from the ground up to be optimized between the drivers, crossover, and cabinet. 

[FullRangeMan]

Dynaudio cabinets are know to be very well tubed, drivers are matched less than 1dB according its magazines ads.

[audioguy213]

Many of the forums and companies here are small manufacturers who bring a lot of bang for the buck - the parts cost is a high% of the finished product cost.

But there is something to be said for the BIG manufacturers, which have the $ for huge R&D and in-house drivers,
Maybe the costs of the individual parts in the speakers are a lower % of shelf price, but there is a huge amount of investment that went into the speaker too...

Those speakers look great, and the Esotar tweeter is well loved.