B&W 805 Diamond or Dynaudio C1 ??

regarding the TAS review, they slightly preferred the B&W in the midrange and high end (a bit more spatial information and detail) but preferred the Dyna in the bass (which they noted is amazing). Also they noted the Dyna may have been easier to set up because they have slightly less dispersion.

fwiw

"Can anyone speak to the room size limitations of the C1? My room is 14x18 with an average ceiling height of 11'"

If anything, that's a bit on the small side for the C1s. They like a lot of room to breathe

I can't comment on your quest because I have not heard these speakers but comments like I quoted below worry me. Sorry to the poster to attack your post.

"As a Dyn C1 owner all I can say is they are the most natural life like speakers I ever heard. I have never been fatigued by them."

MANY instruments are fatiguing! If anyone has ever been in a room with a drum set they know what I am talking about. Natural will fatigue you... sorry but it is the truth. Drums are dynamic and brash, so the speakers should be too (and sweet for other instruments). Maybe soft jazz has pretty drums and gentle brush hits but not rock or other types of music. Speakers that make everything non-fatiguing are colored tonally.


I just heard the 802 Diamond this week (back to back with Sophia 3, same system) and the new 802 is outstanding. It has the best tweeter I have ever heard. Both dynamic and delicate at the same time. Very detailed, I could here every brush hit of the cymbals with delicate decay but they also were bright when the music was. On Eric Clapton's unplugged album they tweeters were soft with a huge sound stage. They never seem to compress at any volume either.

With at being said I would not buy the 805 Diamond. I have never heard them but I need bass and the 805s never had enough for my tastes. As always use your own ears.

There is a Volent Paragon VL-2 for sale right now. I recommend putting that one on your list.

Yep, the rear port vs the front port is also very important. In my room, the speakers will be near the wall so C1 is at a slight disadvantage for me. Also my cables are bi-wire..the C1 only takes single pair of wires, which is another downside. This doesn't necessarily mean I have given up on the C1, so I'll give it a audition when I'm in the bay area. But at this rate, the C1 would almost have to be at another level than the 805D. Thanks everyone for your replies. It seems 90% of people have chimed in about the C1, so I'm hoping for more 805D highlights. Also the 805D seems lacking in bass??? I had the impression that its very tuneful, tight, and well timed..of course its not at the same level of the C1 in terms of fullness, but its not enough to say the C1 totally dominates in this area vs the 805D, would anyone agree?