Dynaudio LYD 5 Studio Monitor Review

[hardisj]

To see the cause of the dip around 1.6 kHz, let's measure the drivers and port very close to their center:

View attachment 82716

The dip seems to be a property of the woofer. So perhaps having had a crossover at the usual 1 to 2 kHz would have remedied that. While the response of the tweeter is cut off that low it appears to trend correctly. Maybe the higher crossover point was picked so that the monitor could play louder?

My initial thought is to say this is typical cone edge/surround termination issues. But, I'm not seeing the increased THD typically associated with this.

Before I show you the directivity plots, let me post a new measurement I have not shown before which indicates at what distance the speaker acts as if it is in far field:

Cool! I like it!

But, there is some interesting design here that keeps the bass frequency distortion very much under control, perhaps with both filtering and compression:

View attachment 82725

Nothing special here. Just a high-pass filter being used to cut excursion and thus limit distortion. This is a point I always try to make to people in my driver tests: unless you are running a speaker without a HPF, the LF HD distortions are moot. However, IMD is very much dependent on the implementation of a HPF (where and how steep).

 

[DanGuitarMan]

@Maiky76 What's difference between your Listening Window EQ and General EQ? I see what LW is optimizing, but what about general?

 

[Maiky76]

@Maiky76 What's difference between your Listening Window EQ and General EQ? I see what LW is optimizing, but what about general?

EQing on the solely on the Olive score yields funny results, the process may result in some significant deviation from flatness.
EQing blindly on the flatness of ON/LW may results in some issues when the directivity is poor and or some issues are only present on/near axis.

General EQ: I run my optimizer with no target, it just searches for the best score/flatness compromise using genetic algorithms.
this is the default strategy.
In this particular case, the flat LW (the initial seed for the GA population) is so close to the final general EQ that I though I could show it.
It is not true in the general case, close but but not quite identical sometimes quite different.

more on EQ:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ts-community-project.14929/page-3#post-468028

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...urements-community-project.14929/#post-467858

 

[watchnerd]

EQing on the solely on the Olive score yields funny results

If using as a near field monitor, I'm not sure the Olive score is the right framing, anyway.

 

[temps]

How much of a hiss do those speakers have? Some people have reported lots.
Speaking of hiss, do all power speakers have it?
Do AB's have less hiss than D's?

the hissing on mine is unbearable unless I set sensitivity to -6dB. I wouldn't recommend these speakers to anybody who can't drive them at that level. My old Class AB amplified monitors never made any hiss or noise, the LYDs hiss and are a lot more sensitive to noise.

Amps in the LYDs are based on Tact designs, turned into chip amps and made by Texas Instruments.

 

[FeddyLost]

Looks like good performance for something made in denmark for such price and set of options.
Don't know if anything better in LF can be achieved with such box size and crossover frequency without severe compromise in midrange.
But I suspect that digital input and controls are not available just due to marketing reasons.

 

[DanGuitarMan]

The hiss level changes with the sensitivity switch. I use it in the -6 setting because I'm feeding it a strong signal with the MOTU 624.

Put it this way: my refrigerator humming 15 feet away is louder than the tweeter hiss at 1 foot away. If you were in a completely isolated control room, you might notice it more. Once the music starts playing, it easily gets masked. It depends on how quiet your listening room is and your personal definition of the word "silence." The tweeter hiss is negligible for my personal application.

 

[watchnerd]

But I suspect that digital input and controls are not available just due to marketing reasons.

The Core series has AES digital input.

Part of the issue is definitely on the interface side -- not a lot of interfaces have digital out with variable volume.

For example, my RME ADI-2 Pro doesn't; RME has been looking at digital out for monitor hookups as an upgrade.

 

[watchnerd]

The hiss level changes with the sensitivity switch. I use it in the -6 setting because I'm feeding it a strong signal with the MOTU 624.

I'm also using -6 dB input on the LYD 5.

However, I'm feeding it with a weak +4 dBU signal due to having an upchain analog input (reel to reel tape deck) that is +4 dBU output.

(I probably don't have to make it the same across the board, but I do).

No hiss noticeable unless I crank to volume extremes with no music or stick my ear on the tweeter.

