John
LYD – the Danish word for sound. How do you like yours? Neutral and/or enjoyable? All other things being equal, Dynaudio’s hifi division aims squarely for the latter, the pro division, presenting their latest LYD series at Superbooth ’17, the former. So says the Denmark-based VP of Sales Rune Holst Jacobsen.
However, if no two loudspeaker models sound the same, all other things being equal, only one can be dead set neutral (assuming we know where neutral lies). Everything else falls in behind with its own take on the truth. Consumers simply select which story they prefer.
Dynaudio’s Pro series reflects the loudspeaker spirit of this modular synthesizer trade fair: active and active only. Musicians and mastering engineers don’t feel the itch to switch up the amplifier that drives (passive) loudspeakers. They prefer the optimised performance imposed by an active crossover and one amplifier per driver, tailored to its impedance plot.
For Dynaudio’s LYD, user tweak-ability comes via DSP. Each loudspeaker’s tonal balance is fully adjustable according to the host room’s acoustic make-up – treble roll off and bass output – and the loudspeaker’s proximity to room boundaries. Neutrality makes way for (gasp) subjective preferences but without the phase errors introduced by (some) analogue EQ systems.
And if you think the instant digitisation of each speaker’s analogue input (XLR or RCA) renders upstream DAC differences invisible, by all means stick with your laptop’s 3.5mm headphone socket. Those already tuned in to the pragmatism of the ADC-DAC process can bring their higher end D/A converters to the table and still reap their sonic benefits.
Where pro-aimed loudspeakers consistently ace their hifi brethren is on value quotient. Dynaudio’s Pro division is no exception: the LYD 5 sell for €999/pair – that’s cheaper than a pair of the hifi division’s Xeo 2 (!) – the LYD 7 for €1198/pair, the LYD 8 for €1398/pair.
The all-new 3-way LYD 48 will sell for €2198/pair and like every Dynaudio loudspeaker, each pair of LYD, drivers included, are designed and hand-made in Skanderborg, Denmark.
Jacobsen is joined at Superbooth ’17 Berlin by local (German) Dynaudio product specialist Jan Kretschmer. Kretschmer kicks off this video walkthrough. Viewers should pay attention to the man’s comments on distances between loudspeaker plane and the listening position.
Further information: Dynaudio Professional
