SpanishPassion
Member
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2021
- Messages
- 20
- Likes
- 36
Hi everyone!
First of all, I would like to thank @amirm and @hardisj for their amazing reviews. This is the sort of thing that I always wanted to have: honest audio reviews (measurements aside) without any typical BS you can find in most of other audiophile outlets.
Now here is my situation and why I want to ask for an advice from the community. I have two sets of speakers (in two different apartments) which I use as desktop speakers for my PC. Those are Dynaudio Xeo 2 and Dynaudio Xeo 4 speakers.
If you don't know about what those speakers are, those are previous generation active wireless speakers from Dynaudio. The Xeo 4 is a bigger one while Xeo 2 is like a compact bookshelf speaker, but they both have 14 cm woofer.
The Xeo 4 is actually installed in a smaller room with a smaller desktop, I'm fully content with it and I'm not going to change it (I don't think I'll get any significant improvements because of the small room size). Now, I do want to upgrade the desk where Xeo 2 is installed.
Let's talk a bit why I decided to go with Dynaudio in the first place. I purchased them quite some time ago and I wasn't aware of any objective reviewers back then. Dynaudio was the safest choice for me, as everyone I consulted was saying only good things about the brand, so I trusted the "consensus" and purchased them.
If we talk about their sound, I actually think they are great speakers. I don't have any measurements to back this up, so take this with a grain of salt, but I was used to go (pre-pandemic) to concerts without sound amplification. So comparing how an actual orchestra sounds with how Dynaudio Xeo 4 and Xeo 2 reproduces the sound of an orchestra, the result is quite impressive. They are very similar, the real things is a bit more "real", of course. But it is impressive.
Overall, I have the same subjective impressions as Amir expressed in his Dynaudio LYD 5 review: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...s/dynaudio-lyd-5-studio-monitor-review.15963/ My environment is not picky, so the sound is good.
Now, if I compare Xeo 2 with Xeo 4, Xeo 4 sounds better. It has more bass and it feels like the sound has "more texture" to it. I know, it doesn't make much sense trying to describe it like this. I suspect Xeo 4 probably measures better and that's it, but I have no confirmation.
Regardless, I think it's time to upgrade my little Xeo 2 for something a bit bigger.
I have two choices here:
1. Go for the new Dynaudio Xeo 20 (~2100€), which is an improved version of Xeo 4. I suspect that it will sound very similar to the previous version, but, hopefully, even better. I must note, that Xeo 4 and Xeo 2 were created before Dynaudio deployed their Jupiter facility, but Xeo 10 and Xeo 20 should have benefited from it.
2. Switch the brand and go with Genelec G Four (~2600€). I don't want to mess too much with the studio monitors, so I want to go with the consumer version. My listening distance would be 85 cm from it, which is more than enough according to Genelec speaker selector page. Also, it would stand 10 cm away from the wall, which should be OK.
Now, you may ask why I'm not considering Genelec G Three. The reason is that this speaker has 13 cm woofer, which seems like a bit of downgrade comparing to Xeo's 14 cm woofer. I'm not really sure what effect it may have, but I guess that the woofer size is important. Genelec G Four, however, has 16,5 cm woofer, so it's a clear upgrade in that regard.
Now, I'm also aware that G Four is an older model, but it's still state of art and must have quite nice measurements. So I think it is surely a safe choice even though it's not the newest speaker. I also assume that they probably have better measurements than Xeo 20 and, surely, better directivity.
So you may ask, what's the deal, go with the G Four! Here's the little problem that I have... I've seen the unboxing video of G Four, and it looks like it doesn't have any remote control, or a volume knob, or anything. You just connect it to your PC and then you control the sound volume from there.
It's not a big deal, but with the Xeo's I'm getting a very fine remote control, 3.5 mm jack connector and also a Bluetooth connection, which I do use, because I also work remotely right now, so I use the Xeo's as a sound output for Microsoft Teams calls. It's incredibly comfortable to just switch the input and use the same speakers with two PCs (one PC is my personal one, and the other is work's PC).
I also think that when it comes to measurements, Xeo 20 must be pretty good. The specs state Frequency response (±3dB): 40Hz – 21kHz. Amir's measurements of LYD 5 confirmed that the specs were mostly correct, so I trust Dynaudio on this. G Four specs are ±2.5 dB (48 Hz - 20 kHz). I also trust Genelec, and according to specs, G Four are a bit better, but not that much. I would say, they are probably not significantly better.
The directivity of G Four is going to be much better for sure, but I'm going to be listening to music in my sweet spot, with my ears at the level of tweeters or slightly above they, which is the best position for Dynaudio, where the frequency is "flat". So the directivity as such is not going to be an issue.
So right now I'm a bit torn apart. I like Dynaudio a lot for their combination of good sound and great convenience, but I'm afraid that I'm going to miss on something great regarding the sound quality and I'm sure that with Genelec I won't miss any of that. On the other hand, the inconvenience of G Four like the lack of remote, I just have a feeling that it may also annoy me a little bit and I want to be comfortable all the time. This is also important for a speaker.
To be honest, I'm also a bit annoyed at both companies...
1. Regarding Dynaudio, I'm annoyed that they still don't have waveguides and other things that improve audio quality. If they decide to upgrade their design, I'm sure they will beat Genelec, as they have an advantage in convenience factor.
2. Regarding Genelec, why don't they have remote control, Bluetooth and wireless connectivity between speakers? Like seriously, this is not 2012 anymore.
So here I'm, and I want an advice from the community. What do you think about my choices? Maybe you have a better proposal?
