Review: Dynaudio Contour S3.4 Speaker


Category: Speakers


As my wife ran up the stairs in our home to see me, two things were obvious; one she was smiling, and secondly she had tears welled-up in her eyes. "those ARE Amazing" she said, referring to the new Dynaudio S3.4's

And so it begins...

I had originally heard from a journalist in Europe (well over a year ago) that the Contour line was being 'worked-on & re-visited' by Dynaudio. I inquired around for months through dealers, web-sites, audio friends, and all was pretty quiet re; the new Contour line. As the months past I gained little snippets of confirmation and knew that it was only a matter of time till they were 'officially disclosed'. By the time I actually had them in my living room; I have to admit that my expectations were quite high. The proverbial "bar" had recently been raised by the purchase of the Dyn Special25's that were enjoying their sweet-spot in our living room for the past few months. My wife and I thought that THAT was the last model for us for a long time. However, the curiosity of the new Contour line proved to be too much for us and we ordered a pair.

Note: [We also considered the choosing the larger S5.4 model but it didn't pass the room-friendly 'how-tall is it ?' test. The S5.4 does have the Esotar2 tweeter as well as an additional driver; compared to the the S3.4 model which houses the newly designed Estotec tweeter and newly designed mid/bass drivers. The S5.4 is a 3-way design; the S3.4 a 2 ½ way design. Other models we auditioned during the past year included the WilsonAudio Sophia, WilsonAudio WP6, Thiel2.4, Dyn Confidence2's, Contour3.0, and Dyn Contour3.3, Dyn C3, and B&W Nautilus802, and a few others]

The S3.4's arrived double-boxed a few weeks back and had a fairly easy and un-eventful break-in period as I played them continually with 2-channel audio and 2-channel dvd films at various volumes. Compared to the Special25's (more on the S25 later) which took well over 2-monthes to fully break-in; the S3.4's were quick to open up and relax. Cosmetically the S3.4's are a simple and refined Danish design with subtle cues from the more expensive Confidence and Evidence lines. The black base plinth's are a wonderful touch and anchor the S3.4 to the floor and incorporate a spike-level-adjustable feature from the top, i.e. you don't have to turn the S3.4 on it's side or upside down to adjust the spikes. The grill-cloth's are situated on the drivers metal face plates via hidden magnets, and can be taken on and off with a slow and steady pull; these are not flimsy connections at all and the magnetic tightness is surprising; no plastic nubs to break-off. The grills hug the corners in a tear-drop fashion and perfectly align with the outside perimeter of the drivers. From the profile view, you are able to see through the grill spacing and the profile of the drivers edges as well as the round side of the tweeter. All of it is tightly nestled behind the grills; giving it a 'multi layered sandwich effect'. The (2) 6.5" newly designed drivers reside vertically above the newly designed 1" soft-dome tweeter. The fit and finish are flawless; as one should expect in any loudspeaker priced at $5,000. Standard WBT clear binding posts (no bi-wire; i.e. clean and simple) are found at the bottom rear. The S3.4 are not imposing nor bulky, and will not physically overwhelm a smaller/medium sized room; as their footprint is very small and reasonable. Sliding them on carpet is a breeze. For comparison purposes: the front dimension of the S3.4's are narrower and slightly taller than the S25's (if you have the S25's on 24" stands), and the depth is very similar. Overall, the look and stance of the S3.4 is not predominantly "rectangular" as you'd expect, instead you will find your eyes following the hour-glass curves of the face-plate/grill clothes tear-drop shape directly flowing down towards the complementary curves of the base-plates.

So my wife rolls her eyes as I unpack yet another pair of speaker box's (S3.4) in our living room, I smile back to her and say: "...I know, I know -- let's just see how they do..."

After initial S3.4 break-in we both picked our most familiar and favorite cd's and dvd movies from the bookcase, and the evaluation began. (Note: music and film listed in a later section).

