Best partners for the Arcam Solo Mini: Rega R3 or Dynaudio Excite X12?

[Audiofoolius]

I would like to buy a Mini in the near future - probably with Christmas and speakers about six months later. The main speaker-contenders are the Rega R3 andhe Dynaudio Excite X12. Do you guys think that the Mini is able to drive these speakers to their full potential? T Both the Dyns and the Regas are said to be very musical and produce a non-tiring sound. That's exactly what I'm looking for. I would like to add that I hate harsh trebles and enjoy a very tight bass. FYI, my room is about 3,5X3m or 11,5X10 foot. My current set-up: Marantz CD 5400, Marantz SR 4320 and B&W DM 303's.   

Has anybody heard both speaker sets and could maybe make a comparison?

 Thanks in advance! 

 P.S.: I have already asked this question in another topic but that probably wasn't such a great idea. 

 

[chebby]

Look at my 'signature' below and you know what I will recommend

(Wholeheartedly.)

 

[Audiofoolius]

chebby:Look at my 'signature' below and you know what I will recommend (Wholeheartedly.)

Would you care to tell me something more about your impressions. Does the R3 meet all my demands (soundwise)? And is the R3 suitable for such a small room (possible boomy bass troubles)?ÿ

ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

If the Excite range is anything like the Audience range (and their specs suggest they are - ie low sensitivity and 4 ohm), then I think your Arcam Solo Mini will have a heart attack if you pump them up. The Dyn's generally thrive on power and you wont be getting anywhere near the best out of them imo.

Id look at the Rega's, they're a great budget speaker. Really do blow other floor mounters away at this price point.

 

[Cypher]

I have the X12 and they sound lovely. My Rotel RA-04 drives them with ease, no problems at all. But the Arcam Mini may have problems, not much power available.

 

[Audiofoolius]

Thanks for the replys! I am aware of the power-hungry nature of Dynaudio speakers. However, Dynaudio claims that the Excite-line ÿactually breaks with that tradition and "makes the most of any amplifier's or receiver's power". What were the impressions of the What Hifi team in this respect?

I remember a Dutch review of the Mini and they tried them with speakers of £2000. Guess what, they were very impressed. Especially the bass was surprisingly good. I looked it up and the speakers are the Dynamic Solutions Master 3, a Dutch brand I believe. Source: Hifi.nl ÿ

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[Anonymous]

The Exctie line have very very similar stats to the Audience.

This isnt a cost issue, Im sure a pair of £2000 speakers would sound great on the solo mini, IF they are well matched also. I just cant see the mini running a 4ohm and not overly sensitive speaker load like the Dynaudio's to their best. That's not saying they wont work, or even that they wont sound good, but if you're gonna be splashing out your hard-earned on the Dyn's, surely you want to squeeze every bit of performance out of them?

I would seriously consider having a good listen and ensuring that there are no thermal shut-down issues/distortion etc when listening to levels you wish to listen at, in your size room. If you want to keep to small components with plenty of drive, perhaps look at Cyrus.

 

[Audiofoolius]

I guess extensive listening is indispensable at a certain level. Finding a dealer that has Arcam and Dynaudio shouldn't be too hard of a problem. But finding one that has Dynaudio and Rega will probably be extremely difficult here in Flanders (Belgium). Luckily I still have quite some time until I have saved enough money. ÿ

 

[Cypher]

This is a message from someone who works at dynaudio ;

Sorry for all of the individual posts
but obviously the release of the info on the Excite series is keeping
me very busy. The Excite series will be officially designated as 4 Ohms
but is actually more like 6 Ohms and will have a very linear imedance
curve like all Dynaudio products. These speakers will be most certainly
easier to drive than the Audience series that they replace and will
also be quite a bit better in all performance aspects as well. These
are all new drivers that have been in development for quite some time
and although the cabinets of the Excite series don't look like they are
much of a departue from the Audience they are considerably thinner in
their frontal profile with a nice beveled edge around the edge of the
baffle. What is most obvious though is that there are only 5
models(actually 6 counting the 42Sat) down from the 11 in the Audience
series. What many of you have come to expect from us is that we only
replace or update a line when we have been able to develope drivers
that will considerably increase performance over the line that we are
replacing and as usual we have done that with Excite. Excite will be
available here in the U.S in about 6 weeks.

 

[drummerman]

I think you have to be realistic about what the arcam micro is capable off. It has very limited power so an efficient speaker is de-rigeur.

I can't comment on dynaudios new speakers as I have'nt heard them but Rega's R3 should be a fine match.

 

[chebby]

drummerman:I think you have to be realistic about what the arcam micro is capable off. It has very limited power so an efficient speaker is de-rigeur.

Yes. And of the two choices you presented in your question....

Audiofoolius:The main speaker-contenders are the Rega R3 andhe Dynaudio Excite X12.

.... I can personally re-assure you that the Rega R3's will work very well with the power available from the Arcam Solo-Mini and sound great. (89db efficiency into 6 ohms load.)

I really don't think the Dynaudio's will be as good a match. (86db efficiency into 4 ohms load.)

Not only that, but the Rega R3's are not fussy about positioning and are happy standing away from a wall or placed against a wall.

Also there is cost. The Dynaudios are £100 more expensive (than the R3's) and will require the additional expense of good quality stands to be considered. That could make the Dynaudios a £700 - £800+ choice. (The Regas are only £500 at full RRP and don't need stands.)

 

[Audiofoolius]

You're probably right, drummerman. But if there would be an occasion I'd like to give this combo a good listen nontheless. Although the R3's frontal bass-port will likely be the best option for my small room anyway. And I wouldn't need to invest in overpriced standmounts. Sounds like I have made up my mind .ÿ

Thanks guys!ÿ

Edit: after reading the post of Chebby there's certainly no doubt in my mind anymore! ÿ

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