midreng

83db it's a magor problem=crazy amp

this speaker is the best that i heard so far. but ihave a problem to move the bass of this speaker, and my krell fpb250 mono blocks is not inough, but i love this speakers and i'll try to find more powerfull amp.

Similar Products Used:

sonus faber amati,sonus faber guarineri wilson pappy 6

Soundstage, imaging, ability to take you to the live event.

Deep warm bass. Does require lot's of power -- my amp is always warm/hot.

I read the previous reviews. I was intrigued and thought: "hey, if all these other speaker companies keep using Dynaudio Drivers -- wouldn't Dynaudio save some of it's best drivers for their own speakers?". My situation: I was moving from a large house to a smaller townhome -- as such, my Revel Salons and Talon Roc sub had to go. I was looking for a speaker with a wide soundstage and great imaging... I decided to look at the reviews on Audioreview and everything I read said this was the speaker to own. Over the past 7 years, I've owned the following speakers: Totem Mani-2, Von Schweikert VR4, Von Schweikert VR-5 HSE, B&W Nat 801, Vienna Acoustics Mahler, and Revel Salons. I decided to purchase these without hearing them. I was a little nervous, but I felt I got a good price. Wow. After spending the past three months with them, I have this to say. These speakers are different than every other speaker I've ever owned. They don't have the bass warmth of the Salons, or the mid-bass thump of the VR-5 HSE, but damn -- they make everything sound holographic, sensual, and "o-so'real". The speaker has an uncanny ability to COMPLETELY disappear. Since getting the broken in -- I've had over 30 people tell me these are the best speakers they've ever, ever, heard. This is shocking, because I cried when I sold the Salons -- but, in the end everyone, including me, perfer the Confidence 5 over the Salons. I never expected that. Ever. My equipment: Pass X-350 Sony SCD-1 and BAT VK-D5 SE Levinson 380s Power Wedge Ultra 115 MIT Oracle Acoustic Zen Reference interconnects

Mid-range to die for. Tight clean bass, that goes lower then the specs state. Image, depth outstanding. Dynamics-micro to micro-outstanding. I could go on and on.

Perhaps the price, but for the money a best buy if there ever was one in this price range. Kills Egglestons and the like.

Simply outstanding in very area, including the bass. Refined, balanced and musical. Vocal to die for. Drums,horns, strings are just perfect. Speaker balance is just right, nothing, I mean nothing sticks out. The high's are just wonderful, natual and very open. Midrange-Just a killer. Bass-Excellent, tight, transparent and quick. Enough bass for most size rooms. This speaker can Rock with the best of them, if the recordings have it. The fit and finish is outstanding. I loved the Dynaudio's 3.3's, but these are in another class, this speaker was not just a small step up, but a huge step up. I purchased one of the last pair made, so if you can find them used, buy them, pity the person who is selling them, it just does not get much better then this. One last thing, they don't weigh 250 lbs, they don't stand 7 feet tall, but like David, this speaker is a giant killer. On the issue of power, I use the Mark Levinson 333 Stereo Amp (280 watts), I have more than enough power. In fact the amp work just great with this speaker. I also use the Mark Levinson 380S preamp and the outstanding Sony SCD1 CD Player. All my cables are Harmonic Technology magic. No line conditioners, just pure AC from the wall, my equipment is well filtered to begin with. I could go on, how much do I love this speaker? every night when I go home I want to play music, but I hold off so I won't get used to the sound of my speaker, it is so good that I do not want to over listen to where I take this system for granted, this is like a fine wine or desert, take it in slow and enjoy it the taste. I don't know if the new Confidence line will beat the Confidence 5, but I don't care, this is a great speaker now, tomorrow and forever. After 20 years in audio, my system has never sounded better, and I am including when I had nothing but vinyl. My CD(the better mastered ones) sound better then my vinyl LP's did. That says a lot about the speaker and it's ability to reproduce music. Find them and buy them!

Similar Products Used:

Dynaudio 3.3's, Paragons Regents(a gem), ProAc, Quad, Dalquist DQ10(a classic).

Tonal quality, musicality, build quality.

Amplifier requirements.

