Just sound 'right'. can listen for hours. no fatigue. Brilliant with most music - but not as ref. below -

No really loud volume capability. Cannot turn up as loud as would sometimes want as mid-bass drivers move too much (and it's scary and worrying) and 'crack' or 'snap' violently (against some inner part) with certain accurate 'punchy' music eg New Order / Garbage / (highly compressed) dance music. (with and without the plugs) Anyone else experienced this? Using 100w Audiolab 8000c amp.

Can't play loud enough for 'loud' music without distortion.

Similar Products Used:

So for loud music I must (simultaneously) put on an old pair of 'big box' pioneers with more volume and punch capability at a given setting (higher sensitivity) driven through the power stage of a 60watt Audiolab 8000a integrated amp!! I am very disappointed that I find I have to do this! (It give's the loudness but then you lose nearly all the sound quality of the 1.8's...so what's the point!! Can't believe that no one else has ever referred to this - that I've seen!!?

Also use Audience 40's in another system driven by a 50 watt NAD (350 I think) and again can't drive these as loud as I'd like with dance and very bassy music (eg portishead / heavy dance stuff)... again the drivers move too violently (but don't make sharp 'cracking' or 'snaping' noises like the 1.8's).

Image and sound stage

I wonder why people below mention about bass. I found this speaker lack of bass.

good speaker. Worth money.

one word great

long time break in

one word again excellent.......

Build, design, very detailed sound and impressive frequency response

Long break in period, nothing else

This is the first pair of Dynaudios I have not built myself. I must say that regardless how good you are building loudspeakers, Dynaudio can always make them twice as good themselves. The drivers are NOT the same as the old DIY kits, they are designed for each individual speaker.

Packing up the Contour 1.8mkII from the box immediately gives a hint this is no low class products. 19 kilograms each even though their size is quite compact. The woodwork is stunning and the veneer (cherry on mine) is beautiful and well selected and matched.

Putting the spikes on the plinth, connecting cables (only single wiring available which make sense for these speakers) and the rest is easy set up. They only need some space from back and side walls then they work just perfecly fine. My impression is that they have a extremely natural sound with lots of details that drags you into the music, you simply want to spend hour after hour with your CD's!
I have listened to several other speakers including the Audience 72 but this is another animal. Well worth the extra money, even though the prices in the UK are really silly compared to Scandinavia.

I cannot recommend them enough to any audiophile out there, they also do a great job with Home Theatre where I use the Audience 122C as centre speaker. Absolute top class products inside-out and none the less when preformace is considered. Not too sensitive what electronics that are used, however do match them with high quality gear and they will pay back tenfold.

Similar Products Used:

Dynaudio Twynn, Dynaudio Foccus

Musicality, Involvement, Build Quality

need plenty of power, not the best looking speaker even in birdseye maple

I've had the 1.8mkII for about 10 months now and I think they're just about run in now. I was warned they take some time and they were right. I have to say innitally I was not sure if I'd made the right choice but now I'm conviced I have. They're not perfect but they have the ability to deliver the music and I find I listen to CD after CD and material which just didn't communicate on my old Kef 103/4. The base is a bit much in my room but is right on the pace. I find the mid range can be a bit fierce with poor recordings but I think my home made power amps dont help. The top end and sound stageing have made major gains in the last few weeks (maybe the warmer weather has helped!) The rest of the system is Linn Karik III Cd Kairn Pre Van Den Hull The Second interconnects and AudioQuest Midnight2 speaker cable. I've heard these speakers sounding awful(marantz 17KI/Denson Beat) and I've heard them sounding great(Linn Karik/Kairn/Klout). Bottom line, get the system right and they WILL sing (when they're run in).