I'll be grateful for your advises.
First of all, I would like to thank @amirm and @hardisj for their amazing reviews. This is the sort of thing that I always wanted to have: honest audio reviews (measurements aside) without any typical BS you can find in most of other audiophile outlets.
Now here is my situation and why I want to ask for an advice from the community. I have two sets of speakers (in two different apartments) which I use as desktop speakers for my PC. Those are Dynaudio Xeo 2 and Dynaudio Xeo 4 speakers.
If you don't know about what those speakers are, those are previous generation active wireless speakers from Dynaudio. The Xeo 4 is a bigger one while Xeo 2 is like a compact bookshelf speaker, but they both have 14 cm woofer.
The Xeo 4 is actually installed in a smaller room with a smaller desktop, I'm fully content with it and I'm not going to change it (I don't think I'll get any significant improvements because of the small room size). Now, I do want to upgrade the desk where Xeo 2 is installed.
Let's talk a bit why I decided to go with Dynaudio in the first place. I purchased them quite some time ago and I wasn't aware of any objective reviewers back then. Dynaudio was the safest choice for me, as everyone I consulted was saying only good things about the brand, so I trusted the "consensus" and purchased them.
If we talk about their sound, I actually think they are great speakers. I don't have any measurements to back this up, so take this with a grain of salt, but I was used to go (pre-pandemic) to concerts without sound amplification. So comparing how an actual orchestra sounds with how Dynaudio Xeo 4 and Xeo 2 reproduces the sound of an orchestra, the result is quite impressive. They are very similar, the real things is a bit more "real", of course. But it is impressive.
Overall, I have the same subjective impressions as Amir expressed in his Dynaudio LYD 5 review: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...s/dynaudio-lyd-5-studio-monitor-review.15963/ My environment is not picky, so the sound is good.
Now, if I compare Xeo 2 with Xeo 4, Xeo 4 sounds better. It has more bass and it feels like the sound has "more texture" to it. I know, it doesn't make much sense trying to describe it like this. I suspect Xeo 4 probably measures better and that's it, but I have no confirmation.
Regardless, I think it's time to upgrade my little Xeo 2 for something a bit bigger.
I have two choices here:
1. Go for the new Dynaudio Xeo 20 (~2100€), which is an improved version of Xeo 4. I suspect that it will sound very similar to the previous version, but, hopefully, even better. I must note, that Xeo 4 and Xeo 2 were created before Dynaudio deployed their Jupiter facility, but Xeo 10 and Xeo 20 should have benefited from it.
2. Switch the brand and go with Genelec G Four (~2600€). I don't want to mess too much with the studio monitors, so I want to go with the consumer version. My listening distance would be 85 cm from it, which is more than enough according to Genelec speaker selector page. Also, it would stand 10 cm away from the wall, which should be OK.
Now, you may ask why I'm not considering Genelec G Three. The reason is that this speaker has 13 cm woofer, which seems like a bit of downgrade comparing to Xeo's 14 cm woofer. I'm not really sure what effect it may have, but I guess that the woofer size is important. Genelec G Four, however, has 16,5 cm woofer, so it's a clear upgrade in that regard.
Now, I'm also aware that G Four is an older model, but it's still state of art and must have quite nice measurements. So I think it is surely a safe choice even though it's not the newest speaker. I also assume that they probably have better measurements than Xeo 20 and, surely, better directivity.
So you may ask, what's the deal, go with the G Four! Here's the little problem that I have... I've seen the unboxing video of G Four, and it looks like it doesn't have any remote control, or a volume knob, or anything. You just connect it to your PC and then you control the sound volume from there.
It's not a big deal, but with the Xeo's I'm getting a very fine remote control, 3.5 mm jack connector and also a Bluetooth connection, which I do use, because I also work remotely right now, so I use the Xeo's as a sound output for Microsoft Teams calls. It's incredibly comfortable to just switch the input and use the same speakers with two PCs (one PC is my personal one, and the other is work's PC).
I also think that when it comes to measurements, Xeo 20 must be pretty good. The specs state Frequency response (±3dB): 40Hz – 21kHz. Amir's measurements of LYD 5 confirmed that the specs were mostly correct, so I trust Dynaudio on this. G Four specs are ±2.5 dB (48 Hz - 20 kHz). I also trust Genelec, and according to specs, G Four are a bit better, but not that much. I would say, they are probably not significantly better.
The directivity of G Four is going to be much better for sure, but I'm going to be listening to music in my sweet spot, with my ears at the level of tweeters or slightly above they, which is the best position for Dynaudio, where the frequency is "flat". So the directivity as such is not going to be an issue.
So right now I'm a bit torn apart. I like Dynaudio a lot for their combination of good sound and great convenience, but I'm afraid that I'm going to miss on something great regarding the sound quality and I'm sure that with Genelec I won't miss any of that. On the other hand, the inconvenience of G Four like the lack of remote, I just have a feeling that it may also annoy me a little bit and I want to be comfortable all the time. This is also important for a speaker.
To be honest, I'm also a bit annoyed at both companies...
1. Regarding Dynaudio, I'm annoyed that they still don't have waveguides and other things that improve audio quality. If they decide to upgrade their design, I'm sure they will beat Genelec, as they have an advantage in convenience factor.
2. Regarding Genelec, why don't they have remote control, Bluetooth and wireless connectivity between speakers? Like seriously, this is not 2012 anymore.
So here I'm, and I want an advice from the community. What do you think about my choices? Maybe you have a better proposal?
I'll be grateful for your advises.