Opinions on the Dynaudio DM 2/8

I own both the DM & Excite lines. In their respective price points, they are almost impossible to beat and I agreed with JA of Stereophile that unless you get another pair that costs severeal thousand dollars more.

I have used a NAD 352 to drive both the Excite & DM 2/10 and both pairs sound great with the cheap NAD. Both speakers sounded much bigger than their sizes suggested and threw a huge & dynamic sound stage.

Both DM & Excite lines are 4 ohm loads. I don't know anything about Exposure's capability to drive tough load speakers so I cannot comment.

The Excite X 16's bass is truly amazing & hits very cleanly down to the 40 Hz. The bass is extremely deep given the small size of the woofer. I compared my notes auditioning a pair of PSB T 45 with the X 16. They both go deep but differently. The bass on the PSB T 45 is fuller & more dynamic but I would say the bass on the X 16 is the type of bass that most standmount speaker owners would love to own, deep yet very clean. I auditioned an Enya album that features the Orinoco Flow track.

But given the small size of the woofer, a powered subwoofer is recommended for the X 16 or the X 12 to prevent bass overload.

You will not be disappointed with either the DM 2/8 or X 16. The X 16 is a very handsome speaker and very easy on the eyes.

Unless you are a fan of British brands, I would say the Dynaudio DM & Excite are in a league above the PMC, Quad, & Tannoy.

I have also compared the bass on the X 16 with my brother Totem Rainmaker & my trustworthy backup JBL S-38.

The X 16 bass hits deeper and more punchy and the high is smoother than those of the Totem Rainmaker due to the $600 difference in price and the Dynaudio soft dome tweeter is probably the factor here. Cabinets on both the Dynaudio & the Totem are top notch.

The JBL S-38 is a fun speaker that I love with more dynamic and fuller bass than that of the X 16. However, the high and the mid of the S-38 are not as smooth and revealing as the X 16 of course.

But the folks at Dynaudio somehow managed to voice the bass on the X 16 very, very, very punchy yet with very, very, very accurate bass notes, and from my notes "the bass is just PERFECT for music listening regardless of music genre".

That makes the X 16 as special as its smaller brother X 12, a speaker that had won quite a few favorable reviews in North America.

I can live with both the JBL S-38 & Dynaudio X 16 bass. With the S-38, you don't need a powered sub for music. Of course, the S-38 is almost as big as my Dynaudio DM 2/10 which was designed primarily for movie editing & dance studios where accurate & good sound is a must.

With the X 16, you probably need a powered sub, NOT for the lowest note in terms of bass but for a more pronounced & revealing mid-range and to help the small woofers on the Dyns from being overwhelmed with bass rich materials reproduction like rap or night club music.

I love both the DM & Excite line from Dynaudio. To my ears, they sound almost similar but the DM line is a bit more efficient and that may help if you do not crank your amp too loud.

I am happy to own either Dynaudio or PSB speakers. Both companies make great speakers. You have to pay a little more $$$ for Dynaudio speakers but their cabinets IMO are second to none.

Fusion10

You will not be disappointed with the DM 2/8. They are very neutral and more efficient than the Audience or Focus line. The Dynaudio DMs are fun speakers to listen to. You will love them but you just have to be patient with their long run in period.

My GF who is not an audiophile said this after we AB my brother Totem and her Dyn DM 2/10. "I want the Dynaudio. Return the Totem to your brother. The Dyns do not lie."

Folks,

I think the DM line is easier to drive and much more dynamic than the retired Audience line.

If you want to tell whether the Quad will outpeform Dynaudio, listen to these albums The Eagles Hell Freezes Over track # 6 & 8, Ice Cube Raw Material track # 4,9, & 15, and Massive Attack-Singles track #4 (Teardrop).

If the Quad sounded compressed and thin especially with IC track # 9 and Massive Attack track # 4, I don't think the Quad will suit your needs as a rock speaker.

MA RS 6 is a that gets many things done right and very little wrong. My only gripe is that their high is not as smooth as that of a Dynaudio DM 2/8 or Excite X 16. I do not know if the MA RX 2's tweeters got some improvement. If they did, they are great speakers for rock too if you don't mind the fact they are built in China.

I will say this. The DM 2/8 is an excellent choice. But you will not regret the premium that the Excite X 16 commands.

You can get a DM 2/8 and still have a few hundred dollars left for an Outlaw LFM 1 Plus. I usually have some reservations against the metal dome tweeters because they sound hot to my ears.

Agreed on Dynaudio X 16, Usher X 718, PSB Imagine B, & Totem Rainmakers if purchase the aforementioned brand new. Swan are sold directly online so my only nitpick is you do not get to audition them before you fork over your hard earned cash. Still doable if you don't mind the shipping & handling if you decided to return them within the 30 days grace period. But don't quote me. The sure way is to check with HiVi Audio website.

Dynaudio Focus 140 & 110, PSB Synchrony 2B, Paradigm Signature S2 are great used speakers.

Totem Model One Signature is weak in the bass dept for my taste (hint: not enough bass for rock IMO). Used Mani 2 are ok for rock but they are a bit over your budget.

Personally, I would pick Dynaudio, PSB, & Usher over Totem. If you have room & don't mind the utility look (hint: boring to some folks), Vandersteen is an excellent choice for almost any type of music.

If you want to save $$$, Paradigm Studio 20 is a decent speaker but I don't think the Studio Series is on par with both the Dynaudio Excite X 12 and X 16. The Paradigm Studio 20 may sound bright for you since they sport metal dome tweeters.

ProAc is a good speaker but it is just too expensive unless you are willing to purchase them used.

Totem Rainmaker does sound a bit brighter than its brothers Totem Model One & Totem Model One Sig. All Totem bookshelf speakers sound brighter than Dynaudio per my ownership experience.