First things first:

How well do the S3.4's image ?
In a word: Superbly
Reasoning: You should know that imaging is one of the quality's that we are very fond of when auditioning speakers and eventually a big factor when selecting them for our home. Typically we are not huge fans of big floor-standing loudspeakers because they don't always typically image as well as smaller 2-way (physically smaller box) monitor(s). Well, the S3.4's do image equally as well as our S25's and prior 1.3SE's. In many ways the S3.4's bettered the smaller box models with respect to the height, size, and depth of the image. Not only does the 46" tall S3.4 disappear -- it does so, easily. We have owned most B&W Matrix models, a few B&W Nautilus models, and the WilsonAudio Witts. Many of them a fine speaker; however in most cases the imaging and overall picture/image of the music would suffer. An example of this is when you are listening to your audio/video system and then find yourself glancing directly over to one of the speakers. If the physical speaker is calling attention to itself; then you are not 'at that moment' immersed in the music - rather you are now listening 'TO' -or- 'AT' the music. This is also known as a distraction.

For us, loudspeaker "imaging" is like a magic trick (illusion); similar to when the magician (in our case the loudspeakers) is really good, you don't realize you are being tricked; you just enjoy the "magic" (music) first and foremost. However, when the magician is bad then you start noticing things or looking where you shouldn't be; or analyzing it; then you miss the “magic” part of the "show"; i.e. the trick isn't sooo magical anymore because you weren't fooled. In this case the S3.4's image superbly, as we have yet to catch ourselves being distracted by the speakers themselves.

How do they (S3.4's) sound ?
In a word: NATURAL(organic)
Reasoning: The S3.4's have a very ‘tangible’ and un-processed quality, and they are not like any prior speaker we've owned or auditioned. The S3.4's possess a new and exceptional 'voicing' as compared to all older models of Dyn's. The only way that I can articulate what my ears hear is to say that the timbre and resonance character has been made more organic and integrated. Part of what constitutes the organic flavor is the smoothness between drivers and overall tonal balance (not lean; not heavy; not light; not dark) as well as the drivers themselves; also the inverted driver array. The voicing of the S3.4's is one of it's greatest strengths and should appeal to many who audition them. There is a real sense of flow that you will immediately notice upon your first audition. Note1: [I'm not sure what Dynaudio uses for electronics to voice their speakers when they designed and developed their new Contours; but I bet it isn't the same gear as what they used to design and voice the prior Contour models. I heard that they used Gryphon electronics at one point. I digress, but I definitely prefer the new 'natural' character and voicing of the S3.4 in comparison to say the Dyn C2. The Confidence2 is a $12k loudspeaker that I've auditioned 3x in two different locations/systems. It has (2) Esotar2 tweeters, but each and every time I auditioned them I was left 'slightly cold' (no offense to Dynaudio) but for $12k I want some deeper bass; and I want imaging that extends past the vertical planes of the front face-plate; not just between the speakers.] Note2: [In comparison for less than ½ the cost of the C2 you can own the S3.4's and I think that the S3.4's give the C2 more than serious competition. In fact you can own both the S25 and the S3.4's and still have $2,200 left over.... Something to consider]. In short – think of the S3.4 sound as an open flowing natural portal without resistance.

Example:
Mark Knopfler - cd.The Ragpicker's Dream [warnerbros 9 48318]
Track 4 (on S25’s): definitely a subtle and slightly nasal quality in voice, slight boominess heard but not always discernable, piano is subtle, drum stick tap is in rear of image is heard but cannot hear the ‘wood’ of the drumstick.
Track 4 (on S3.4’s): nasal quality is still there but not as high pitched. Smoooooother overall, less analytical sounding; piano is rendered nicer in it’s tones; staging is relaxed and clearer and each note hangs for extended time, drum stick tap is now more closely miked and detailed – sounds like ‘wood’ tapping metal. Huge difference.
Track 8 (on S25’s): I hear the rhythm but don't sense it's impact, voice is warm and raspy, guitar is clean and clear without problems, turn it up picture is retained, no edginess.
Track 8 (on S3.4’s): kick drum and backing vocals are richer and realistic with some depth; layering and spacing (depth wise) of instruments is more precise and easy to pick out.

