Fluid vocals, tight bass response, soundstage, size.

None

I listen to the 52's through an old Tanberg 3026A and 3008A preamp. The power is 150 watts per side and the sound is amazing. Never mind that they are small. Great imaging, soudstage, and definition. Buy them.

Similar Products Used:

Canton, Boston acoustics, B+W's.

Smoothness, depth, bass (for its size), detail

None that I can think of, considering their size and price. Perhaps a little expensive at their list price.

I bought these speakers on recommendations from Audio sites and reviews (the worst way to buy audio equipment, actually). I have Thiel CS1.2 floorstanders that have served me well for over 6 years, and had served the prior owner for several years before that. Immediately upon hooking up these 52s to my system (Electrocompaniet ECI-3, Cal Audio Icon Mk II, Analysis Plus cables), I was impressed at the naturalness of the music, the depth of it, and the level of bass for a bookshelf sized speaker (otherwise known as stand speakers). Family members also noted the freedom of harshness -- this is a very smooth and musical speaker that brings out a great deal of detail in the music, much of which was not as apparent in the former speakers. Granted, the Thiels are considerably older speakers, and technology has certainly improved over the past 10+ years. But these 52s are extremely impressive. At the list price of $900, I would certainly listen to other options, but if you can find them used, don't hesitate. I had the opportunity to listen to the Contour 1.1s, and they were better than the 52s (the audible range was filled in more smoothly with the Contours), but I'm not sure they are worth the difference in price.

Similar Products Used:

Thiel CS1.2, Dynaudio Contour 1.1

Everything

not efficient

This is a great speaker. Has anybody ever tried driving this speaker with an Arcam Diva A85 integrated amplifier in a medium size room. I would very much appreciate any feedback. Thanks in advance

Similar Products Used:

Too many to mention, mostly British

neutral sounding, transparent, good,bass,midrange and trebble.

same would same cheap, vinly wrap.

for anyone thinking of buying this speak concider these few points. firstly these speakers are great, but remmember, any speaker will only be as good as the sum of its parts. your must spend the same proportions on a cd player, amp and even speaker and interconnects. As if you use cheap components these speakers and other upmarket ones will only highlight the weaknesses of your system. another point, find your self a good hifi dealer, one who will let you listen to the equipment free of charge at either listening rooms or at home. a good dealer would always let you take equipment home before you buy one you have established a realtionship. dont forget to use speaker stands, like the attacama nexus 6. these speakers prefer light stands. also these speakers need loads of running in time, about 2 months or so, before you get the full potential out of them

Buttery sound like velvet. Wonderful with vocals and acoustic music.

Power hungry.

An old roommate of mine had a pair of B&W speakers that just blew the socs off the low end RSL mini monitors I used to own. It was then that I decided that the next pair of speakers I buy will be chosen with care. I looked and listened for about 2 months before deciding on the Audience 52''s. I listened to them first at SF stereo in a living room type setup in the sound room. I was just moved by the big dynamic soundstage they presented. I then listened to them in a more normal type sound room setting with them mounted right on the wall along with a bunch of other speakers including the B&W CM2''s. Boy what a difference that made! They almost sounded like a different speaker to me, and not nearly as good. I knew going into this that placement is important, but it wasn''t until this experience I saw hoe true it really is. Anyway, I like both the Dyn''s and the B&W''s. I finally chose the Dyn''s because of the more relaxed nature of the speaker, and the richness in the texture of the sound. I have since added the 42c and 42w for home theater. It sounds great and due to the quality of Dynaudio should provide many years of enjoyment. I have read that the componments make a big difference with Dynaudios. Since budget was a factor for me, I went with the Marantz SR8000 reciever and the Marantz CD6000 OSE. This is also the unit I used when demoing the speakers after narrowing the field to the two I was considering. I would like to try a better amp at some point just to see if I''m missing anything.

