Now here's a truly special speaker: the Dynaudio Confidence C1, made in Denmark, $7,500/pair including stands. I auditioned these at AudioVisionSF.
First impression: amazing bass impact for such a small speaker. These had more extension than my Quad 988s, which is saying something given their respective sizes. On Burial's "Archangel," the C1 made the most of the low bass synthesizer that moves in like a dark cloud, while also doing an amazing job delineating everything in the soundstage.
Which brings us to the resolution offered by these speakers. Lots and lots of resolution. Said Wes Phillips when reviewing these for Stereophile, "they carved images out of solid granite." On Bach's BWV 147 cantata, the C1's offered incredible vocal articulation -- you could make out individual singers clearly in the chorus.
And incredible dynamic range. On almost every track, it was as though the contrast had been turned up. This gave Arcade Fire's "No Cars Go" more drama. But not crossing over into artificial detail or fatiguing. Just a clear, clear window on the performance (but still not quite at the level of the Magico Mini II).
And unlike the Magico's, these also sound great at low volumes.
Conveniently, the dealer had a pair of Quad 2805 speakers (the current version of the Quad 988 that I own) set up in the same room, so I did a back to back comparison. It was an education.
The Dynaudio's had more dynamic contrast, deeper bass, more extended highs, and more precise imaging. But the Quads had the Dynaudio's beat in the midrange. On Tori Amos' "Famous Blue Raincoat" and Cassandra Wilson's "Can't Stand the Rain," the Quads remind you why they have become audio legends for their portrayal of voices, piano, and anything else that happens in the midrange. The Quads have a single (big, electrostatic) driver that covers all the midrange frequencies. The Dynaudios have to split those same frequencies across the tweeter and midrange drivers. And so, compared to the Quads, they can't quite recreate the uncanny realism of human voices in a real space. The Quads also offer a slightly more seductive overall presentation -- von Karajan's Brahms Symphony No. 4 sounds more like it does in the symphony hall on the Quads, while the C1's give you a bit more detail than seems strictly realistic.
All in all, the C1's are amazing, and probably my favorite of all the speakers I've auditioned thus far (particularly for the price). If I didn't already own my Quads, I would probably buy the Dynaudios (especially since the new Quads cost $9500/pr.). But, since I already own the Quads, it feels as though it would be swapping strengths, rather than a total upgrade across the board (hell, it's not clear there is any way to "upgrade" from the Quad midrange magic).
That said, the C1's are the first speaker to really tempt me. Particularly because a used pair are available on Audiogon right now for $4500...
