I didn't hear the X18 -- but compared both Emit bookshelf speakers with X14 back-to-back. I think it was with Marantz amplification, but I am not sure. But I certainly remember that my wife and I thought the X14 were worth the extra money -- much greater transparency. In fact, I was somewhat puzzled about the Emits' 5-star rating, whereas the X14 only achieved 4 stars. I guess X18 are even better than the X14! However, though we liked Dynaudio, in the end we bought much more expensive PMC Twenty5. Try PMC -- one might get very good deals for the Twenty series after the launch of the new Twenty5 series,