Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners M80 VS Dynaudio Contour 1.8 MKII

My friend and I just did a head to head comparison using my M80 and his Dynaudio Contour 1.8 MkII, which is priced at about $3000/pair.

It's not really a fair comparison considering the pricepoint. But we did multiple A-B testing using different CDs. The equipments we used are:

1. Meridian 555 Stereo Power Amp.
2. Custom built tube preamp. (Tubes:RCA 5692)
3. Studer A725 CDP.

Alright here are what we found. (I'm not a professional reviewer.)

1. Soundstage: M80 gives more width and depth. Different instruments are clearly seperated. Contour 1.8 seems to mix everything together and sounds "restrictive."

2. Bass: M80's bass is strong, heart pounding, and clear. We could hear the vibration of the drums clearly. Contour 1.8's bass is also strong but very muddy, and the drums sound unreal.

3. Treble: M80 is a bit bright, but the overall tone is vivid. On the other hand Contour 1.8 sounds dull.

4. Midrange: Both are smooth but M80 is sweeter.

At the end of it, my friend almost decided to sell his Dynaudio, and he is seriously considering Axiom. And of course he left my house without a single smile on his face.

The moral of this story is that pricy speakers may not sound good. And Axiom owners are usually smart consumers. =D

Does anyone have similar experience? Any other thoughts?

Seamonster,

Thats a pretty good review.I too have M80's and find they are a very good speaker for the money.I've been out listening to other brands of speakers costing quite a bit more than the 80's and pretty much walked away unimpressed.I have never did a side by side comparison but from what I've heard I would have to spend a heck of a lot more to equal the performance of the M80's.