What about the bass ?
One criteria that we both dislike when auditioning any loudspeaker is: the amount of manufactured bass "bloom" in the lower bass regions. Many other loudspeaker makers seem quick and proud to cloud the lower regions with something other than musical instrument reproduction; we refer to it as "made-up bass noise". While listening to the S3.4's we did not hear any discernable made-up bass or artificial bloom - Period. What we did experience was fluent and expressive bass notes from real instruments. In comparison to the the S25's and 1.3SE's: both of those models are not able to match the frequency response of the S3.4's. Note: [We personally dislike the idea of trying to marry a sub to two main speakers. Given all the variables: the sub's volume/loudness, the x-over, the integration; the positioning, the quantity of sub's, etc etc. We prefer to take a speaker the way it comes (whether it be a 2-way or floor stander 3-way) so as to avoid the associated anxiety of integrating a subwoofer; and not having to ask: "is the sub(s) finally optimized ? lets try another setting and position for the sub....forget it." For a dedicated home-theatre, I can see using subwoofers.] The S3.4's have remarkable bass response; I cannot quote you a frequency range as of this writing; but it puts a smile on our face everytime the S3.4 starts digging deep - and it does so without adding any artificial ingredients, and it does so easily.

Example: Norah Jones - dvd.Live in New Orleans [blue note]
Track 5 (on S25’s): cymbals guitar piano - spot on, vocals overlay everything
Track 5: (on S3.4’s): bass line is much livelier and complements the song, piano is not as sparkly want to turn it up up up
Track 9 (on S25’s): sounds clear but something is lacking - boogie factor, organ is solid, lower bass is slightly muted; vocals are even
Track 9 (on S3.4’s): vocals seem smoother; kick drum is now felt - i.e. we have boogie factor !

Example:Steve Tyrell - cd.Standard Time [columbia ck86006]
Track 2 (on S25’s): firm bass, voice seems light and a touch of honky, piano is there but slightly veiled.
Track 2 (on S3.4’s): voice is more relaxed and less honk; piano notes are deeply in my ears like a pair of headphones
Track 7 (on S25’s): not much outside the physical sides of the box, narrow soundstage, piano is nice and clean, bass line is quiet,
Track 7 (on S3.4’s): larger soundstage; nothing beaming strait out of the speaker, bass line is more distinguishable, piano keys are easier to visualize; effortless and lot’s of breathing room between instruments; not darker but more “mood” in the song.

Is the new Esotec tweeter as good as the Esotar2 tweeter ?
In a word: yes
Reasoning: well, of course it depends on you, and your taste. We prefer the new Esotec more often than the Esotar2. Why ?, well on certain source material we found the Esotar2 (used in the Dyn S25) to reveal everything to a degree that some may find or refer to as 'too revealing'. The Esotar2 has many incredible attributes but can be less forgiving if you are not listening to well recorded material and have a substantially funded rack of electronics. The Esotar2 is a wonderful tweeter most of the time. The new Esotec seems to be as smooth without going to the 'Extreme fine line' of the Esotar2, In other words, you can probably enjoy more 'less perfectly recorded material' without reaching for the volume 'down' direction. I am most curious what the S5.4 will sound like with the Esotar2 tweeter in it; w/ similar design and construction as the S3.4's. Don't get me wrong, the Esotar2 with the right equipment and right source material is an unbelievable tweeter; probably the very best I've ever heard (under ideal source material and gear). Under less ideal conditions though - the Esotar2 tweeter can occasionally sound slightly "over exposed" NOT nasally; not hard; not fatiguing, not metallic, .. the kindest words too describe it could be that it: "dance the fine line of too extreme”. The only other tweeter which floored me was the original Esotar (found on the C3’s); sometimes I think that is sweeter than the Esotar2. In summary, for everday listening of 'non-audiophile recordings', as well as dvd films; the new S3.4 Esotec driver is SUPER SMOOTH and never sounds 'over exposed'. Note: [The same/new Esotec tweeter found in the new S1.4's should easily rival the 1.3SE's tweeter; making the 1.3SE tweeter seemed prematurely rolled-off. We lived with the 1.3SE's for more than 2-years and we are confident (in our experiences) that this new tweeter is more musical and natural sounding than the version in the 1.3SE's; and a smidge more forgiving that the Esotar2. ]

