Decisions on standmounts: ATC, Dynaudio, ProAc, Sonus Faber
I’m considering the following speakers models: ATC SCM19 V2 Dynaudio Contour S1.4 ProAc Tablette 10 Signature Sonus Faber Sonetto II
Currently I’m listening to a pair of Wharfedale Denton 80th Anniversarry, everything so musical and well done with this speakers, it sound sweet smooth engaging if powerd by a Class D Audio SDS-470C with upgraded power supply, it sound near to neutral with very accurate dimensional Hi-Fi details if powerd by an NAD M22 v2 power amp. Having said that, I would like to have another set of speakers to play with, most probably I would something that sound balanced from top to bottom, while not too clinical analytical or too lush warm sounding to begin with. For critical listening, usually I’m using the Sennheiser HD 600, source signal from Fostex HP-A3 DAC/preamp. I will save a FLAC file if i like/love a track, then I will also convert it to mp3 vbr0 as another copy for car playback.
I have never heard ATC so can’t comment.Have heard the small ProAcs and found them VERY bright.Demo’d the Sonetto 2 and really liked them but a little hard to drive with a couple of big phase shifts..Newer Dynaudio Excite or Special 40 MUCH better than S1.4 which are TOUGH to drive & has the notable Dynaudio Bass Hump. Add Harbeth M30.1/30.2 to your list & IMO absolutely the best Monitor available under $10,000.00...
freediver there is no best monitor under $10k only preferences.
There are many Harbeth fans and many Harbeth not fans.
Personally I would take a pair of ATC SCM 40 at $7k over the Harbeth 30.2 which are an augmented two way with a super tweeter any day of the week.
The ATC are much more neutral and have far greater bass extension and punch. The Harbeths are a midrange oriented speaker that has much more an editorializing effect of adding liquidity to music even if it isn't there.
In terms of looks Harbeths are much prettier.
The ATC SCM 19v2 is a suberb monitor at $4k and if driven correctly sounds very natural.
The Dynaudio's are very musical they don't have the punch of the ATC but in other areas are very very good.
The Proacs don't do rock anywhere as well as the ATC.
^^^ I am willing to bet a weeks pay that 80% of Harbeth haters/non fans have NEVER EVEN HEARD A PAIR & base their opinions on SPECS alone & since you have NO clue even which speakers the 30.1/30.2 speakers are & are comparing a 3 way Floorstander with a 2 way monitor I will completely disregard your entire reply.
It seem the ProAc does not get much vote, ATC as usual supported by many Hi-Fi enthusiasts, I agree Dynaudio woofers can be too stiff at times especially for drum music, I go for ATC if last question answered, is drum music easier to be played via ATC woofers? It seem very hard (maybe not so much elasticity compare to material like Kevlar bass driver by B & W?
@freediver I think I'll skip Harbeth M30.1 as there is review even my Wharfedale Denton sound similar, I guess it improve on the same basis with wider scale most probabaly, forward engaging mid sound I think.
@wim1983 They are using a slightly bigger magnet than the floorstanding concept 500 from what ive read. It is basically a similar design to the floorstander except in a smaller package for people that dont want a big heavy floorstander. The floorstanding concept 500 are well regarded.
I have heard the concept 300. Based on the brief demo in the store i was impressed by what i heard. They are pretty good.
I have also heard B&w 805d3 and Kef reference 1. These were definitely not as good as the q acoustics despite being more expensive but it was a different room so comparisons are not completely valid.
Its worth listening to. I have nothing against ATC but the scm11 i heard were not that impressive, again taking into account the acoustics of the demo room.
Kenjit the SCM 11 are not as good as the SCM 19, there is a world of difference between the two speakers. The midrange woofer of the 19 is from the higher end models and the 11's are not.
You also can't judge hearing the B&W and Kef Ref 1 in different rooms with probably different gear.
We have the ATC SCM 11 and the SCM 19 in the same room as the Ref 1 and the Paradigm Persona B they all sound dramatically different.
As per the Harbeths we have had a pair of the Anniversary speakers trade in and they were very musical but very colored.
We have also heard the 30 and the 40's at shows, they are very musical loudspeakers and very colored stunning cabinets.
Depends on what you want our of your system and your musical tastes.
"I think I'll skip Harbeth M30.1 as there is review even my Wharfedale Denton sound similar, " OP if you believe this then do yourself a favor and forget an upgrade because that makes the Denton's WORLD CLASS according to every single professional review ever written about the M30.1's! If you want mid forward tone Dynaudio will fit the bill.
@freediver@yogiboy I think I have mentioned I'm not looking for an upgrade? Did I? I'm looking to hear something more neutral, I believe Harbeth speakers are musical, having said that no perfect speakers, I heard a pair of Harbeth SHL5 Plus speakers, I think it's a bit bright due to the metal tweeters, guess need proper matching with some gears too. I believe M30.1 is the more appropriate musical speakers for most people, but then I already got something similar which is the Wharfedale Denton, the price difference is so huge too, so for that reason I would not spend too much to get a similar sound.
We have the ATC SCM 11 and the SCM 19 in the same room as the Ref 1 and the Paradigm Persona B they all sound dramatically different.
well in which case the question is why do they sound dramatically different? All those speakers are two ways. They are all high end. They all use non resonant rigid boxes with bracing. why should there be such huge differences? one possible answer is that the crossover is wrong. Ive said this before. They cant all be right. At least one or more of those speakers are designed incorrectly.
