I'm planning to buy a dynaudio speakers and I want to ask what is the difference between the 50 and 52 in terms of sound quality.I can't afford the 52 right now but a used 50 on ebay or audiogon fits my budget.
Thanks in advance.
Anonymous
Posted on
You'll be missing a whole lot if you cheap out and go with the 50. You should save for the next decade or two until you could afford something halfway decent.
The 50 was a fine speaker and if you pay, say 50%, of the original price, you will have a very nice speaker for the same money as a not-so-nice brand new speaker! The 50 was introduced about 5-6 years ago, so age isn't an issue.
The 50 is not as good as the 52 - nowhere near, but the 52 retails for more than the 50 did back then and so it'll be more than twice the 2nd hand price of a 50 - it is not twice the speaker!
The one caveat true of all Dynaudios is that the 50 and 52 drink power out of your amp. They're not easy to drive. The 50 is more difficult to drive than the 52 - Dynaudio have slowly been making their speakers easier to drive over time - and so the 50 is a bit more of a handful. Make sure you have a healthy number of watts or that the amp has a nice high slew rate to ensure you get the best out of the speakers.
Regards, Frank.
Anonymous
Posted on
Frank, thanks for the information.Have you heard the Audio Note AX 2? This sounds similar to the Dyns and easier to drive according to some audio mags.
Sorry, I have not heard the AX-2s. If they're anything like my Audio Note AN-Es, then they're not very similar. The Dyns have a little more drive and pace but don't have the tonality and nuance of my AN-Es.
Regards, Frank.
Anonymous
Posted on
Hi Frank,
Since you own an AN Es, could you describe how it sounds compare to the Dyns.I saw a dealer in my area and the AX-two is only $550 while the Audience 52 is $999 on the other dealer.Which is better for music between the two?I think the AX-two and your AN E might have the same tonal cahracteristic.
Well I prefer my AN-E to the Dynaudio, but then my AN-E is about the same price as a Dynaudio in the Contour range, not Audience! (My speakers retail for the equivalent of about $3500 - plus stands.) That said, I do like what Audio Note speakers do and they are very easy to drive, meaning the amp has to work hard a lot less. The Audio Notes aren't much good with rock'n'roll though and they don't kick butt with the same impact as the Dyns.
Difficult choice - you need to hear them! Those dealers should be able to let you do so...
By the way, the reason the Audio Notes don't rock is why I'm going to change them - for a pair of Totem Mani-2s probably. Now they are very difficult to drive!
If you can't afford the 52's, another option would be the 42's. They have all the same tweaks that make the 52 better than the 50. That being said, I wouldn't recommend it. It's almost a waste not to step up to the 52's over the 42's. In the same way it would be a waste not to get the 122c over the 42c. I think the 52 is in the sweet spot of the lineup, with the 52 winning out over the 42 and the 62. Thats why I went with the 52, a beautiful speaker. Good luck with your search.