This is exactly what I heard. I love the Evoke 20s and play them with Naim 82/SC/250 and they are splendid. Also a terrific match with a Heed Lagrange.
Glad I found your video! I'm considering the Evoke 20's and listen to a lot of poor recordings in the heavy metal/Alternative genre's. I'm hoping these speakers would be good for me!
Lovely speakers, so easy to listen to without sacrificing good detail and emotional involvement. I’ve got some Heritage Specials coming, so can’t wait to see what Dynaudio have done with them!
Loved the comparison, well made video! Interestingly enough I got a chance to compare the two few days ago and both are great speakers as you mentioned. I did prefer the Evoke 20s slightly and ordered them (even though could have had the sp40s for not much more as the dealer had B stock available) I understand the speaker-amp synergy plays a critical role and it maybe the amp being used might have suited the Evokes a bit better. SP40 is a more revealing speaker and most prefer the SP40s, I get that. But speaker choice is such a personal thing, my version of truth might be different to your version of truth as they say. Anyway well done for making the video!
@@brettbott dynaudios are a bit power hungry. Not for basics. They sounds very decent with any decent amp. But pop in a 200w at 8ohms and they’ll come alive. Or something like Mcintosh ma275
@@morespinach9832 So true. My Emit10s are hungry, too. Returned almost all class D amplifiers, that sounded constipated, including the giant Denon PMA1600. The three “affordable” class A/B amps I tried all sounded acceptable. Audiolab was Uber detailed and spacious but thin. Arcam was beefy but veiled. Rotel a11 had enough beef when tone was boosted by 7db, but produced sibilance on poor recordings. Kept the Rotel, since wifey was fed up with returning boxes.
Hi David, I hope you put some ice on that. Ouch 😫😂 Very nice comparison and you have a great presentation style with slick production values (very jealous). I hope your channel grows 😊👍
Great review! I have the Evoke 30 and I really like it. I use it in a dedicated home theater and listening room. However, I got the Special 40 for my birthday although I haven’t opened the box yet since I’ve been busy. I’ll compare soon and chime in on the comparison.
Hi Myki, welcome to the channel! A home theatre with those speakers sounds awesome, you will have to let us know which you prefer when you get a chance to open them!
Hi, I just bought the Evoke 30s over the SPecial 40 after much consideration. The decision was made for me when my dealer gave me some demos for half the retail price - they only had some 40 hours on them. I have them paired with a Luxman 550AXII and Qutest and I can’t be happier with the sound of Tidal through the Bluesound Node. The dealer played the exact same combo with the Special 40s and the bass was what sounded the most different - Evoke 30s just had so much more bass. No brainer for the type of music I listen to.
I got evoke 20 and I had listened special forty40 as well . Special forty is old style dynaudio sound and very sharp clear sound . Evoke 20 is warmer and sweet with easier low frequency response.Both provide wide sound field .S40 has better high frequency resolution and quick response.If you are not old dynaudio fans and looking for some comfortable sound HiFi Speaker for you living room or your study , you might go to try the evoke 20,it has enough audio details also make you feel relax and sleepy -----at the same time it still dynaudio sound style-----. 40s will make you too excited. After listening to the S40 last week, I have the answer.
I have the Special 40s and the Contours... Special 40s for the win. Although my current favorite speaker is the Spendor D7. Thanks for the well made video.
Can you describe the difference between the Spendor D7 and Special 40? I know one is floorstander & the other a bookshelf but in terms of sound signature. I have an option to get both used so need to make a decision.
@@ktbrooke hard to describe what you hear with written words... the D7's just sound "better." they go deeper and louder, and they seem quicker if that is a thing.
I have some X14's coming, and I hope I like them.. Interesting to hear someone give insights on the Special 40's , thanks! They might be my choice, if I have the coin later. They are a little spendy.
@@ld4974 I had the dynaudio excite x14s and thought they were great. Had them running with a few different set ups. Intially with Rotel RA10 and they were tonally accurate. Good mid range and reasonable bass and highs. I then upgraded to a power 100wpc amp and used the rotel as a pre amp. I found it was dramatically better. Way better bass and top end. Anyway, if you find a good price go for it as you can upgrade you other components and you will notice improvements.
Nice one. I upgraded from Excite X12s to Evoke 10s (for a genuinely small room) and could not be happier. I note the Evoke 10 tweeter made previously "poor" recordings suddenly sound good. Also with a smaller bass driver than the 20's there is little to no seepage of the bass into the mids and much better control of fast bass passages. So the 10s are actually a more balanced performer than the already pretty well balanced 20s. IMO the Evoke 10s are the best all round small room speakers. You can also throw much more expensive electronics in front of it and it will just scale up to reveal all of that.
Thanks a lot for the review. I have 606s2 and found they can be aggressive sometime. Tried special 40 and lef r3 today. It seems that kef r3 is more relax than 40s. Can you share some thoughts on r3 vs. evoke20?
Hope you make more videos. Really like your comments. I recently buy a Naim SN2 with KEF LS50. Playing apple music,spotify via Fiio K7BT DAC. Looking for futureproof streamer and DAC. Also need for more bass weight, and more silky midrange than LS50. What is your advice.
