Dynaudio Confidence C1 and Vivid V1.5

Thanks for your responses. I can audition the speakers in the New York area. How long have you had the C1s? To my ears, they are amazing speakers which create great intimacy. I see you have Simaudio electronics with the C1s. I know that's supposed to be a great combo. I'm thinking of Naim separates and Naim cd player.

I heard them both in my local stores, the new C1 MKII and Vivid B1. They were driven by different components but i was quite familiar with dealer's setup. somehow i think they sounded similar in some ways: thin body style but with outstanding layering, image size is smaller than average, tight and tuneful bass, smooth mid/high with exceptional neutrility and timbre accuracy.
Even though C1 MKII is in another league compared to the original C1, i have to say Vivid brand simply makes better speakers than the Dynaudio Confidence line. Vivid does slightly better in all aspect except for the bass(vivid bass sounds real but its so different compared to conventional type woofers), most importantly, vivid sounds more real and natural.
frankly speaking, i have heard so many hi-end setup,i like Swiss made electronics, they just sound better. as for speakers, i think Vivid is on my top list. But i think finding a matching amp and a set of cables with Vivid is quite difficult(because of its thin body sound style), maybe high current/wide bandwidth valve would fit

In what aspects is C1's bass better than Vivid's? Or are they equal and just different?

The Vivid range has to be some of the most ugly looking speakers ever made.

In fact I almost root for them to sound bad, so I would never have to consider buying them.

I was considering similar options to you but went with the Vapor Audio Cirrus instead. I had heard the Confidence C1 many times as a good friend owns a pair, and like them a lot but ultimately find them lacking resolution and the soundstage can be a bit 2-dimensional at times. The Vivid I think is more resolving than the Dyn, but it's downfall in my mind is that it can be a bit forward and edgy ... play the wrong track too loud on the Vivid and it can be a painful experience.

Another friend of mine here in the Seattle area recently bought a pair of the Vapor Cirrus, and it took one day of listening to know that's the speaker I wanted! He has an excellent room and gear, and the Cirrus was simply amazing. It has the richest tone of any speaker I've ever heard, just layers of harmonics that most speakers just wash over ... and it's also as resolving, fast, and transparent as anything I've heard. They're gorgeous too, and built like a tank. I just received my pair about 2 weeks ago after a bit of a wait, but haven't hardly come out of the listening room since. I'd highly recommend you send them an email, and see if they're right for you.