Example: Joni Mitchell - cd.Hejira [asylum 1087-2]
Track 3 (on S25’s); here comes the fine line of too much resolution on the upper voice of Joni through the s25's... reaching for the remote, imaging is very very good though. Bass line is quick and below the physical box of the speaker, harmonica is sweet and layered with the voice
Track 3 (on S3.4’s): listenable all the way through. Much different experience with the high frequencies, can play at same volume without wanting to turn it down
Track 8 (on S25’s): voice is getting muttled in the instruments and the chorus section get's bright and edgy.
Track 8 (on S3.4’s): imaging is spot on; voice is sweet without being edgy, guitar plucking is apparent

Example: Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane - cd [xrcd nj8276]
Track 4 (on S25’s): Clear and open, superb imaging well above height of speaker top
Electric guitar starts in w/black quiet background; sax comes back in to accompany; very nicely executed
Track 4 (on S3.4’s): matching S25 on realism; however there is more ‘ambiance’ of the recording setting and enviroment; bigger sense of space around the musician’s
Track 5 (on S25’s): Clear but depth of soundstage arrangement is short - not deep, once too many instruments the picture gets flat.
Track 5 (on S3.4’s): Soundstage is larger and doesn’t lose the mood of the music when all instruments are playing at the same time; no congestion.

Summary:
I have lived happily with the 1.3Se's, S25's and the S3.4's. The 1.3Se are easily outclassed compared to the S25's and S3.4's with respect to overall sound, range, dynamics, and resolution. So it comes down to the S25's and S3.4's. I have played them side-by-side in my house and we both are confident in our observations within the context of our system; we cannot tell you how these perform under different equipment and room etc. Our listening indicates that the S3.4 has an inherent level of finesse and sonic strength that moves beyond the outstanding qualities found in the S25. Since the S25 has a 25-year warranty and is limited production; as well as the Esotar2 tweeter - it could be the last speaker purchase for many people and they could be completely satisfied for a very long time. The S25 does tend to omit some lower hz information (by design) which further illuminates it’s mid-range and upper strengths.

The Dynaudio S3.4's Contours in contrast, embody a new and Natural voicing that convincingly sounds right on most source material. The S3.4's present a strong organic character when portraying instruments and vocals; without the additives. The soundstage is always well developed and reachable. There is an ambience of space which is larger and more enveloping as compared to the S25. The rhythm and boogie-factor is felt in spades. They are well balanced, and very smooth, portraying all the beautiful timbre's and musical textures more times than not --without dancing the fine line of over extending it’s resolution capabilities.

To convey the intrinsic magic many of us search for in a loudspeaker, and given it's asking price and performance - I dare say that with the Dynaudio S3.4 we have " a new Classic".

Bravo Dynaudio, and thank you !

..........................
System:

Amp:
Plinius 8200mkII integrated amplifier

Transparent Cable :
MusicLink Ultra (new product/model with OpusMM technology) interconnect cabling
MusicWave Ultra (new product/model with OpusMM technology) loudspeaker cabling

Power Accessory:
Richard Gray's Power Company - RGPC 400S
Signal Cable - Magic Power AC Power Cord (10-gauge hospital grade)

Source: (In process of upgrading)
Sony DVD/CD Player (2-channel audio & dvd 2-channel; dual purpose)

Loudspeakers:
Dynaudio S3.4 Contours
Dynaudio S25 (special anniversary)
Dynaudio 1.3SE (special editions, owned for 2years no longer have)
Target R6 speaker stands ((4)x 4" pillars, filled with sand)

Video
Sony 32" (replacing with Sony HiDef XBR)