I purchased these from a friend who loved his Confidence 5''s but realized his Naim amplifier did not do them justice. This is only because these speakers deserve and demand a high current amplifier of at least 200 watts and they cannot be bi-amped. I can tell you that by driving them with a Musical Fidelity Nuvista M3, musical Nirvana has been reached by me. The Confidence 5 is one of those rare speakers that is voiced to be natural and musical. They have incredible bass. By that I do not mean they are especially deep or powerful in the base they provide - I just mean that the base is real - the layers, textures and shadings of each base note simply amaze me. These speakers are so fast and the drivers so integrated, that at times, I feel as though I''m listening to electrostatics. The midrange is the best I''ve heard! And of course, the ESOTAR Tweeter is without peer. This speaker reveals incredible detail without sounding analytical or sterile. Listener fatique does not happen after an entire day of listening (8-12 hours). Equipment used: Musical Fidelity Nuvista M3 Integrated Amp, Plinius M14 Phono Stage, Acoustic Signature Final Tool with Benz Micro Glider, Sony SCD-1, Nuvista Interconnects.

Similar Products Used:

Dunlavy - SC IV A Quad - ESL 988 Meadowlark - Heron Vienna Acoustics - Mahler Sonus Faber - Grand Piano All have been auditioned by me, but none have been owned.

Sehr schöne Auflösung, detailverliebt, exakter Bass

benötigt kräftige Verstärker (geringer Wirkungsgrad)

Ein wirklich toller Lautsprecher, der nie aufgebläht wirkt. Eine solche Detailtreue hab ich bisher bei keinem anderen Lautsprecher in dieser Preiklasse gehört.

Excellent Resolution, Smooth clean midrange, superb vocal reproduction.

A bit of a stretch to the toy budget.

After six months of extensive listening I can say that I am very happy with the Confidence 5s. I upgraded from KEF 104/2s which I think have very good midrange, but I got tired of the somewhat heavy bass. The Confidence 5s are extremely well balanced and neutral sounding across the whole frequency range. They resolve detail better than anything I have heard (This can be said for the whole Dynaudio Line). The imaging/sound stage is excellent. They really shine with vocals, particularly female vocals, silky smooth with no edge or grain, alive but not in your face. The bass took awhile to get used to since it is so flat, but it is just about right for me, not at all lean as some say. It is easy to overanalyze “the sound”, but I find myself really getting involved in the music as the boxes disappear. This is some pricey stuff but over the long haul well worth it to me.

Similar Products Used:

Wilson Audio, Dunlavy, Merlin, Hales, Joseph Audio, B&W, KEF, Vandersteen, Kharma, Sonus Faber, Monitor Audio.

Details, transparency, speed, everything.

Can use more bass.

Wow! That was the expression I had after playing them for an hour. I sold my Extrema and thought I had to fork out $20k to buy the new Amati. Everything about it seems right - box design, finish, sensitivity, etc. But I told myself why not give Dynaudio a try; they know best about their own drivers and probably know a thing or two about packaging them into a box. After all, Extrema, Cello, and many other high-end manufactures use their drivers with great success.

Everything I ever wanted in a box - details, rich harmonic, speed, transient (despite their low sensitivity), sound stage, and transparancy. Did I mention it's midrange? Female vocal never sounded so good before, thanks to their midrange dome. And the bottom end really is in a class by itself - it's even faster than my Extrema.

Do I proclaim them as the best speaker for $10k? Yes, absolutely. They are very detail, so good equipments are required to generate good sound. Compared to Contour, this is in a different league.

Similar Products Used:

Sonus Faber Extrema, Wilson Watt/Puppy 5.1, Genesis VI, Merlin VSM, KEF Reference 3, Sonus Faber Electa Amator, and many more.

neutrality, coherence, soundstage

They don't breed

I purchased these speakers several weeks ago, burning them in on a cheap amp while shopping for new amp/preamp. Recently finished burning in new Classe CP-60 preamp and CAM-350 monoblocks.

I was concerned about many things with these very expensive speakers:

- That they were bass shy

- That they were really classical music speakers

- That they weren't as technologically advanced as some other speakers.

- That they were too bright

- That you can't play them loud.

These concerns all came from friends, amateur reviewers, and competing dealers.

I compared these speakers to Nautilus 802s, Aerial 10T, Dunlavy SCIV&V, all the Theils.

These are the best speakers I've heard for two channel use in the home. These speakers crave power and if you give it to them they reward you. Soundstage beyond the walls of the room. Treble and midrange completely without grain at any volume level. Bass is excellent in-room, sounding like much more than the stated 43db low end.

Worth the money and then some.

Coherence

Low sensitivity

I've been an audiophile most of my 54 years. I was an audiophile before I knew the word and as with most of you, I've gone from one amplifier or speaker or cable to the next, constantly improving, ever seeking but never finding that elusive (or non-existent) perfect sound. Over the years, I've owned and enjoyed pieces from many of the respected companies we're all familiar with.

