I am not sure how to classify myself here anymore... audio enthusiast? audiophile? That is a fine line right there. I would rather say audio enthusiast as I believe I have yet to dive into the deeper end of that pond.

My gear right now consists of an Accuphase E-408, Marantz SA-7003, Rega P5 with the Groovetracer "Top-O-The-Line" subplatter, Michell tone arm weight and a Shelter 301, Denon DL 103R or Denon DL-160 depending on how I am feeling; all this running through an AD-20 option board. I had a Quad 24p phono-stage, which was brilliant, but had to sell it to finance this speaker purchase.

Listening to these speakers I feel that I have made the same jump in musical reproduction quality as when I first listened to Accuphase amplification (a "lowly" e-205). Before then I was using an Ayon Orion which was supremely musical (hours of listening without fatigue) but as I now realize, not quite resolving as much musical information as it could.

For me this is what reproducing music in my home is all about. Neutrality, jaw dropping resolution, supreme transparency and complete accuracy. I want to hear what every item in the reproduction chain is contributing to the over-all sonic picture.

I have heard these speakers described as reference quality, without really understanding what that means. I can now say that this is a double edged sword. You put together a chain of components that is as uncolored and neutral as possible, only to find yourself at the mercy of possibly sloppy production values or just sheer ineptitude in the recording studio. So be it, as the well recorded material sounds as close to a live performance as I have ever experienced. It is, for me, sonic bliss. I suppose there are other great speakers that can make poorly produced material sound listenable but the stereo in my car can do that as well. I did not spend this much time and money putting together a system that lulls me into complacency and homogenizes the good and the bad into something that sounds "musical"; I want the truth for better or worse. I don't want background noise for a dinner party, I want to hear the difference.

I have absolutely no complaints with this loudspeaker. It some sense (IMHO) it would seem the perfect loudspeaker. Iit simply gets out of the way, completely, leaving you at the mercy of the rest of your reproduction chain. It is capable of magic, and of brutal honesty.

You close your eyes and you are in the club with Jimmy Smith as he starts into the intro of Root Down (you can almost smell the smoke), in the studio sitting at the mixing board as the engineer hears the drummer accidentally knock his drum sticks together, in the concert hall marveling at the clarity of sound of a little triangle in the midst of a tempest of percussion. I am in in awe, and I am very happy.

I have no other frame of reference except for my cherished Klipsch RB-75s, which I also had to sell to buy these. The Klipsch loudspeakers are capable of a different type of magic and I will miss them dearly. They are wonderful, and for the money hands down the finest loudspeaker I have heard under 3000 Euro. The resolving power of the Confidence 3 however; these are just in the next level. At a retail price of almost 7 times the cost of the Klipsch monitors they should be. The Klipsch will also suck you in but are more forgiving of badly recorded material. The bass response, which I once thought to be absolutely without flaw in the RB-75, lacks the contour and presence in the lower end of the Dynaudios. The bass from the RB-75 can seem a little rowdy, like a drunk American at a baseball game. It sure goes deep, has a great time doing it but every now and then loses control. This however is comparing American produced grain fed T-Bones to a piece of the finest Kobe beef. Both are delicious and very satisfying, but you can tell the difference in quality should you ever have the chance to eat the two side by side. That said, some will definitely prefer the T-Bone, and good for them. I love a good T-Bone and the RB-75 is well marbled and delicious if you get my drift.

Like another reviewer mentioned earlier; this is a stopping place for me. At least for a little while.

Of course, Accuphase also makes some really nice SACD players, and that Manley Steelhead sure has some pretty good word of mouth.

Maybe I am already in the deep end of the pond without even knowing it.

I have read the reviews, I am here to say, basically 15' X 12' room, these speakers image like very few, they bring voices right up to the front with depth and the music components spread across the stage. They give a feeling of being able to reach into the performance. Their clarity is unsurpassed and inner detail is simply described as wow!. These speakers do more than you would physically expect possible. I have heard they need 200 plus power, hmm? I am running VAC mono tubes with separate power supplies(probably a clean 150w), VAC tube dual mono pre, Yankee Baton cable throughout (in my opinion, the best on the planet!) MSB LS1 transport and DAC, Sota Star Sapphire/ET arm mc cartridge. What I am saying is I have had a ton of equipment and this system has people shaking their heads saying, "what the heck, this --- is impossible (in more colorful vernacular)!" I also have a system with the Dynaudio Craft running on a fresh from the factory update Krell KSA 80 class A, not as big but clear and detailed, the tweeter and blended crossover with the driver simply equals a stopping place for me; I am using a Meridian dual powered sub with this system!

Speakers have already withdrawn from production. Had a long look in the secondary market. Confidence 3 - great!
My systems: Musical Fidelity kw750; Musical Fidelity kw LPRE; Musical Fidelity kW DM25-TRANS / kW DM25 DAC.
+ Rel Stentor III

Strengths:
resolution! imaging! tone!