 

[AnalogSteph]

the hissing on mine is unbearable unless I set sensitivity to -6dB. I wouldn't recommend these speakers to anybody who can't drive them at that level. My old Class AB amplified monitors never made any hiss or noise, the LYDs hiss and are a lot more sensitive to noise.

Seems like the input is fairly sensitive. How are you driving them (source, connection)? Class D + SMPS jobs can get really hissy if you've got a ground loop going on your audio connection, as quite a few LSR305 owners have found out the hard way.

Nominal sensitivity spec is 100 mV for 85 dB SPL @ 1 m. That's 282 mV (-8.8 dBu) @ 94 dB SPL, or ~ 104.8 dB SPL @ 0 dBu in. Minimum sensitivity is 12 dB below that, so these 104.8 dB SPL are reached at +12 dBu.

A while back we had someone who was strugging with Behringer 2031As for much the same reason, a 12 dB input sensitivity setting between -10 dBV and +4 dBu nominal.

At minimum sensitivity, something with just slightly above average performance should be fine for driving these. You want a noise level of not a great deal more than -93 dBu. A Behringer 204HD could easily do that (though it wouldn't go above 93 dB SPL @ 1 m then), a Focusrite Saffire 2i2 3rd gen just about at max monitor level (may do so easily as well if turned down).

 

[temps]

Seems like the input is fairly sensitive. How are you driving them (source, connection)? Class D + SMPS jobs can get really hissy if you've got a ground loop going on your audio connection, as quite a few LSR305 owners have found out the hard way.

Nominal sensitivity spec is 100 mV for 85 dB SPL @ 1 m. That's 282 mV (-8.8 dBu) @ 94 dB SPL, or ~ 104.8 dB SPL @ 0 dBu in. Minimum sensitivity is 12 dB below that, so these 104.8 dB SPL are reached at +12 dBu.

A while back we had someone who was strugging with Behringer 2031As for much the same reason, a 12 dB input sensitivity setting between -10 dBV and +4 dBu nominal.

At minimum sensitivity, something with just slightly above average performance should be fine for driving these. You want a noise level of not a great deal more than -93 dBu. A Behringer 204HD could easily do that (though it wouldn't go above 93 dB SPL @ 1 m then), a Focusrite Saffire 2i2 3rd gen just about at max monitor level (may do so easily as well if turned down).

Yup, I've got it running off an RME Fireface UC and SPL 2Control so I have plenty of output... an interface upgrade has been in the works forever but I'm waiting for at least one more NAMM show to see if RME adds the FS clocking and upgraded converters to more of their range. The Babyface and ADI 2 Pro don't have enough I/O for me.

 

[AnalogSteph]

Yup, I've got it running off an RME Fireface UC and SPL 2Control so I have plenty of output... an interface upgrade has been in the works forever but I'm waiting for at least one more NAMM show to see if RME adds the FS clocking and upgraded converters to more of their range. The Babyface and ADI 2 Pro don't have enough I/O for me.

Huh. That's some legit studio gear.

SPL 2Control:
Input/Output noise: -96 dBu(A) - not spectacular but should do.
Max input/output level: +21.5 dBu - more than enough.
(Total dynamic range = 117.5 dB(A) max with a strong input signal. 114.5 dB(A) at unity gain with +21.5 dBu output. Knowing volume controls, output noise may rise substantially above the nominal -96dBu(A) around 6 dB down from maximum setting.)

It does have a ground lift switch which may be worth a shot, even if just to see whether it has any effect at all, though I doubt it does.

Fireface UC:
Dynamic range D/A: 110 dB unweighted, 113 dB(A)
0 dBFS output level: +2 dBV (-10 dBV) / +13 dBu (+4 dBu) / +19 dBu (Hi Gain)

You preferably should run the Hi Gain output level setting for Fireface noise to safely dominate 2Control noise. I would also recommend some 10-12 dB inline XLR attenuators between the 2Control and LYDs.

What you can try right now is connecting Fireface UC output directly to the LYDs and see what hiss level is like then, with output level set to either +4 dBu or -10 dBV nominal. I imagine that it would be quite plainly audible in Hi Gain but may already be dominated by integrated amplifier noise at +4 dBu.

