Dynaudio Special 40 or OLD Dynaudio Focus 160?

The esotar tweeter is much better than the esotec tweeter. Only the floorstander of the Focus line uses the esotar IIRC.

That said the special 40 is kind of a weird animal, it uses prototype Esotar3 drivers, even more advanced than what's available with the Confidence C1 or Contour C20, but has a noisy, poorly braced enclosure, whereas I would expect the Focus 160 to have better build quality.

That said with proper room correction the Special 40 should sound better. But of course price is a concern too, I'm not sure you can get the Special 40 at the same price as the Focus 160.

@jeffersondavis There is a 1k difference where Special 40 a little bit expensive, I would love to have a wood veneer finish instead of glossy though, to add into the list, half the price of Special 40, it is ProAc Tablette 10 Signature another consideration.

I have not heard the Focus 160 but I bought a pair of the Focus 140s when they first came out. They were very good speakers at their price point, driven by Musical Fidelity A308 series integrated amp and cd player. I have recently listened to the Special 40s at a dealer. They are indeed special. If the Focus 160 is similar to the 140 but more of it, I would really lean to the Special 40s. I heard the Special 40s at Glenn Poor Audio in Champaign, Illinois with Technics amplifier, music server, and turntable. Very impressive sound for the size of speaker.

I have the special 40. Best monitor i ever owned. Magic with Gamut amplification.
Regards

I've owned both. The Special 40s do sound better but you really can't go wrong with either model. I still use the Special 40s and I'm convinced that I'd have to spend twice as much to find a monitor to best them. They play just about any type of music exceptionally well.