Music & Films used during review:
James Taylor - cd.October Road
John Coltrane - cd.Coltrane [impulse impd-215]
Joni Mitchell - cd.Hejira [asylum 1087-2]
Mark Knopfler - cd.The Ragpicker's Dream [warnerbros 9 48318]
Steve Tyrell - cd.Standard Time [columbia ck86006]
Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane - cd [xrcd nj8276]
Norah Jones - dvd.Live in New Orleans [blue note]
James Taylor - dvd.Live at the Beacon Theatre
Minority Report - dvd [dreamworks]
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon - dvd [superbit sony]
mfish
Mfish, many thanks for the GREAT review. I auditioned the S3.4's last week at Goodwins in Waltham, MA and was blown away much like yourself. The electronics used for my audition was all simaudio (eclipse, p5 and w5) and the resulting sound was something that I've never experienced before. I'm trying to get the funds together to make the purchase by the end of this month. I can't wait.
Glad to hear that you enjoyed my write-up; and your audition of the S3.4 as well. I agree with you, the speaker is very special indeed. Let me know what you think after you've gotten it home and broken-in. Enjoy.

Contour S 3.4 two and a half-way floor standing loudspeaker. Impedance: 4ohms; sensitivity 88dB; power rating: 300 watts. First order crossover. Dimensions: 190mm × 1200 × 340mm. MSRP: $5,000

Note: I've been told from Dynaudio that the Frequency Response is being published on their website shortly.

thx,
M
M - Really appreciate the great, indepth review. I'd be curious to know how the 3.4's compare to the older 3.0's (or 3.3's). I owned a pair of the 3.0's for a few years and really loved them. I'm sure I'd love the 3.4's as well, but if you have a comparison, it would be nice to hear your impressions.

I recently auditioned the Special 25's and then bought the Confidence 3's. The dealer who had the Special 25's told me that they "blew away" the Confidence 3's in "every" respect. The dealer who still had a pair of Confidence 3's told me that they would provide a "bigger" sound and go deeper, in sheer Hz as well as refinement.

I think the second dealer was the more accurate. I really liked the 25's a lot, but I like the 3's even more. The 25's had to be brought further out into the room, and I agree that the 3's go deeper with more refinement. You mention in your review that the 25's recreate the low end on a couple songs, but not with the same authority that the 3.4's do. That mirrors my experience between the 25's and the 3's.

The 3's also sound more musical to me, and definitely allow me to enjoy poorer recordings than the 25's did. The tweeter in the 25's is so fast as to be unbelievable. They image beyond comprehension, IMO. They also are ultra-revealing. For anybody who values these qualities amongst their highest priorities, these speakers could well be perfect. The 3's a very revealing, but come across as more enjoyable to me.

Thanks again for the indepth review.
I don´t want to disturb anyone, but I wonder how good can you drive the Dynaudio Contour 3.0 or new 3.4 with a Plinius 8200 integrated amp.
I own a 8200P amp and it is a great one, but it would need some more current delivery to apropiate move the Contours.
Hi there,

Please note; the power from the 8200mkII has been more than adequate for the S 3.4's thus far. I cannot speak on how well it could drive the older 3.0's or 3.3's -as those seem to need a lot more power. The 3.0's/3.3's seem to sound best at medium/louder volumes also.

The S3.4's are rated at 88db, and the 3.0's are rated at 86db, so maybe that's why I'm not running out of 'reserve' quite yet.

One of the biggest differences between the current S3.4 and the older 3.0's is that the S3.4's can also sound clear and detailed at very low levels. I found (auditioning the 3.0's) that they kinda sound dry and too laid back at very low volumes.

I've been able to easily play the S3.4's are very loud volumes (especially with dvd films) without compression or collapsing of the soundstage image...

The Plinius web-site confirms that the 8200mkII can deliver around 300 watts per channel into a 4ohm load

[Power: 175 Watts RMS per channel into 8 Ohms both channels driven from 20Hz to 20kHz.

Saturation: 200 Watts per channel or greater into 8 Ohms. 300 Watts per channel or greater into 4 Ohms.

Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20kHz ± 0.2dB, -3db at 5Hz, -3db at 70kHz.

Distortion: Typically less than 0.05% THD at rated power, 0.2% THD and IMD worst case prior to clipping.].