BTW - Fireface UC specs may only be midrange level by modern standards but should still be entirely adequate in practice. It's not like you can hear a -100 dB THD, plus you've got considerable leeway in placing your 110 dB instantaneous dynamic range via I/O level settings, allowing you to effectively cover a range of up to 125 dB (well, I guess the line level inputs are unlikely to deliver better than -103 dBu of effective input noise, so probably more like 120 dB total). Honestly, for audio recording and playback purposes, that'll do perfectly fine. Certainly so for playback; a point could possibly be made for some extreme edge cases in recording, and measurement is a different story altogether.

 

[KaiserSoze]

the hissing on mine is unbearable unless I set sensitivity to -6dB. I wouldn't recommend these speakers to anybody who can't drive them at that level. My old Class AB amplified monitors never made any hiss or noise, the LYDs hiss and are a lot more sensitive to noise.

Amps in the LYDs are based on Tact designs, turned into chip amps and made by Texas Instruments.

This aroused my curiosity. I would have expected the sensitivity setting to do nothing more than place resistance in series with the input, to attenuate the signal. In this case, a difference in the amount of hiss, for different positions of this switch, would suggest that the hiss is being picked up in the cable supplying signal to the speaker. Or possibly even in the source component, since if this were occurring, the act of setting the sensitivity lower would mask this the same as it would mask hiss picked up in the cable. Or perhaps the sensitivity setting is altering the amp directly, such that thermal noise generated within the amp would be suppressed in the -6 dB setting. If it is thermal noise generated within the amp it would most likely be less noticeable when the amp is cool, immediately after being powered on, and would increase as the temperature of the amp increases.

 

[temps]

Huh. That's some legit studio gear.

SPL 2Control:
Input/Output noise: -96 dBu(A) - not spectacular but should do.
Max input/output level: +21.5 dBu - more than enough.
(Total dynamic range = 117.5 dB(A) max with a strong input signal. 114.5 dB(A) at unity gain with +21.5 dBu output. Knowing volume controls, output noise may rise substantially above the nominal -96dBu(A) around 6 dB down from maximum setting.)

It does have a ground lift switch which may be worth a shot, even if just to see whether it has any effect at all, though I doubt it does.

Fireface UC:
Dynamic range D/A: 110 dB unweighted, 113 dB(A)
0 dBFS output level: +2 dBV (-10 dBV) / +13 dBu (+4 dBu) / +19 dBu (Hi Gain)

You preferably should run the Hi Gain output level setting for Fireface noise to safely dominate 2Control noise. I would also recommend some 10-12 dB inline XLR attenuators between the 2Control and LYDs.

What you can try right now is connecting Fireface UC output directly to the LYDs and see what hiss level is like then, with output level set to either +4 dBu or -10 dBV nominal. I imagine that it would be quite plainly audible in Hi Gain but may already be dominated by integrated amplifier noise at +4 dBu.

BTW - Fireface UC specs may only be midrange level by modern standards but should still be entirely adequate in practice. It's not like you can hear a -100 dB THD, plus you've got considerable leeway in placing your 110 dB instantaneous dynamic range via I/O level settings, allowing you to effectively cover a range of up to 125 dB (well, I guess the line level inputs are unlikely to deliver better than -103 dBu of effective input noise, so probably more like 120 dB total). Honestly, for audio recording and playback purposes, that'll do perfectly fine. Certainly so for playback; a point could possibly be made for some extreme edge cases in recording, and measurement is a different story altogether.

I tested every combination of my gear and what I recall the noise is entirely self-generated in the LYDs, as the hiss remains even with no XLRs inserted. Ground lift on the 2Control does nothing, as you expected. Fireface is set to Hi Gain too but I haven't used any attenuators. Pin 1 is lifted on the cables from the 2Control to the LYDs though.

I figured turning the sensitivity down was a fine solution because I had clarity to burn, so to speak... but I don't really. I have the output level digitally pulled down in Totalmix so that 0dB on the 2Control = 85dB at the listening position, which eats into my noise floor. It never occurred to me to use attenuators so I didn't have to do that.

I'll fiddle around with them again tonight, though, because...

