Optional Dynaudio - How does it sound?

[plasmod3]

Well the monitor audios are home speakers, don't think they make them otherwise or it will be a no brainer for me to go monitor audio all the way. The Pl300s just sound ....sweet.

I guess bottom line is you can spend & spend a lot on this & when you do you will find that the most improvement might be had for the first 5k that you spend, after that the law of diminishing returns apply. The audison is a good processor, the arcs are good amps but if you want the best speakers have a look here

http://www.micro-precision.eu/

Too bad they cost in excess of 10k

But having said all that, it just dimmed on me a few secs ago; we are paying for a subjective experience & therefore my advice might not be what your ears appreciate. The best is to audition the speakers; when i did that sometime ago i noticed that the seas speakers are definitely much much better than the dynaudios. Do a google search for seas lotus.

Fyi the factory speakers are below the esotar or the esotec as someone experienced with sound explained to me.

[G-rig]

Fyi the factory speakers are below the esotar or the esotec as someone experienced with sound explained to me.

So are the vw below the esotar or below the esotec? Hard to gather from that, but could be better checking with Dynaudio.

With that kind of OEM setup you'd only have to get a sub+amp and then have quite reasonable sound.

[noone]

Funny thread.

If you want a quality solution, you really need a dedicated amp IMO, the all in 1 systems just don't cut it.

The European vehicles tend to have pretty good systems as standard, my old corolla had a pair of 4" mids facing down from the dash at your knees, I spent more on the audio than the rest of the car.

Unless you pick a fidelity car Audio brand (like Focal or MB Quart) then you are best going to a local QUALITY shop, take your own music, and audition.

The space in a car is pretty difficult to work with, the best results come from trial and error, but unless you have the time, pick one of the stock systems or be prepared to hand over a fair bit more than the stealership price difference but expect the results to reflect this.

You may have good results with one of the factory options with some good sound deadening.

The sky's the limit.

[G-rig]

focal and mb quart are good but no means the best lol.

No point recommending home audio speakers for a car setup.

I got some Magnat Vector Needles that are pretty good but still sensible money.

That's a good point noone, best to audition speakers at a good shop if you can..!

[Leagle]

Hey Doc - I got the dynaudio on my new CC.

I was initially reluctant to tick the option because the stock system in the CC sounds so good. However, as I had upgraded audio in my previous car (professionally installed Alpine system), I knew that I would be disappointed in my vee dub if it had an inferior system.

When I took delivery of my car earlier this month, initially I was more impressed with the other options such as sat nav, park assist and strangely enough blue tooth. I did not even look forward to playing with the dynaudio and felt that it was a little overpriced as far as options went.

But you know what? It sounds so awesome that it is starting to become my favourite option! Clarity, separation and imaging is every bit as good as my previous Alpine (something I was proud of).

However, where the Dynaudio really excels is in mid and upper bass. Though there is no subwoofer (which I have in my previous car), the Dynaudio really kicks butt! Indeed, mid and upper bass is so good that I do not miss not having a subwoofer one bit. Its hard to believe, but the dynaudio sounds a lot more rounded than my previous system even though theoritically the Alpine should have been better.

Of course given the fact that the CC is so quiet (compared with my previous car) probably skews my judgement towards the Dynaudio, but it really is a worthwhile system. However, objectively measured, I found the dynaudio still cranks up higher than my previous Alpine system (notwithstanding it also had a powerful amp).

Incidentally, coming from a Lexus, you are probably used to good quality sound systems (particularly if you had the Mark Levinson). However, I reckon you will similarly find the Dynaudio to be - er - more dynamic! Enjoy!

[G-rig]

Hi Leagle good to hear from someone who has the Dyn factory option! Sounds like it's well worth it even if it seems like a lot on the option list that's a good price as after market dyn's are $1500 alone.

I'd consider it next time as it would be good enough not to tempt you with after market options and pulling the car apart if you don't have to. I didn't bother with the A4 as it has bose which wouldn't have been as good as this VW Dyn setup but was good enough to leave it compared to the Golf 5 system that was rubbish.

I have the ability to fade the sub right off in my car, and you could almost get away with out it as the doors have the 8" woofer, but is a different kind of sound and upon fading the sub back up it sounds right, and fills in those bottom end frequencies. Anyway would be fairly easy to get a good audio shop to add a stealth sub and small Arc amp to power it down the track for those who want to add a bit more to the experience.

[Dr Block]

Hey Doc - I got the dynaudio on my new CC.

I was initially reluctant to tick the option because the stock system in the CC sounds so good. However, as I had upgraded audio in my previous car (professionally installed Alpine system), I knew that I would be disappointed in my vee dub if it had an inferior system.

