At Audio T we are constantly looking at and auditioning components to best serve our customers. Sometimes that means revisiting old friends with new ears and that is exactly what we have done - A big Bristolian hello to Dynaudio.

For over 45 years Dynaudio have been building and producing some very fine speakers for the home, professional and in automative entertainment worlds. Late last year we had the great privilege of auditioning the Confidence 30 and Confidence 20 and were completely won over by their presentation. So much so, we decided to listen deeper to their current ranges of speakers.

In our Bristol store, we currently have the Special Forty, Confidence 20 and Confidence 30 , plus the full Emit & Evoke ranges for audition.

Dynaudio Emit Range

For those dipping their toes into the world of Hi-Fi sound, the Emit is a great choice. It might be the most compact in the family, but Emit’s performance belies its size.

Emit 10 is the ideal choice if you have limited space. It’s capable of surprising bass performance, but it won’t overwhelm the room even when cranked to neighbour-bothering volumes – and it has the added advantage of not requiring a lot of space behind it, so you can put it close to a wall.

If you’re going all-in on a home cinema set-up, then Emit 10 also performs perfectly both as a front or rear channel for your 5.1 surround-sound system.

The Emit range consists of the Emit 10, Emit 20, Emit 30, Emit 50 as well as Emit 25C dedicated centre speaker. All have the same 28mm Cerotar fabric soft-dome tweeter with DSR (Dynaudio Secret Recipe) coating and strontium carbonate Ferrite+ ceramic magnet. With Hexis and resonance-defeating back-chamber. And 18mm MDF cabinets, in three custom laminate finishes; Black, White or Walnut with Black magnetic grilles included

If space is really tight and you’re forced to place your Emit 10 right up against the wall, in a corner or even on a shelf, then be sure to use the included foam plugs. They can be used to block the rear port for more controlled bass.

Your choice is dependent on room size and how much heft you need from your music. The Emit 10 sit happily in a 10m² room, Emit 20 in 15m², Emit 30 in 20m², Emit 50 30m². Although the 30s in a 15m2 certainly are powerfully entertaining.

How do they Compare?

Around the Emit 10 (£630) are the Acoustic Energy AE300 (£649) - which is a great speaker, the Dynaudio has more punch and texture and is a lot more forward. Think of it as a Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3 (£600), in forward 3D imaging, but with a mid range of an ATC and the smooth textured top end of a Sonus Faber.

The Emit 20 at (£825) is compelling when set against our favourite benchmark - ATC SCM 7 (£995), the Emit’s have a similar mid range performance , with a less dry and more forgiving forward presentation with plenty of bass extension.

The two floorstanders Emit 30 & 50 still manage the feat of being a small floorstander with a huge soundstage. The outrigger feet provide plenty of stability, adjustment and positioning - something that it’s competitors should take note of. - Acoustic Energy AE309 (£1,149)

The Evoke Range

With Evoke, Dynaudio landed right in the Goldilocks zone. After months of intense R&D it became a five-strong family of speakers. All that experience meant the team could combine cutting-edge technology directly from the Contour and Confidence ranges. Optimised at the Dynaudio Jupiter measuring lab with higher build quality and finishing.

The Cerotar tweeter with the Hexis diaphragm is a descendant of the Esotar3 found in the Confidence range. The Esotec+ woofers use MSP (Magnesium Silicate Polymer) in their diaphragms – just like all Dynaudio speakers have done since they started in 1977.

Overall, the presentation is full, engaging, with great clarity with deep textured bass. In store for immediate audition, we have the Evoke 10, Evoke 20 & Evoke 30.

Again, the comparative options of the ATC SCM11, SCM19, Acoustic Energy AE509, are mirrored with what we observed in the Emit range.

The Special Dynaudio Special Forty

Not content to rest on their laurels after 40 years of constant innovation, Dynaudio developed the Special Forty: “we wanted to revisit those innovations and see what we’d do differently this time.”

The Special Forty is classic Dynaudio: all the craftsmanship, attention to detail and total love of authentic sound you’ve come to expect. It’s the connoisseur’s choice – a simple pair of passive hi-fi speakers with beautiful Black Vine or Ebony wave textured finish. This has become a firm shop favourite of ours.

Confidence 20

Dynaudio's flagship level range begins with a standmount Confidence 20 that ploughs the depths of 42Hz with a sweet top end. The dedicated stand allows for an air gap for a downward firing reflex port, long enough to reach those frequencies. The solid cabinet design curved shape and intricate wave guides on the front baffle create an awesome looking speaker and a masterful sound performance.

The Confidence 30 is a three-way floorstander with DDC technology on board. It uses two 18cm woofers with neodymium magnets, one 15cm midrange (also with a neodymium magnet) and one Esotar3 tweeter with the DDC Lens.

Working with a capable system, such as the Naim 300 series, they are the definition of flagship. They are break-takingly immediate, great grip, rich sounding, huge soundstage and a very deep and controlled bass with a scintillating, yet not harsh, top end. More than capable of filling our 6.2 x 7m x 3m audition room - one of the best we have ever heard.

There is a great 6 part podcast on the building of these speakers over on Dynaudio’s website- Building Confidence.

Driving

All Dynaudios we’ve tested here are relatively easy to drive. Indeed the Emit 10 and 20s are happy being driven by a Wiim Amp. Rega amplification provides really strong presence. Naim products, Uniti series and classic separates stand out as the perfect companion to Dynaudio, with the Naim clarity, punch and timing really standing out, but with an edge that is textural without being too overpowering.

Whatever your flavour, room size or equipment level - Dynaudio has a speaker in a range that is worth considering - book an audition.

Thank you for reading

Justin - Audio T Bristol

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

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