Weaknesses:
over power 200W

Very, very natural sound. The sound of T330 tweeter(Esotar 1) is too wonderful to describe.(personally better than Esotar 2) Well crafted inclosure.

None yet.

That is making the unbelievable sound. It delivers very natural sounds and extreme high-resolution with incredible smoothness. But Its sound is just made only in case the very good amp matches. My dynaudio speakers need well balanced and powerful amplifier. It also matches well my krell FPB200c with pass X1 pre.(that's the best combination that the dynaudio have recommended) I thought that FPB 200C would be the best choice for my small speakers(the bigger FPB's not better than small one) The sound with krell 200c is very liquid and smooth in high, and the bass is so tight and speedy(not show off nor boosted.)

Similar Products Used:

Sonus faber's, AE-2 signature..

Focus, imaging, musicality (in the right system). Biggest strength is that there is really nothing that I feel like I'm missing, others may want more bass extension but I'd listen to them with good power behind before considering a sub.

In my opinion they cost a good bit more than they ought to (perhaps I'm just cheap but with other gear it seemed like I could find components that really jumped out at you with value at their price point). They need to be carefully matched with the rest of your system (require a beefy amp,etc.).

Fell in love with these things while out shopping for a $5k speaker :(. For what I listen to (blues, rock and roll, a bit of folk and country) they seem to do a very nice job of letting all the music come through cleanly. Agree with comments already posted by others on their nicks, if they don't have plenty of amp behind them they do sound lean, and they also will tell you about glitches in your source components and/or music. My bottom line opinion is that in a system with good synergy of components these guys can make fussy people happy and keep them that way, but it might not be the most cost effective solution you can find. My system ended up being arcam fmj cd23,music hall mmf7 turntable,cardas neutral reference cabling all around, bat 300x-se integrated (300wpc +- at 4 ohm).

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Spent a lot of time auditioning several speakers.

Probably the same like Contour 1.3 SE: need over 150 watts

Half year ago I was looking for a new pair of main speakers.My tour end in my local dealer Intek d.o.o.He have almost all models of Dynaudio on stock.First I listen to some Audiance models and on the end Contour 1.3SE. This speakers open to me a new "window" of details, transparency and what is most important "like a live" feeling. So,I think,how good or better would sound or play a Confidence 3 model which I know have a superior custom version Esotar tweeter.The problem was that local dealer wasnt have this model. Because, a new Confidence serie is now availible and I have became a good price for Confidence 3(this model is out of production) I have a Questions for all those, who have a chance to hear the both models:Contour 1.3SE vs Confidence 3!I know the Confidence serie is superior to Contour but what confuse me is that 1.3 SE is a newer model with new drivers and Confidence 3 much more expansive and not been improved all this years?!

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Contour 1.3 MK2,SE Totems MANI2 Sonos Faber E.Amat.2

clarity, resolution, imaging, tone

need over 150 watts.

from 40hz to 20khz, i''ve heard nothing better. yes, they demand a great amp and some of the reviewers here obviously don''t have one. but when you do, they shine!!! i''ve compared them to avalons,new krell speakers, sonus fabers, atc''s. the confidence''s beat them all.

Don't know yet, but they're dynaudio's, so make some space here.

Plain looking (actually to me thats a plus).

Just bought these today for $2000 in absolutely mint condition. Have only 3 months classical listening by an 83 year old on the clock! Watch this space for my review. cheers -- D.

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Lots

Clean, articulate sound

Expensive

I did a home try-out of much of the Contour line trying to upgrade from my Monitor Audio Studio 10s. I have a pretty small listening room (maybe 12x16). Nothing did it for me until I tried the Confidence 3. What a difference. They probably need quality power, but not necessarily lots of it. They sound great with my Levinson 334 (125W). They do let you hear any problems with bad source material. I agree with another reviewer that they sound significantly better with the grills off. These guys have all the positive qualities of monitor-type speakers taken to the limit. Lots of presence and definition. Clean, accurate sound. They might not be full-range, but they sure have nice bass extention. I was going to put a REL subwoofer in my music system, but not anymore. (P.S. the Monitor Audios went into my home theater set-up, where they are very happy.)

clean clean clean. massive power handling

needs massive, clean power

when i first took this speaker home, i was a little disappointed. hooked up to a plinius 50 watt per channel amp, the little birds couldn't sing. i replaced the plinius with a 600watt nu-vista amp from musical fidelity and a pair of silversmith cables. very few systems i've heard can meet this system in terms of coherence, clarity, imaging. the speakers can't be in a room to large without bass extension. additionally, if you do add bass, it has to be absolutely top-notch.

i'm thrilled with these speakers. don't think i can top them with any other speaker under 12k.

Similar Products Used:

dynaudio compound