My curiosity piqued, and having $20,000 burning a hole in my pocket, I drove 200km back and forth to demo the D&D for two short hours.
First off, as opposed to claims being made here, the 8c is not a 3-way, rather a 2-way fitted with a pair of subwoofers at the back. A 3-way is usually crossed between 400hz and 500hz. The 8c front woofer is crossed at a 100hz, mimicking a typical 2-way with an outboard subwoofer. The size of the woofer alone is a clue enough it meant to reach rather low.
My point of reference to the audition was my home-based Genelec 1032c x 2 + 7360 x 2, also blessed with advance DSP, but no cardioid dispersion, and the enclosure is ported. One advantage my Genelec setup possesses is better LF control, due to a pair of subwoofer I can deploy at my discretion. Truth be told, the 1032c doesn’t measure as well as my 8341A, but it’s considerably more pleasant to my ears—that warm, creamy Genelec signature that enticed me so many years ago to purchase a pair of 1030A. I use it strictly for music enjoyment.
Onward to the demo:
The room was treated acoustically, but in the wrong spots, so de-facto no treatment. The speakers were set too far apart and some clutter between them prevented good stereo imaging; 120cm from the front wall, which is not optimal. Nevertheless, I’ve never heard a speaker that so successfully decoupled itself from room influences. The cardioid design and the waveguide truly came to bear. Of course, the 8c are still affected by their environment, so better off not skimping there.
In terms of sound, there was no “Whoa” moment; no falling in love. Subjectively speaking, the sound was neutral and balanced, quite clear with decent separation. It was certainly superior to my 8341A in the LF department, but the coax driver leaves the 8c in the dust in higher frequencies. Still, I found the sound artificial, and even strange to some extent. At times, I applauded it, but it always felt off, not really organic. All in all, the speakers were not fulfilling, nor inducing me to consider a purchase. The price tag itself didn’t commensurate with what my ear perceived.
To me, my 1032C setup blows the 8c out of the water, with a beguiling sound that even 18 months after purchase still puts a grin on my face. Granted, the rooms are unlike, and the subwoofers make a noticeable difference; furthermore, my 1032c are placed far away from the front wall, which mitigates rear wall cancellations. My source is also finer, being pure AES down from the streamer.
In summation: only if one cannot treat their environment should one consider the 8c.
P.S.1:
Kudos for the 8c construction standards. It’s been discussed here at length, so I won’t heap more words.
P.S.2:
Despite my deep respect for D&D’s technological prowess, I think the enterprise is wasteful with its resource allocation. Case in point, instead of developing essential features like a control unit and proper bass management vis-à-vis subwoofer output, the company fritters its efforts away on Roon readiness (you can read about it on their website). What for? Why is it so important? I can connect any decent streamer to their speakers and instantly get Roon going; the same can’t be said for the missing features.