Footnote to anyone considering these in 2023 do yourself a favor and give the revised Emit 20 a listen before purchasing either of these. The new emit series is an outstanding value (especially the 20) the trickle down the emits have will get you 90% of the evokes sound for half the price. Dynaudio has not pushed the emits to the reviewers because they market it heavily in the developing markets to hook/introduce them to Dynaudio. They are an absolute steal I tested against the KEF LS 50 Meta hands down the better speaker at a 30% lower cost.
I have audience 60s in the loft - my old cat ripped the driver surrounds to shreds, still need to get them fixed! The tweeter still holds up brilliantly today, it’s really good!
Owned a pair of Audience 42's for roughly ten years, great speakers. Sold them after getting a pair of Elac Uni-Fi UB52's which clearly outperformed the 42's.
Hi , thanks for the video What do you think about the evoke 30 .. where do they stand in terms of comparable speakers . Dynaudio web site says that they can be used in medium to large room but I have my doubts here . I have the entry emit m30 and have the opportunity to upgrade to the evoke 30 for not much more $ but im not ready to loose space in sound stage . Evoke 30 seems to be smaller and the 2 drivers are 14cm vs 17cm on the emits .Evoke 50 would be an option BUT my amplifier is only 180w @ 4ohm ab class . Thoughts ?
Hi Philippe, and welcome! Unfortunately I can’t help with this comparison as I haven’t heard the evoke 30 or Emit m30 (although I’d guess the sound signature is very similar to the 20 but with more bass) There may be community members that can chime in and offer some specific advice - although as always, if you can get hold of a pair in your space from a dealer with a decent returns policy, that’s your only way to ‘really’ know.
I have emit m30s and i was in the same situation. I was considering moving to evoke 30 but ended up buying S40s. Never heard the evoke series but what amazes me is that the m30s come close to the S40s in terms of sound quality and what makes it tricky to differentiate them is probably cause of their dyn house sound signature. The S40s have tighter sounding bass and you can follow bass lines somewhat better than with the m30s. More refined sound on the S40s but the m30s have slightly better bass punch & its probably cause of 2 drivers and a bigger cabinet. Overall the S40s are probably 10 to 15% better than the m30s for a little more than double the cost. My amp is a Primare i35, sources are Cyrus CDi, Oppo UDP-203 & Marantz HD-DAC1
Hi, I have the Evoke 30s driven perfectly fine by 20 Wpc Luxman 550 AXii (class A). They sound fabulous and I preferred them over the Special 40s - especially the extra bass.
If anyone wants a free pair of Evoke 20's there are a pair in the trash bins in front of my house. Some tear stains on the cabinet but those should wipe off. Seriously though, cool video. I didn't actually listen to the Special 40 at the dealer because they pushed my budget too far, and the dealer guy said the Evoke 20 had better bass response. The Evoke 20 is a really spectacular little speaker, and boy does the bass deliver. Can you provide some examples of "complex" music so that I can try listening to them on my highest resolution system (my studio gear - Adam studio monitors from Germany) vs. the Evoke? I would definitely agree that a tube amp + the Evoke 20 would be too sweet. I'm running mine against a NAD class D amp which is very precise and clinical and the two pair well. Also, the Evoke 20 is non-fatiguing, which is wonderful because I listen to them all day. Some higher-resolution speakers like the Totem Sky I've listened to can be a bit lively for certain recordings and get downright harsh. Thanks for the video!
Hi Geoffrey - welcome and thanks for the comment, it’s always good to hear about what systems and experiences people have had. I could have used the phrase ‘hectic’ musical passages rather than complex, basically it’s when there’s a lot going on and it’s very busy. These examples might not be to your musical taste, but try out ‘wandering kind’ by Josh Groban, or ‘bubbles’ by Yosi Horikawa (once it all gets going and goes nuts!)
I’m also running a pair of S40 with a Brooklyn Amp+ in combination with a Brooklyn Dac+. What’s your thoughts on the Amp+ vs the others you mention in your review? I’m considering adding another Amp+ into the mix and running them in bridged mode.
Hi Pete, I bet that setup sounds superb! I thought the Amp+ was a good match for the S40, definitely brings it to life as it loves a bit of juice! I’ve not had the pleasure of running the amp+ in bridged mode as I only had access to one, however, I imagine it just doubles down on the good bits and sounds thumping!
@@SmallRoomAudio I tested them against the Dali Rubicon 2 and Sonus Faber Sonetto II which are both fantastic speakers in their own right but the SP40 were just better, at least to my ears. I found the Dali too aggressive in treble range while the Sonus Faber were just a bit too relaxed, they just sounded like speakers where as the SP40 sound more real. Their ability to adapt to all music types is amazing, slow and relaxed to fast and exciting is effortless. Also the reproduction of vocals is uncanny, it’s like the artist is there in the room. They really earn the ‘special’ in their name. Back to the Amp+, I just don’t know if adding a second one will make that much of a difference and they certainly aren’t cheap.