When I took delivery of my car earlier this month, initially I was more impressed with the other options such as sat nav, park assist and strangely enough blue tooth. I did not even look forward to playing with the dynaudio and felt that it was a little overpriced as far as options went.

But you know what? It sounds so awesome that it is starting to become my favourite option! Clarity, separation and imaging is every bit as good as my previous Alpine (something I was proud of).

However, where the Dynaudio really excels is in mid and upper bass. Though there is no subwoofer (which I have in my previous car), the Dynaudio really kicks butt! Indeed, mid and upper bass is so good that I do not miss not having a subwoofer one bit. Its hard to believe, but the dynaudio sounds a lot more rounded than my previous system even though theoritically the Alpine should have been better.

Of course given the fact that the CC is so quiet (compared with my previous car) probably skews my judgement towards the Dynaudio, but it really is a worthwhile system. However, objectively measured, I found the dynaudio still cranks up higher than my previous Alpine system (notwithstanding it also had a powerful amp).

Incidentally, coming from a Lexus, you are probably used to good quality sound systems (particularly if you had the Mark Levinson). However, I reckon you will similarly find the Dynaudio to be - er - more dynamic! Enjoy!

Hi Leagle,

Congrats on your new ride!

My car does have the Mark Levinson sound sytem which has been fantastic for the last three years. The reproduction of music is truly awesome,I'm definitely hoping to enjoy the Dynaudio as much.

Cheers,

Dr Block

[suparockin]

Marty @ FHRX in Caringbah knows his stuff, and knows VW's well.

He sorted out my system, just be careful it's an addictive game car audio!

[G-rig]

^ I agree mate, pretty addictive once you start but can get some great results..

I got my install done by Northfield Moorooka up here who do great work. They've done a lot of Passat R36 and some GTI Mk6's as well. Got a similar setup to yours, 3x Arc mini amps running active 3-way Dynaudios (1", 3" 8") and a IDQ10" with a BitOne.1 and the RNS-510, MDI and OEM Skoda BT kit. Great setup and sound v impressive but thinking of ditching one amp and going back to the passives as i haven't sorted out the BitOne turn on pop yet.

How many amps do you have?

After market is still far better sounding than the factory option as most factory stereos are still very overpriced (eg Bose) and the amps are still VW brand ones as far as i know. The speakers wouln't be as good as the Dyn Esotec's so people should still consider an after market package (or at least know you can get a good result if you miss out on the Dyn option).

Although for $1500 it's probably a fair upgrade if you didn't want to do any other audio upgrades or pull the car apart. Best to listen to it first at the dealer if possible. I may try and do the same to compare.

[G-rig]

I'd be tempted to order the Dynaudio package from the factory, then just add a sub and amp to drive it. The less you have to pull the car apart the better IMO as you always get small marks on the interior trims and stuff not going back properly and getting rattles etc. Good if you have the skills to do it yourself and take your time but may end up breaking something anyway.

Still get awesome results with after market setups though (better than premium factory options), but usually means spending more. Although if you have audio gear carried over from the last car i'd use that, given it fits and is good quality.

[Brendan_A]

My MK6 I have on order will have the Dyn package. I will let use know how it sounds in 4 months. Having the factory Dyn's or the aftermarket dyn's would sound much for muchness it would mainly come down to the amp quality. And aftermarket dyn's will cost heaps more and I'm not going to have big power cables running under the carpet.

[G-rig]

Sounds good, report back with your review .

Was chatting to Northfield about it and they think it sounds fairly good although lacks a bit of bass (much better than the crappy Bose and Harman Kardon systems out there).

The cables don't run under the carpet but fit down the side under the door sills, not really a problem. Good after market amps would still be better but depends how much of an audio snob you are . Still good to get it from the factory for that price but the speakers aren't the same, they would be built for VW on a budget. Still miles better than the stock system.

[Brendan_A]

I can do that. Do you think Dyn would make them cheaper for vw? Like you said they will be better than a lot of other systems out there. I did hear a factory dyn system in a Golf and it did sound awesome! He just didn't turn it up.

[G-rig]

A lot of after market can be a wank, mostly worried about cranking it up loud.. as long as you're happy with it and it sound clear it's not an expensive option really.

Although, i haven't really heard a factory OEM system so a bit hard to say but can imagine it would be a step up from the stock system and i have after market Dyns and know they are a solid brand.

Ps the source is as important as the power (amp).

[Brendan_A]

Yeah they are good speakers hey. I've had Esotars in a previous car and have a Dyn home theater system. I love them. I was reading they are using the Excite range in the VW which i have heard in the bookshelf range but they were running off a $20000 Chord amp. I'm pretty sure I'll be happy.