Similar Products Used:

B&W, Yamaha, RSL (Rogers Sound Labs), Klispch.

Good build quality, great component drivers, imaging, power handling, dynamics, suitable for a wide range of music, 4 ohm impedance.

Ugly (particularly in black), binding posts could be further apart, 4 ohm impedance.

I''ve had the 52s for 2 months now, so I decided it was time to write a review. Connected equipment is as follows; Adcom GFP1A pre, GFA1A amp, Denon DCM 370 transport, Audio Alchemy DDE 3.0 DAC, and Monster M550i interconnects. The cabinets are dead- well damped and braced- but boring and homely for a $900 speaker. With the grille off, the speaker is quite handsome, and shows off the flush mount soft dome tweeter adn distinctive dynaudio midbass. The binding posts are solid, and gold plated, wide enough apart to accept a decent set of spades. They are rear ported, but come with port plugs if you have to place them close to a wall. They come with a generic manual, but with no specs on how frequency response is affected by pluggin the ports. Imaging on the 52s is amazing compared to my Mirage FRX1s- you can easily pinpoint instruments on the soundstage, although the sweet spot is somewhat restrictred. The treble is sweet, and very detailed without being overly analytical. I had considered the Vienna bookshelves, which sport a smaller midbass and a much more handsome cabinet, plus I could get them for $500 instead of a grand. Only one problem- they were incapable of "rocking" if called upon to do so. The Dyns also have a nominal impedance of 4 ohms, which means instead of getting 200 watts from my vintage Adcom, they get 350. They reproduce the "air" around voices amazingly, and when I compare them to the Mirage (which retail for around 250), it is as if someone has lifted a veil. Acoustic guitar is moarvelous, and bass extension is respectable for a medium- sized bookshelf. Being a poor college student, these speakers will probably be the closest I can get to sonic nirvana. Next step- an SVS 25-31CS.

Similar Products Used:

Mirage FRX-1, Vienna Haydyn, Mission MS-50, Boston CR6.

Good low end punch, and fairly dynamic speakers.

Treble/midrange could be crisper (this probably is dependent on source and room acoustics)

I had a chance to review these and the 42''s at a Hifi shop that was offering a 20% discount on them. Listened to them with the Marantz CD63ki Sig CD Player and PM66Ki Sig amp. The speakers have good low end punch and reasonable midrange. The room I was listening to them in was 5m x 4m and felt they sounded very good although the 42''s were better suited to the room. I almost bought the 52''s, but was astounded by the Mission 782''s which I felt was in a different league (which it should be, as its approx £150 more). Anyone considering these speakers needs to audition them with the equipment they are using to ascertain whether their equipment is compatible. There speakers need to have be driven by a good powered amp and CD source. Listened to them the day before with a cheaper £200 Marantz amp which caused it to sound boomy.

Similar Products Used:

Dynaudio 42, Mission 773e, Mission 780''s, celestion A1

smooth, clear, very neutral and balanced

none so far, though $900 for a pair of bookshelves is awful steep for some.

I started out with the idea of matching my friend's Bose 301s and Sony Receiver, and beating his Acoustic Research sub with a nicer Klipsch. I'm a college student, so my financial situation isn't particularly conducive to my being an audiophile. Well I went home for the summer, saved every penny for a good long time, and decided to see not if, but how badly I could beat those 301s:) Obviously at three times the price, the Dyns made quick work of the Bose--among others. These are some fantastic speakers--extremely versatile, neutral, the top end is bell-clear without being overly bright and the mids are to die for. Remember that even at this price, you're not going to get subwoofer bass out of a bookshelf speaker. The bass that comes out of these babies is tight, but you will need a sub for the bottom end. I tested these side-by-side with the Audience 42s and various B&W bookshelf models. The 52s have more solid bass and sound considerably less boxy in comparison to the 42s. They're definitely worth the extra money. The B&Ws were quite a disappointment next to the 52s--the mids are a little muddy and the metal tweeter makes for overly bright high frequencies. On top of this, the tweeter doesn't integrate well with the woofer.
Back to the Dyns, their woofer/tweeter integration is another major strength. What finally took the cake were the vocals that flow so naturally from these puppies. They also do a terrific job of separating the vocals and instruments, which in my opinion is one of the most difficult tests of a good pair of speakers. I'm in the process of breaking these in right now, but I'll tell you that they even sounded fantastic right out of the box.
A few words to the wise--The Dyns need a lot of good clean power--they're a 4 ohm speaker. They sound best with good components and high-quality recordings, but they can make do with less if they have to. However, they have been calling to my attention the poor recording-quality of various CDs in my collection. The fact that they can be that analytical and still be a pleasure to listen to should be a great testament to their quality.
My system:

Dynaudio Audience 52 Fronts
Rotel RX-975 Reciever
Cheap Sony CDP-CE375 5-disc changer
Velodyne VLF 810 subwoofer
Dynaudio Audience 52 Fronts
Original Monstercable speaker wire
Monster 300 interconnect
Monster 400 sub cable

Happy listening. --Josh

Similar Products Used:

Bose(yeah, right), B&W, Boston Acoustics, Acoustic Research

clarity, midrange presentation,dynamics

none

Excellent presentation of most types of music,provided your amplifier is able to feed it high current.Impressive control in its presentation coupled with mid range information.I compared these speakers with a friends Paradigm Reference 60 speakers running of a far more elaborate system than mine.You should of seen the disapointment on his face ! He was so impressed with its soundstage, clarity and rythmic presentation that he is now trading in his costlier Paradigms for these beauties.

Similar Products Used:

B& W 604, Paradigm 60,AR 9,Tannoy 611.

Coherent, balanced sound. Obvious quality of workmanship.

Tweeter too laid back (imho-some may like)), boxy when pushed, questionable dynamic ability

I've decided to upgrade my Paradigm Mini-MKIII's and have been out shopping for Monitors in the $500-1000 price point. Today I spent an hour listening to a pair of Dynaudio Audience 52's, with the same test routine I subject all potential speakers to and know by heart from home listening. A good Telarc sampler (2) for Orchestra and Piano, A Chevsky Rebecca Pidgeon track for female vocals and snares, and some Hendrix from his Blues album for dynamics and electric instruments. I know they were paired with a Krell integrated amp, and I think Arcam CD player. The speakers were mounted on a sand filled metal stand about 3 feet from the back wall and 4-5 from the sides.

Now, I'm not one to say that I have the most refined ears in the world. I've have tried to be a serious audio enthusiast but not an audiophile who can never enjoy what he has because there's always another tweak or upgrade. From this perspective....

The Dynaudios were a disappointment. My current Paradigms have soft dome tweeters (last model before they switched) like the Dynaudio, and the similarities were very apparent. Yes, the Dynaudio had better mid range and did not suffer from the mid-bass bloat of the MKIII's when pushed probably due to superior cabinet construction with the Dyns....but they were still comparable speakers. But my overall disappointment was not that they sounded a little too much like my MKIII's, but that the speakers could never disappear. Even at medium volumes the soundstage was constricted and I always knew the music was coming from 2 small boxes. They sounded to me like a $500 pair of speakers.

In contrast, the B&W CDM1NT and Studio 20/40's I have auditioned recently both had moments where they disappeared, when you were in a room full of music and if you closed your eyes you were with Rebecca or Jimi.

Maybe if you like a laid back sound and feel the Paradigms are too harsh, or are wowed by the $85,000 Dynaudios they had in the same room you will prefer the Dyn's. Obviously many people do, they have won some awards and consistenly get high marks. For my tastes, the Paradigm Studio 20 (or even 40) is a superior choice in this range.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Monitors, Studios, B&W 600 series, CDM1NT, and 805, Definitive Tech....Lots of mid-fi stuff