Dynaudio Special Forty vs. Contour 20


Hey all - new account on Audiogon, but not new to the site. I used to be a reviewer for a now-defunct publication and have spun off my own audio blog, The Audiophile Weekend Warrior (TAWW). As you can tell from the name, I'm trying not to take myself too seriously. :)

Anyway, thought I'd spin off some discussion here based on my recent quick audition of the Dynaudio 2-ways:
http://taww.co/post/168720946672/quick-take-dynaudio-special-forty-contour-20

Context: I'm searching for a new reference speaker to upgrade my Merlin TSM-MXe. In short, I liked the Special Forty better, but neither really did it for me. Fire away with the questions/comments/flames! :-D

Cheers,
MIY
http://taww.co
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I have read an interesting review of Dynaudio Special Forty in HiFi Plus and I just wonder how this minitor speaker compares with the famous ATC SCM19  monitor speaker. Has any one had a chance to do this comparison?
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@mobilesax I think I've reached the end of the road with the Merlins. I'm sure the Black Magic upgrade is great, but I'm looking to make a more fundamental change. In particular, I'm looking for something more SS-amp friendly. While the TSM's have gotten more and more accommodating of SS with each successive upgrade, they really need tubes to reach the next level and that's a nonstarter for me.

@nitewulf : like the Merlins, maybe the C20's need tubes to loosen up (the Stereophile review also alluded to this). That said, there was something about the driver integration that bugged me. I actually thought the Forty had a smoother-sounding crossover than the C20. 

@mattmiller : that sounds about right, based on my quick listen they could definitely benefit from a powerful, lean SS amp that can exert a lot of control over the woofer. (Maybe Bryston?) That said, I don't see how you get around the apparent resonance/coloration in the upper bass, regardless of amp. It really sounds mechanically underdamped to me. I don't doubt you can massage that with some tweaking but I'm not sure you can completely overcome that sort of tuning issue. 

@james_w514: sounds like you go through a lot of speakers. :) I haven't heard ATC, I should get around to that. What are you using now? How did you like the Audiovector?
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@james_w514 thanks for the input. Interesting, I thought the Audiovector SR1 (in Avantgarde Aretté form) had very good bass - not thunderous by any means, but very "true" in that you mostly don't notice it, but it really hits you with speed and trueness of tone when called for. I thought piano and cello sounded great, though pop/rock sounded light. I'm coming from very lean Merlin TSM's so my bar for bass is probably low. I agree that in terms of raw speed and resolution, they are really tops, better than the majority of megabuck stuff I've heard at shows.

I will seek out an ATC dealer and if they seem like they might float my boat, see if I can get them in-house...