As I've found that the Plinius gear mates extremely well with Dynaudio's; I could see how even more 'current' may enhance an already great sounding speaker like the S3.4.

thx,
M
OK I know the specifications.
I also own a Plinius 8200P and Dynaudio Contour 1.3SE.
I have checked the 8200P amp with all the former Contour speakers, except 3.3, with a Wadia 861 CDP, without preamp.
Of course you can drive your speakers with a 8200MkII, of course it is a fine amp, but the danes are current suckers, and you are loosing something on the woofer control.
The matter is that an amp with more current delivery would show you the real tight Contours deep end.
I have written current, not watts.
Let´s talk about specifications: the SA102 is rated 125 Watts at 8ohm, but gives a peak of 50 Amperes per channel. The 8200MkII gives 35 A. The driving abilities of the SA102 are much greater.
If you like the sound of the speakers you should try Plinius SA 102 or SB300, and then you will really listen to what the Contours can do in the low end.
Oops, they really cost a lot of money, but there is the difference.
There are better front ends to match with the danes, too.
I am sorry for this upgrade bug.
Manuel

I understand what you are saying and I agree about more current. My distinction was that the S3.4 is actually a more sensitive speaker compared to the 3.0 so the difference in current may be aided by the higher sensitivity. I have been on the fence w/respect to going separates; I like to keep it simple. Without adding another a/c connection, another cable between amp/pre etc.

I think the SB300 is probably the preferred piece over the SA102 from what dealers have indicated to me... particularly w/the Dyn's.

thx.
M
p.s.
The dealers I spoke with indicated that there is minor improvements when going to separates (Plinius) -- but not night & day differences. Most indicated that a slight improvement in the bass can be gained...
When I was checking my amp with the Contours, I did an A-B comparison with a Krell kav250 amp.
I prefer the overall tone of the 8200P, but on bass control there was no color: the performance of the Krell on deep end beated the Plinius easily, with well recorded discs you could "feel" the vibration and the fingers of the double bass player on the strings, and even notice that a piano is string instrument.
Everyone can value whether this is a sligth improvement or not. To my ears this is the essence of music.
About the front end, your speakers cannot invent the music, they obviously need a source. The better the source, the better they will sound, specially dynaudios, which are specially cruel with the sources, they don´t forgive any fault from them.
That´s why I think that you are not taking the most of your speakers.
This is only my opinion.
Manuel

I agree, I noted in my review that my source was in process of being upgraded:

Source: (In process of upgrading)
Sony DVD/CD Player (2-channel audio & dvd 2-channel; dual purpose)

thx,
M
Just curiosity, what are you looking for your source?
I am also looking for a new CD player or maybe a transport + DAC
Manuel
All's I can say is thank you Mfish for turning me on to this speaker. As I re-read your review I now had sonic memories of the past week's experience to compare with yours. Dead on my friend! There was a moment last night with a tenor sax playing that a note was hit at what must have been in the extreme high freqency range; it literaly sent a pleasure chill through my ear drums, I don't think my ears have experienced that particular range before :) I did read somewhere that this tweeter could go beyond the 20khz range, and this was from an SACD, so it's possible. All's I know is it sounded wonderful. I'm still only a week into break-in (equating to about 40 hours of actual play). And the only area where I find that my former Special 25's are outperforming the 3.4's is in the bass. But this is most likely due to break-in time. It's been steadily improving each night, but like all my other Dynaudio's the bass drivers take longer to hit their stride in a break in period. I do love this speaker and expect it will be many years before I consider another.
Mfish, I'd like to thank you for the excellent review - the best I've seen so far!

I bought a pair of Special 25's two days ago and your review is one of the determining factors, although you praised S3.4 over S25. I just have a thing with monitors and love the scene of them being on some nice stands. Also room is small so monitors make more sense.

Seems everyone want Plinius pair with Dyn, how about Bryston 3B or 4B? They are very neutural and MORE power.

Thanks,

Abe

glad to hear you found the write-up interesting. just to clarify; the praise of the S3.4s over the S25 was not at a 'land-slide'; there are strong merits to each model, given their particular application [yours being a smaller room the S25 is THE choice].

with respect to the amp, anything neutral with high current should pair well. I've heard many Plinius, some Pass, and have heard Bryston does indeed do the job.