Eventually, I had assembled a system that I'd hoped I would keep a long while (and I did). This system was comprised of a Krell KPS-20i CD player, Krell KRC-HR pre-amp, Krell KPE phono stage with power supply and a pair of Krell 250M mono amp's. The speakers were alternately ProAc Response 3 (the original 3's), ProAc 1.5, PMC AB1 and Genesis 5. It was a great stereo with all the adjectives audiophiles use to describe there systems but ultimately I felt something was lacking (sound familair?).

Last year I decided to sell everything and start over. I listened to M-L, Linn, C-J, Wilson and everything else I could find but not until I heard the Accuphase gear did I hear what I was seeking. I bought an all Accuphase system consisting of their DP-7V CD player, C-275V pre-amp with phono option and their P-450 power amp. I used this system with all of the afore mentioned speakers but I still felt it could be better so I began to think of new speakers.

I had read the many favorable reviews of the Dynaudio line and had in fact bought a pair of their Audience 50 two-way's a year or so earlier to use in my den and I am still impressed with this little speaker. I called Dynaudio North America and spoke with Al. He recommended I listen to their Confidence line but no dealer within a days journey stocked them so I decided to wait. On day while visiting Audiogon, I saw a pair of Confidence 3's listed and I bought the pair even though I had never heard them. They were, in my opinion, the finest speaker I had ever used and I could only imagine what the 5's would be like. To make this brief, I called the dealer I bought the Audience 50's from and he took my 3's on trade for new pair of 5's.

I've had my 5's about 8 months now and I can say they're absolutely amazing. I'm sure most know what they look like so I'll not bother with a description but I assure you, pictures only hint. These graceful floorstanders ooze quality and taste. Beginning with the highs, the 5's use their famous 28mm Esotar tweeter which many believe is one of the finest on earth. It has as much detail and air as the excellent ribbon used in the Genesis 5's but it is much more relaxed. There's no smear or grain but fluid over it's operating range. Cymbals have that characteristic metallic sheen and every speck of high frequency detail is reproduced effortlessly. The mids are handled by Dyn's 52mm Esotar mid-range dome. As with the highs, the critical mid-range is detailed, relaxed and stunningly transparent with not a trace of harshness or glare. The domed tweeter and mid-range array cover the 4 1/2 octaves above approximately 1100HZ. The 5 octaves below that point is covered by Dyn's over the top 8" bass driver with it's 4" aluminum voice coil and its isobarically loaded with a 7" driver behind the 8" to achieve constant cabinet pressure. This arrangement results in a bass presentation not unlike the mids and highs, quick, detailed and effortless with distinct pitch differentiation. Taken as a whole the Confidence 5 bear remarkable resemblance to full range electrostats. It may be a function of the crossover or drivers or probably both but the 5's three drivers blend to well the sound seems to originate rom a single driver even while listening in the nearfield. The 5's are the most integrated speaker I've owned. There is no spotlighting, no darkness, no boom, no sizzle, no bloat or congestion. Words like neutrality, tonality and finesse come to mind. The 5's are true thoroughbreds and they do require the very best you can mate them with. I use a 200 w/c Accuphase amp with very good results but one of their higher current models would improve the bass. Some have said the 5's lack deep bass but I believe that's a function of acclimation. They do sound a bit lean when compared to a voluptuous speaker like the PMC AB1 or even the ProAc 1.5's but in comparison these sound bloated. The 5's do dig into the lower octaves. When playing "Saturn" from Mobile-Fidelity's UHQR of Holst "The Planets" which has a sustained low pipe organ passage, the 5's convincingly reproduce this 30HZ note with authority and that sense of room pressurization only truly extended speakers are able to do. What the 5's lack is bloat and boom. They add no artifical warmth but when bass is present they do not fail. The 5's are truly reference quality speakers that simply disappear leaving only the most realistic portrayal of the musical event one could imagine. I am quite enamored with my 5's and I feel they will be in my system a long while. I never tire listening to them either with music or movie sound efects. Someday I may be able to move up to Dyn's Evidence Temptation but if not I won't feel slighted. The Conidence 5 is the most elegant, musical and ingratiating speaker I've had the pleasure of owning.

Associated equipment:

Accuphase DP-75V
Accuphase C-27V
Accuphase P-40
Linn LP12 (fully loaded)
AudioTruth Diamond (balanced)
Purist Audio Design Proteus (balanced)
Tara Air One speaker cable
Chang Lightspeed 9600
Purist Audio Design Proteus Power cords

Similar Products Used:

ProAc Response 3, PMC AB1, Genesis 5

highs,detailed,warm

bass not the best quality problems when using high power .

the dynaudio sound very good speakerthe problem of it is the bass sound it also can't handle high power.
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