My advice would be to enjoy what you have until you feel there’s something missing....I have fallen into the trap of upgraditus....I REALLY WANT a pair of the new Dynaudio Heritage speakers...they look amazing!
@@SmallRoomAudio snap! I really want a pair too. I’d have to sell my existing SP40s though and while the Heritage are probably better, I’m not sure I’m prepared to let go of my SP40s.
Being an amature audiophile I wondered why the amplifier wattage tried was so very low given the apparent need for power to drive the speakers? Am I missing something - do 180 watt speakers like the Dyno’s tested need a similar wattage from the amp?
Hey! New sub here. Arrived from searching on Dynaudio Evoke 20 BUT you definitely piqued my interest when I clicked on description for LINE MAGNETIC! Are you planning to do a review on your integrated? There just so happens to be a importer nearby me and I've only been able to find a reference in the Wall St Journal and couple scattered reviews. Thanks!
Thank you jctai100, welcome to the channel! Yes absolutely, the full line magnetic 508ia/805ia review with three flavours of tube rolling is due out in early April. It’s going to be a good one! 👍
I’ve owned both, but not had them in at the same time to do an exact comparison video review. KEF is less forgiving of recordings, images a bit more clearly, but vocals are slightly less forward. Both have great bass and have good scale. The R3 are BIG boxes so be ready for that. As always though, it depends on matching equipment and taste. Get both in house for a listen if you can - they are both great. I can imagine there might be a new KEF coming out soon with meta technology though, so might be worth holding out for that.
I wonder what the difference in a warmer sounding speaker and a not so warm sounding speaker would be when compared in a hard floor room vs a carpeted room. Would the amount of reflection have greater consequences on the warmer sound or the other? Just wondering.
Hi C Adam, I’m sure people will have had different experiences, but I’ve found I prefer warmer more forgiving speakers in reflective and untreated rooms. In a small room, reflection can make more resolving speakers sound a bit harsh. The best upgrade Ive ever bought were acoustic panels for first reflection points and bass traps for the front walls - just don’t overdo it or the room can sound horribly dead ☠️
Well this was a bit serendipitous. I've been looking at the Special 40 and the Heritage Special. I currently own the Buchardt S300s and I think they're a lot of fun...but I do sometimes wish for a bit more clarity. It's interesting you think the Evoke's are a more evolved S300. I have the Buchardt A500s on order and they've obviously had some rave reviews so I'll need to give them a try before I buy anything else. The Heritage Special's are definitely calling though! Cheers.
It’s probably still down to personal taste as the evoke will be better at hiding poor rock recordings (of which there are many) but I prefer the extra bite of the S40 myself
I dont have a big room and i can only afford to have the Special 40 about 50cm from the rear wall. Will the Special 40 be OK sitting about 50cm from the rear wall? Thank you
Hi Martin, yes it should be fine - although I’d recommend some bass traps for the rear wall to stop it getting boomy. The special 40 is not shy in the bass dept!
@@SmallRoomAudio Will do. I have been thinking of getting something for my study, nothing crazy, something within 2 grand. That got me thinking about the Evoke 20. What other options are there? I haven't kept up to date with the more reasonably priced brands like Wharferdale, Quad and the likes. Had a pair of Diamonds long time ago, auditioned the Quad 11L and 12L, loved them back in the day. For 2 grand, what would you pick?
Any thoughts on Evoke 20 vs Triangle Espirt Comete EZ? I have seen used Evoke 20's around a similar price of new Comete's...curious if anyone has had opportunity to hear both speakers.
I'm saving to get Evoke 20 in Walnut finish, but I already know, the moment I set it up I'm gonna tell myself that I should've saved for couple of months longer, just to get Special 40's. Those can pretty much be an endgame for someone like me. :/ Maybe I'll be lucky enough to find a used pair, really hard to find those nowadays. Thanks for the comparison!
Hi Grooverobber - I haven’t had the chance to listen to the Evoke 10, but in that size room I would imagine the 20s would work well and still deliver at low volume.
My advice is 20. Sensitivity of evoke 10 is 84dB , evoke 20 is 86dB . I tested both in same room . Evoke 20 is easier to drive because it has 86dB sensitivity with wonderful bass.When I try to drive evoke 10 with same Amp, I feel not good. evoke 10 is even harder to drive well than special forty which is also 86dB.
Special 40’s were my most disappointing speakers I ever had. Far to relaxed, not to detailed, very little bass response and lots of roll of in the highs. A speaker for the people who love an easy sound with no sharp edges and not too much bass. Certainly no high end, than you have to get the Heritage Specials, they do a lot better. So for everyone who wants to buy the Special 40’s, get the HS or the Confidence 20, although the HS sounds better in my opinion.
Can't believe that you're suggesting that prospective buyers of the Special 40's should buy the Heritage Special or Confidence 20's which are over double and triple the price of the S40's. Good advice bro. While you're out there you might as well check out the Focal Diablo's, only 10 times dearer than the Special 40's. To hell with the budget.......just go for it man LOL