Cabling and source(digital) may also prove to be as important with the S25s as they will reveal everything in the chain.

Best
M
Mfish,

I don't have an Amp yet. furstrated! Neutural is the primary requirement I am looking for an Amp. I saw a Plinius SA-100 listed here but not sure about the 100W is the best vs. 200W of Bryston 4B. People also recommend Krell say they are one level above Bryston.

Here is my system will look like:

Digital source:
SONY DVD player
|
|
V
Camelot Uther Mk3 DAC (with volume control)
|
|
V
Amp ( to be decided )

Cables:
Speaker cable: Cardas Neutural Reference
IC between DAC and Amp: Cardas Neutural Ref. XLR (looking)

The only weak link probably is the SONY DVD player as a CD transport, but I believe 1's and 0's are just that.

Abe

myself, have always been partial to the Plinius 'sound'.
and would recommend pairing Plinius with Dynaudio.
Thanks Mfish! I trust your word.

Seems all the people here on A'gon praise Plinius. I just read a glowing review of the new SA-102.

But my wallet says: " ouch! "

:-)

Abe
I been in Audio THING for awhile ( 20 yrs ?? ) and the ONLY speakers I liked most are the B&W Matrix and now Nautilus. But after I read a message from Mr. Mfish and I want to try the Dynaudio S3.4 ( local guy selling $3200 with upgraded SOFT BLACK finish ). I bought the S3.4 and bring them home and hurry to hook up with my Krell Fpb300CX / CD Meridian 508-24 and preamp Threshold T2 . The SOUND : WONDERFUL!!! hand down the B&W N803. Now my audio life change to Dynaudio. I am going to buy a pair S1.4 soon for my home theater.
Thanks to Dynaudio and special BIG THANKS to Mr. Mfish. We need more feedbacks from you.
Hi, I fell in love with the Dynaudio sound at a dealer, the S3.4's. I was in the process of buying B&W 804's at the time, but couldn't settle for less. At about this time, the dealer in question re-acquired the Wilson line, so they had to drop actively selling Dynaudio. (I guess they still are dealers for them, they just don't display them). Anyway, a pair of S5.4 demos became available at the same price as the 3.4's, so I snapped them up. These speakers continue to amaze me, their quality only limited by the quality of signal sent to them. By the way, I upgraded my speaker cables to Synergistic Research Resolution Reference FX Active, an incredible jaw-dropping imorovement. Upgrades in amp, digital front end, (player and dac), made similar improvements. Amp is Aragon 3002, (300wpc), upgraded by David Schulte. There is great joy in listening now, with almost no upgrade-itis remaining, just a little residual, as is normal for us audiophiles. I enjoyed your review very much, it seems reviews on Dynaudio's are as scarce as hen's teeth. Here's to your continued enjoyment of Dynaudio/music (the two are synonymous).
Islandmandan

I am struggling between S3.4 and B&W 803D (3 times the price of S3.4) for a few months now. I am using McIntosh C46 pre + MC402 power amp, a 400wpc gigante. The reason I am struggling is because I heard Contour 3.0 at my friend's (driven by a Meridian 500 series set-up) and I was impressed. I cannot find any dealer from where I am to auditon the S3.4 with McIntosh.

Can you share with me more your experience since July?

Thanks in advance.
I too have been looking at the 3.4's with great interest.

I had originally intended to buy the focus 220's, but the 3.4's seem to have almost an identical configuration but with the benefit of better casework and more than likely improved crossover etc

as for amps, i will be using them with a pair of Cyrus Mono X's. These amps will throw about 250 watts into the 4 ohms of the DYN's. But current is where these amps excell.

Earlier comments about current being fairly valid, these amps can throw in around 80 amps!!! Suffice to say they can more than control the dynaudios.
With high powerred A class amplifier, sounds and life is perfect with Dynaudio S 3,4...Dynaudio is really great...Thanks to ...