That has nothing to do with speakers. A speaker is just a device that is supposed to accurately reproduce the cd you play. Some speakers are incorrectly tuned to alter the stereo image to produce deeper or wider images. That is supposed to be fixed at the stage of the production and mastering of the track. So yes there is only one correct way. Same thing with tonality. People like to compare the tonality of speakers but that is all supposed to be done using equalisers at the production stage.
In conclusion, most speakers are wrong, perhaps all of them. I dont know which speakers are closest to the truth. Nobody seems to agree.
Interesting that you describe the Dentons as being neutral and accurate. I have a pair of them as well in a 2nd system and find them warm, not neutral and not exactly accurate but highly engaging - this is with both SS and tube gear. I really do like the speakers, especially for the price but would describe them completely differently. It's just interesting how all of us perceive sound so differently. No wonder there is a bazillion choices on the market!
@three_easy_payments I'm just shocking to notice that actually, initially I thought my new NAD M22 v2 is not as good as my previous power amp, not as sweet smooth engaging, but then after some listenings, the NAD power amp turns out to be a HD master, so accurate which unbelievable make my Wharfedale Denton sing near neutrally (everything sound flat, clean clear and dimentional as a picture to sound, while I will not consider as clinical and analytical though), perhaps the ports noise and amp matching still contribute to your little warm impression in this case.
Nothing mentioned above sounds as sweet as this speaker with the Class D Audio SDS 470C amp. I have both, along with a lot of other greats. But this combo sounds as good as it gets!
Next choice would be Proac Response D2, which is oustanding, but the the Antero is better.
ATC’s would be in the running (really superb resolution)... but... you have to spend a lot more money to get the sound you want (e.g. ATC SCM20sl and up).
All of these have the HD600 sound quality, or even better... the Grado RS1 sound quality, both of which I have.
AudioNote anyone? Good luck finding a pair to hear. They were at Axpona last week so I had a chance. The ATC 50’s were great in the mid but too bright for my poor ears. Spendor D7 or D9 are the ones I like. Whoops, not floor standers though are they. Are you short of space? Curious why the standers appeal to you? Spendor 100's then. Another impossible speaker to locate.
You want a good pair of speakers to play with as a second pair? For me, hands down for the money are the new Magnepan LRS (Little Ribbon Speakers) only $650/pair! They are so musical. Bass was not lacking. Not better, maybe, than some box speakers with good enclosures, crossovers and bass drivers, but very good. But at $650 they are the biggest bargain on the planet. I auditioned them and spoke to Wendell at Axpona. All the money left over you can use to put them on MyeStands and spend on other parts of your system, like power and interconnects.
I disagree that dynaudio exite and special 40 is better than contour S1.4LE . S1.4LE limited edition compares to confidence c1.If you can, get Limited edition,not original S1.4:)
Hej I have a pair ATC SCM 19v2 and I think they are very good and very neutral. There are two things you should know about them; to sound the best they need power and to be played at at least "normal" listening volume.
Fully agree with you on this. Most speakes have a very uneven freq. response placed in a normal listening room. Can easily differ +/- 10 db. And these "real" freq. curves looks very different from speaker to speaker. That's why they also sound different. Shouldn't be like that. The difference should be in other areas like resolution, dynamics, spl capacity and so on. Big problem when you want a speaker that plays well on all kinds of music. ATC comes close to that though. After running the signal through a good room and speaker calibration system they begin to sound similar though. For your information waiting for the Quested V3110 monitor which I hope will be the end of the search.
If I wanted something really different I wouldn't choose a Sonus Faber speaker. .
I'm already started listening to the Sonus Faber Sonetto I, sound pretty neutral light as first impression, without any hint of harshness, the bass dynamic is definitely better than Wharfedale Denton, though I think still need time to judge the break up process of the woofers and how well it perform with various complex tracks. At this price, excellent speakers design & craftsmanship by Italian, I think they beat Harbeth in terms of build quality & materials used, sound wise I cannot comment much yet, stay tune!
I have been listened enough with the Sonus Faber Sonetto I, hmm I think the sound is neutral and flat across the spectrum, kinda lack coloration for some poorer recordings, which can be higher noise to my ears. I would plan on to attempt Spendor Classic 3/1 next, which from begin should be my first try before anything else in the market, how could I miss it? Anybody has faith in Spendor Classic line? The price of the bookshelf just roughly same or maybe even cheaper than Sonetto II I believe, and it's made in England, with some LS 3/5a brilliant magic?
@twoleftears Spendor Classic 100 of course would an ideal end game choice for pure music HiFi listening speakers, reality is out of my budge a lot haha, the bookshelf Classic 3/1 I would assume is big enough for me.
I ended up buying the Graham Audio LS 5/9 after hearing the Harbeth 30.1, A speaker I had been longing for, for many years. I like the midrange better on the Graham’s, feels more balanced to me and the bass is more exciting I feel.
While the speakers are very revealing, they also present the music in a way that most recordings sound listenable, I can listen for hours on hours without any fatigue, they are very musical, but the most outstanding thing about them, is the way one can pick a instrument and follow it trough the melody and still hear all the melody at the same time, and one does not need to concentrate when doing this, it just comes natural. They of course have the famous bbc bass hump, but it works very well, giving the music a nice foundation, the bass is very good, but falls of at 50hz or a bit lower, depending on room they are in. The speakers excels on Classical, small, but also large assembly works very well, violins and piano sound great, Jazz also work unbelievable well, so well, that it has made me listen to more and more jazz. I am surprised how well it can play Blues, a favorite of mine, also if a room is not too large, it can play Rock and Pop music just fine, although if you listen more to heavier rock/punk, metal, then I would probably look elsewhere, or get a sub or two.
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