Or perhaps the sensitivity setting is altering the amp directly, such that thermal noise generated within the amp would be suppressed in the -6 dB setting. If it is thermal noise generated within the amp it would most likely be less noticeable when the amp is cool, immediately after being powered on, and would increase as the temperature of the amp increases.

this sounds interesting. It's about six degrees cooler up there now that summer is over - I wonder if the hiss has gotten quieter?

 

[KaiserSoze]

this sounds interesting. It's about six degrees cooler up there now that summer is over - I wonder if the hiss has gotten quieter?

Ha. It could certainly be noise associated with the frequency driving the switching power supply or the Class D amp. Perhaps this is the foregone conclusion. I think it probably wouldn't sound like white noise in these cases. If it does sound like white noise then it would most likely be noise of the more fundamental sort, i.e., thermal noise, in which case it would be related to temperature and would be more pronounced after the amp has warmed up than when first turned on. I only mentioned this because I thought it might be helpful in positively determining whether the noise being generated with the amp or is entering the amp on the input cable. It sounds like you have already determined that it is noise generated within the amp itself.

 

[Habu]

Child’s play:

The Electronic Warfare Group (EWG) 772d Test Squadron’s Benefield Anechoic Facility (BAF)
https://www.edwards.af.mil/Portals/50/documents/772/AFD-141126-062.pdf

 

[Wolven]

the hissing on mine is unbearable unless I set sensitivity to -6dB. I wouldn't recommend these speakers to anybody who can't drive them at that level. My old Class AB amplified monitors never made any hiss or noise, the LYDs hiss and are a lot more sensitive to noise.

Amps in the LYDs are based on Tact designs, turned into chip amps and made by Texas Instruments.

My setup is computer to Topping DX3pro to Paradigm Shift A2, but I'm thinking of changing the DAC, probably something like SMSL 400.
This is pushing me more towards getting Focal Shape 65 instead of LYD. Focal Shape is class AB and apparently no hiss. What concerns me is that they tend to turn off at low volume and it is hard to wake them up again.

 

[temps]

My setup is computer to Topping DX3pro to Paradigm Shift A2, but I'm thinking of changing the DAC, probably something like SMSL 400.
This is pushing me more towards getting Focal Shape 65 instead of LYD. Focal Shape is class AB and apparently no hiss. What concerns me is that they tend to turn off at low volume and it is hard to wake them up again.

Shape 65s sound fantastic too and they look as good as they sound. I find the LYDs quite attractive but the Shape 65 looks more like a hi-fi speaker than a pro one... which is a good thing, imo. It has much more low end extension than the LYDs but I otherwise rated them the same... if I were running a 2.0 setup I probably would have gone for the Shapes, but since I wasn't intent on ditching my subwoofer I just the LYDs and saved $500 CAD per speaker.

The Shapes are great, great speakers though. Is there no option to bypass the standby feature?

 

[Wolven]

Shape 65s sound fantastic too and they look as good as they sound. I find the LYDs quite attractive but the Shape 65 looks more like a hi-fi speaker than a pro one... which is a good thing, imo. It has much more low end extension than the LYDs but I otherwise rated them the same... if I were running a 2.0 setup I probably would have gone for the Shapes, but since I wasn't intent on ditching my subwoofer I just the LYDs and saved $500 CAD per speaker.

The Shapes are great, great speakers though. Is there no option to bypass the standby feature?

I think you would have to remove the back plate, take the board out and turn some switch. I don't like playing with electronics in that fashion.
Also, that means they will stay on as long as my computer is on, that's a lot of time. (or perhaps until you turn them off)
Shapes look great, I rather pay less for speakers but low extension costs extra. With computer desk setup, I got nowhere to put the sub, and putting it under the desk probably would not produce good sound. So, I'm probably stuck going with 2.0.

 

[watchnerd]

I think you would have to remove the back plate, take the board out and turn some switch. I don't like playing with electronics in that fashion.
Also, that means they will stay on as long as my computer is on, that's a lot of time. (or perhaps until you turn them off)
Shapes look great, I rather pay less for speakers but low extension costs extra. With computer desk setup, I got nowhere to put the sub, and putting it under the desk probably would not produce good sound. So, I'm probably stuck going with 2.0.

Why not use a 3-way with a horizontal layout?

Both Focal (Be series) and Dynaudio (Core series) have 3 ways that let you change the orientation of the mid-woofer array.