It all started with a love of Dynaudio…
/This month’s blog is something a bit different from our usual fare. Here we explore the front to back process, interaction, relationships and issues involved in a successful and happy customer transaction. Our customer, Rob, has contributed to this article and given his own input on how it went from his point of view…
Introductions
Rob got in touch with us at Audio T Oxford as he had recently moved into a new house and knew we are an authorised Dynaudio dealer. He wanted to discuss options on the best system he could have (active or passive), all whilst incorporating his enthusiasm for Dynaudio products.
The Brief and Its Development
High ceiling space - addressed by tuning in The focus 50’s and REL s/512’s
From our initial discussion we qualified Rob’s needs as these are key to a happy customer. We discussed his musical tastes, current music library and his passion for streaming and exploration of new music.
Something that a lot of people underestimate is the discussion around his physical home environment, room dimensions, technical requirements, and any challenges to be overcome to get a great system, matched to his home; both in terms of décor and sonic excellence. Within this we had a clear challenge to drive what is a very large horizontal and vertical space.
We started with a menu of choices and, as luck would have it, we had a Dynaudio Event at Audio T Oxford on 9th November 2022, which Rob attended. The intention was to enable him to get some ears-on experience of the active Dynaudio Focus 50’s that he had already extensively researched on paper, as well as ask some questions and get feedback from the Dynaudio experts on hand. We could then start to establish and formulate a closer approximation of what he was looking for.
Working within the context of a demonstration and/or musical event is one thing, but Rob correctly decided that he needed some time on his own with the system so that he could explore its technical and flexibility of settings, the DSP options and whether he could get an emotional connection with the music and sound quality of the system.
We arranged for Rob to come back in-store and set-up the Focus 50’s with a Innuos Zen Mini MKIII acting as a Roon Core. He spent most of the morning listening to a variety of music, some from his personal collection and some new, courtesy of Roon’s “deep dive” AI suggesting suitable music alternatives.
The Order
To cut a long story short, Rob placed his order that very same day for a system comprising the Dynaudio Focus 50s, two REL S/812 subwoofers (to be connected via wireless Airships), and an Innuos Zen Mini MKIII (2TB SSD) as a Roon platform and to enable him to download his considerable music collection. The large twin subs were required to shift the air and engage with what is a very large space.
The décor requirement was achieved by ordering light colours with the ability to hide equipment away in a cupboard where necessary, and with wireless sub connections. The Wireless Speaker and Audio Association (WiSA) connection between the Focus 50s adding to the minimalist look.
view From the drivers seat - Innuos Zen Mini s and Airship Senders in the white cupboard. WISA wireless connection between the speakers ……..now Unleash the music!
Rob was also interested in a WiSA connection to his television and longer-term enabling DIRAC Live room tuning, both of which can be accomplished through the Focus 50’s.
Planning & Installation
Like any project, the idea is to bring things together at the right time, make sure the customer, all the team members and external experts are in the communications loop, test all assumptions are correct and build in a margin for unexpected surprises through consistent due diligence. The aim of all this is to get things lined up and tested so that they can be right first time, wherever possible. All of this was particularly important as we had the skill, but I personally had no actual previous experience of bringing together such a diverse and flexible system involving this relatively new form of technology.
The installation team comprised of Bill Livingston from Dynaudio, our own Kevin Starkie (Audio T Sales and Marketing Director) and Rob from our Oxford store. The installation took the best part of a morning, which included setting up the Focus 50s for room positioning (left master speaker in corner, right in open space), installing, and configuring the Innuos Zen for Roon and installing the two wireless subs and then tuning them to their local environment. And last, but by no means least, getting the music into the room!
Finished Installation - birds eye view from the upper gallery. showing the positioning of the two REL s/812 subs.
Robs Customer Comments
Rob has now had the system for a few months, and these are his comments on his musical and hi-fi journey, how he found the experience of developing and installing the system, and how it fits his lifestyle and sonic requirements…
1. Can you give us some details of your various music and AV systems and musical journey?
Started way back in 1979 when my grandparents bought me a radio. I discovered Radio 1 and was hooked! There are too many components to mention but my first ‘proper’ amp was a Rotel receiver with a beautiful analogue radio dial. My first ‘proper’ record player was a Dual CS505. Then university beckoned so it was a real mish-mash of hi-fi. Much later, when I could afford it! I bought second hand Dynaudio Audience 62 speakers, which were already 10 years old but sounded great. Next was a Naim XS2 amp and the synergy was fabulous. I was hooked! My love of Dynaudio has existed ever since. I have always been intrigued by active speakers, to me it just makes sense that the manufacturer finds the best synergy between amp and speaker and does it all for you. When Dynaudio released the Focus series it was a bit of a ‘no brainer’ as it also incorporates streaming capability, Dirac Live, sub-out and is Roon Ready.
2. What range of music do you like and how has it developed?
Electronic music will always be my mainstay. My mum used to listen to Vangelis when I was very young and it has clearly influenced me ever since. I still rate Vangelis as an early pioneer of electronic music alongside of course Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream and the like. Now my musical taste is very broad, from jazz (big fan) to classical and almost everything in between. So a tough ask for any system to get them all right!
3. In what way is music important for you?
In so many ways. I will pretty much always have music playing and definitely whilst travelling. I’d be lost without my headphones as I travel a lot! But I am also a big fan of just sitting down and listening to an album, from start to finish and uninterrupted. I think this has been lost to a certain extent and would advise anyone to give it a go. I am a huge fan of Classic Album Sundays for this very reason, so check it out.
4. What did you think about the process we developed to help define your system?
I think the key part was being able to meet Otto and Bill from Dynaudio and with Rob’s input it became clear that my living room would need to ‘go large’! It is a huge space, so we wanted to ensure we could adequately fill it with sounds, hence the Focus 50s and two REL S/812 subs.
5. How did you find the support throughout?
Exemplary. To have all these experts on hand to discuss requirements and set up was extraordinary, and I know I was very fortunate to have the Dynaudio team on hand. On the day of installation, I had Rob, Kevin and Bill all setting up the system in my living room, you cannot wish for a better service.
6. How happy are you with your end system?
In short – Very. As this is a new house it has taken a long time to complete the furnishings, which I knew would also make a difference to the sound, in a good way. Now that this is finally complete, I can tweak and find the best balance. Next steps will be sound treatment, and then Dirac Live on the Dynaudio which is a fabulous feature to include. I was new to Roon too and I love it. It has so much functionality and has introduced me to new acts and artists, and all in a beautiful interface on a tablet device.
7. What could we have done better?
Nothing of note
8. Any other comments?
Just to say a huge thanks to all involved with this setup at Audio T and Dynaudio.
Summary
So, thanks go to Rob for trusting us to do this system and for agreeing to and contributing to this article. We know how busy he is and we really appreciate the time he has given from his very hectic schedule.
Also, thanks to Bill and Otto from Dynaudio for their close support and experience, and to REL and Innuos for their technical support and insight.
If you would like to know more about these products and how they work together, or for anything else, why not give us a call at the Oxford Store? We will be happy to work with you to get the outcome you are looking for.
Thanks for reading.
Rob & Jon - Audio T Oxford
If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…
PLEASE NOTE: Both Roon and DIRAC software require a personal direct customer purchase, subscription and licence. In the case of DIRAC we recommend the use of a certified DIRAC installer which may include a separate fee. Only Roon was used in this install, DIRAC is an option that the customer may wish to undertake in the future.
