Dynaudio C1 with more impact


I've just auditioned a pair of Dynaudio C1 hooked up to a Cary SLI 80 and I really liked the speakers, and I was actually very surprised by the Cary since it's a pretty low watt amp which seems to go against the suggestions of many around here. I listened to mostly older rock (Beatles, Pink Floyd, Queen, Zeppelin) and I thought they were amazing for this kind of stuff. There was a lot of detail, and every instrument was very well separated. The only "issue" I ran into was when playing metal, which even that sounded really good. The only thing I wish it had was more "impact", for lack of a better word. All the music was there in front of me, and every instrument was clearly audible and while this is good for most times, there are times when I'd actually like to feel the music hit me, if that makes sense. I realize that they're pretty small speakers and the bass on them while extended and went pretty low, it was refined rather than having any impact.

Am I looking at the completely wrong speaker for this? Don't get me wrong I still liked them very much as they were, but I'm wondering if the issue that I'm seeing has to do with the power provided (is a high watt amp really needed for that sort of this, or is that simply for more volume?), room setup, or does it just need a sub in some instances.
jibbonacci

Showing 3 responses by james63

Anyone that tells you that you need to buy a lesser speakers because you listen to heavy metal has their head in the sand. There are lots well recorded hard-rock and Metal albums out there. A lot of the metal poor recording are just old digital... the genre does not make them bad.

In reality heavy metal is very hard for speakers. There is a lot of dynamic swings and tons of information. You may just need to look for speakers with more dynamic range. Which almost always means large speakers... I have never heard dynaudio so I can not comment on the speakers.

How much are the C1s and how big is your room?

Best of luck hunting.
I agree with Fin1bxn. $6000 is a lot of cash and even more if you look on the used market.

Monitors do a lot of things well but they just don't have the bass slam/punch I think you are looking for. There are exceptions (Wilson duettes come to mind) but for the most part lager speakers have more impact.

Your room is a good size and would be able to support a much larger speaker than the C1.

As for your question, amps can add punch as you go up in power. But I have found they can not fix what a speaker is missing only unleash there potential.
There is a pair of Dynaudio C2s on audiogon for $5500 used. They would most likely fit your room better than the C1.