Dynaudio Audience 52 vs 52 SE


Has anyone had the chance to compare these two speakers? I really enjoyed listening to the Dynaudio Audience 52 at a dealer, but they did not have an Audience 52 SE for comparison. I have found one review online that seems somewhat troubling:

http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/loudspeakers/dynaudio52sep1.php

I think this guy is crazy, or perhaps his Onix A120 Mk.II integrated amplifier has a problem. Maybe the volume knob goes to 11! Has anyone heard of strong bass problems with this speaker? When I listened to the 52 in the shop, I played some pretty aggressive rock songs with strong bass and had no problems. I will never listen to hip-hop, so building-destroying bass is not a concern for me. Good, strong, tunefull bass that can handle good rock music (bass guitar, drums, some synthesizer) as well as sound good with jazz string bass and various symphonic instruments is what interests me. The 52 SE seems to have the same mid/bass driver as the 52, but it has a different crossover to accommodate a more sophisticated tweeter. The specs list the 52 SE frequency response as 45 Hz - 26 kHz +- 3 dB, and the normal 52 as having a frequency response of 52 Hz - 24 kHz +- 3 dB.
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Showing 1 response by davt

I have and highly enjoyed a pair of 52SE for the past year. The only thing they share with the standard 52 is the cabinet. The base driver comes from the old Contour 1.3Mk II and the tweeter from the new Contour 1.4. It also has a nicer crossover. I really like the soundstage, range and depth of this speaker. It really improved as I upgraded my system. I can highly recommend the 52 and 52SE but consider the 52SE a great speaker. That being said, my little Dynaudio' will soon need a new home as after carefull search I have found an upgrade speaker I like even more, the Dynaudio Special 25. Now to start again on the upgrade path with amps.

As for load, I do know Dynaudio's well and I think that they are a pretty easy load on an amp. Yes, they rate at 4 ohm but this is really the lowest they go. My new Dynaudio Special 25's are rated at 4 ohm yet they rarely drop below 6, only once, and then only to just over 4ohm. The lack of severe impedence shift is a bit easier for an amp to handle. I did audition a pair of Focal speakers and though they were rated at 8ohm their impedence actually dropped into the mid 3's on two areas. This does work an amp and though it got "loud" easier than the Dynaudio's it required more power to get the full depth of the speaker.