What fish will this make me...
Posted by: sihctr on 12 February 2018
Hi all,
Not posting too often around here, and when I do, it's usually to complain about how tiring I find my system, with a sound that has too much "urgency" and doesn't let me relax. System is:
Synology NAS -> rPi+Hifiberry Digi+ -> Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 -> Nait XS+FlatcapXS -> Linn K20 -> Dynaudio X36
The room is 4.5m x 4m, with plenty of soft furnishings. In the quest to make the system more bearable over the years, I have added bass traps, auditioned nDAC, tried out balanced isolation transformer, played with speaker placement etc. I could notice some small changes, but the essence of the sound remained the same. Measurements with REW don't show any significant issues. Therefore, after some long thought, I came to the conclusion that the speakers are simply not matching my room and I should try out some standmounts instead.
Long story short, after auditioning Dynaudio Contour 20, Confidence C1 Platinum and PMC twenty5 22, I have now borrowed and been demoing the C1s at home... WOW!
The transformation of the sound is impressive! Darker balance that I have been looking for, with amazing level of detail, especially when things get complex. In comparison, the X36s sound much more "congested" and "smeared" and "bright" and in the end annoying!
Now, I am imagining that most of you right now are shivering at the thought of "wasting" such fine speakers with such "poor" electronics! Where did "source first" principle go? Am I going nuts? Should I be burned at the stake for ignoring the comments saying that not even a 250.2 is good enough for C1s? 
The reality is that these speakers are giving me the sound that I have been looking for. I am not playing at loud volumes and these creatures are so enjoyable even at low levels. And obviously having such speakers can only open the appetite for further upgrades upstream... 
Please excuse my long ramblings. I've been so excited since yesterday that I had to share it with you.
So... what fish will the C1s make me?
Eoink posted:
Instead of a fish, how about a bird? You could say the skylark has a mullet, but it sounds wonderful.
Good choice. Messiaen did use the tune of the Skylark in his Petites esquisses d'oiseaux #6. He never composed any music based on a singing fish.
Tallan posted:I'd say that would make you a snook (yes, it's a real fish - imagine a barracuda with a bit more of a football shape and lacking the toothy grin): excellent taste and one of the most intelligent fish in the sea. I tried for 20+ years while living in the FL Keys to catch one and while I saw plenty they were all too wise to take the bait!
I've had my C1 Platinums for almost 3 years now and have loved them from the first minute. BTW I found that while the sound improved incrementally every hundred hours or so for the first 300-400 hours they didn't get fully run in until 1000+ hours.
Source at first was a 172 into a 200 amp, but ASAP I upgraded to 272 + XPSDR and 250DR. They love power: not necessarily watts up front but deep reserves of power really make them come alive, even at moderate volumes. I'd love to hear them with a 300DR or, if the lottery ever goes my way, a 500DR.
To me the C1s are a lifetime speaker: I'm sure there are better out there - there always are - but I have no desire whatever to look (or pay) for ithem. The C1s tick every box that is important to me in a stand mount speaker and the only weakness I could possibly mention is in the sound staging. They image very well and spot performers left to right beautifully but are not the most "3D" I've heard. But oh the smoothness of the crossover - NO holes or dips here - and the depth and realism of the bass in a cabinet this compact... it's truly remarkable. I can listen for hours and hours (and do) with zero fatigue which tells me distortion is vanishingly low and while maybe a bit shy on realism presenting symphonic music (their size and the sound staging again) they can rock and are just outstanding on vocal, acoustic & traditional, jazz, electronic and chamber music.
You are a smart fish indeed.
Thank you Tallan for your comments. It seems that your opinion regarding the C1s matches very well my (short) experience with them. I'm absolutely in love with them! Even though I plan to audition more speakers for the fun of it, mentally I have purchased them already...
I've been listening to them as much as possible and indeed zero fatigue is induced. That would have been impossible with the X36. I stayed up until 2am last night as I am enjoying them so much! Indeed the staging is not too "3D", but I cannot give an opinion about this, as the fireplace between the speakers is probably killing the image, while the music that I listen to is most likely not mastered with such considerations in mind.
I am also pretty excited about the prospects of upgrading the electronics, since, according to all the comments, there is a lot of untapped potential. Right now, I am so satisfied with this system combination that I could live it as is, but I am sure upgraditis will kick in soon! My wallet will not be so excited then... 
Why stop at 500DR when you win the lottery? That's what Statement is for! And with a bit of a green marker it would match the rest of the Classic components nicely. 