Similar Products Used:

Proac studio 125,1.5 Ruark CL20,kef 103/4,AE2,

My story is long and boring... but I'll keep it short. I have been researching speakers for 6 months. I've done more research on speakers than I have on any other subject in my life! I've gone to numerous stores, spent hours on the internet, etc... My budget was $1500 - 2000. I thought I made a great choice in the B&W CDM7SE's (which I think are terrific speakers). To help out on the bottom end, I decided to shop for a sub. It was during my sub search that I heard someone else auditioning the Dynaudio's. I thought the B&W's sounded great but these are truly on a different level. They made me take a closer look. I almost fell over when I found out the price, but I knew that I had to have them. They did everything right. The soundstage, the vocals, the deep bass (no sub needed here). I had to have them. So what if I have to eat peanut butter & jelly for the next 2 months... they are worth every penny of my hard earned money! I love em and you will too. If you are in the market for the best speakers money can buy in the 2700 price range (IMHO), you owe it to yourself to listen to these. Good luck in your search..

I've been looking for speakers like these forever.I'm ordering a pair after hearing them. What a clean
sounding, beautiful detailed sound. Imaging is amazing.
Bass is pure, not bloaty. I fell in love immediately.
Warning: these speakers aren't very efficient. You may need
a new amp to enjoy properly.

Recently, I have been in search for a speaker set. I was trying to look for the best overall speaker for both music listening and home theater and at the best possible value. I have read many reviews about many different speakers here in audioreview.com. And now that I have finally purchased a new set of speakers, I feel that I must contribute something to audioreview.com. Please keep in mind that these are strictly my opinion. Please trust your ear (and watch your pocket) before you buy.
There are many speakers (perhaps too many speakers) out there and all of them seem to claim that theirs are the best. My old pair of speakers are American made (Infinity). So this time, I want something different. This time, I looked at European speakers, primarily British made. This is not to say that the American made is not good. But for the same given set of speakers, I can get better value for British speakers, at least in the country where I live.

In the last four or five months that I have been in search of a speaker set, I have auditioned different speakers at different price levels. This includes B&W CDM 7SE, Mission 753F, KEF Reference Model 2, NHT 2.5I, Boston Acoustics VR760, Dynaudio Audience 80, Dynaudio Contour 1.8MkII, Vienna Acoustics Mozart, Vienna Acoustics Haydn

Dynaudio speaker is famous for its Contour series. The Contour 1.8 MkII speaker I auditioned is a so called "Audiophile" speaker. And, I must say it is an "Audiophile" speaker. The manufacturer say that all the components are required first-class and every components are manufactured in-house.

The Contour has the best Dynamic range among all the speakers I've heard. If you like Classical music, the Contour is for you. You can hear every word of the music so clearly and vividly with the Contour. The detail, resolution, and tonal balance is so natural that you seems like listening to a live concert.

The Contour does cost more than other speakers but the sonic quality and the way the speakers perform really justify its price tag. If you play with Contour, you'll need top-notch ancillaries. But if the ingredients are right, you'll enjoy listening to music years after years.

I almost bought the Contour 1.8 MkII. I didn't buy it not because it doesn't sound good. In fact, it sounds great but I found a speaker which has better value : Vienna Acoustics Mozart.

A Five start for this exceptional audiophile speakers. Price is the only complaint I have about these speakers.

Midrange clarity, tight bass, good soundstage and imaging

Low sensitivity (if important)

These speakers sound very realistic. They disappear during audition. You can find neither omission nor commission. Highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

Cabasse Farella 400

Very detailed sound
Great dynamics
Deep bass extension

Very detailed sound
Bass is not so thight

This speaker is offering a very very detailed and precise sound like I rarely heard before. A crappy CD will sound like a ton of bricks though.

Good soundstage but not very deep. They don't seem to disapear quite as well as Totem Forest for example.

The bass spectre is very generous but not super fast and thight. The Totem Mani-2 or even an Electra 920 are offering better bass control.

A good speaker but not for everyone and every music.

Similar Products Used:

Totem Forest, Mani-2
JMLab Cobalt 815, Eletra 920, Mezzo Utopia