If you don’t have the room for it, or the usage, then it’s not really a once in a lifetime opportunity, as it’s not going to work for you. I reached the very same conclusion on the Totem speakers I mentioned above.
2 Likes
Thanks for sharing your findings with the C2.
Audiophile forums may not always be the best place when it comes to deciding what we can get away with. Some of us have a few priorities and biases that other non-audiophiles don’t always understand.
Sometimes I apply the ‘it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission’ policy, but am acutely aware that their are limits to how often this one can be used (if ever for some).
PS, are you sure about the 55dB? I only have a few dodgy android apps for this, but I just wound down my music to see how low that was. It was totally muted before finding that TOH using the pepper grinder in the background was still exceeding this level (if correct).
If you don’t have the room for it, then don’t buy it. It’s as simple as that.
If you feel your 260s are too big, then why not revisit the Heritage? It will be more appropriate to the space. Or maybe try the C1, though it’s still too good for the rest of your equipment.
2 Likes
I suspect your decision may be about more than just the sound or dimensional issues.
But since we are on it, at over 1.5m tall, the C2’s certainly look serious, but the slender footprint is not massively different to the Heritage or 260’s. If their are kids in the picture, then 1.5m C2’s may not be very child friendly (my earlier sslender speakers took a tumble with an excitable child, before being screwed to the floor from the underside).
I could be wrong, but think C2’s were being made about 2013, Heritage end of 2020. I’m therefore guessing that early C2’s could be easier on the budget.
Dooh…In the middle of writing this my street has lost power and music has stopped (I’m currently on a laptop). Suddenly the best speakers in the world would be useless to me. Not relevant, but just a different perspective that makes you think. Pity no one in my house can sing.
What is your measure of “not enough room”? (You haven’t indicated size of room, other than your assessment as “medium size”. Something like Focal Grand Utopia I can understand, but C2 is hardly a massive speaker - narrow front, and fronts will likely be similar distance from front wall so the depth is immaterial, and height I assume only half or less the height of the room.
My advice from personal experience: Don’t do it! I also couldn’t resist the temptation when a pair of used C1 appeared, but it proved to be a big mistake. They never worked in my room (they do need a lot of space around them), and I also didn’t have enough power for them (SN2). So it was 5 wasted years without enjoyment of the music…
I think it’s better to stick with what you have.
PS: The (very) long version of my experience is here: https://community.naimaudio.com/t/david-vs-goliath-and-request-for-speaker-advice/28481?u=sihctr
1 Like
How big is your room? I use my C2s in a room that is 11’ x 17’ x 8’. Sure, they would do better in a larger room, but they sound fantastic as is. As long as you can get them at least a half meter away from the walls (especially back wall) they might do nicely.
Once you pair them with a great amp they really open up at low/moderate volume. My prior Contour S3.4 never had low level response as good as the C2. However, I have the C2 Platinum and I vaguely recall they made some tweaks to the crossovers to improve low volume performance.
I used to have a dedicated room in the exact size, 11’ x 17’ but slightly larger at the rear since it’s an L-shape. Good to know the C2s are able to fit in this room which to me is medium size or slightly smaller than ideal. Due to the rather narrow footprint, I suspect it will still work well in smaller rooms being able to go closer to the side walls. Even though the room is “slightly” smaller than ideal, I would still buy the speaker if it’s reference quality and in near mint condition unless there are other factors or considerations that do not allow the purchase. The room will always be a compromise and it’s up to the person to make the best use out of it.
My current room is also slightly small for all my speakers widthwise as I can’t place them more than 6’ apart. However, I still get great results from them. In my book, the loudspeaker is the most important component in the system so try to get the best sounding one that suits your taste and listening experience. Other than the improved clarity, nuance and detail, the capability of reproducing the tone of instruments to sound most lifelike and real makes the listening experience much more enjoyable, in my experience.
1 Like
In my room, my C2s are 7’4" apart tweeter to tweeter, and I sit 9’ away from the front plane of the speaker baffles. The tweeters are 24" away from the side walls, and the front baffles are 4’ off the back wall.
I would like them in a bigger room, mostly because I think they would open up a lot more for large scale orchestra music, but I don’t feel like they overwhelm the room at all. The 300DR has amazing grip and control and the addition of a stereo pair of subs helps a lot with soundstage.
I would like to try them in my 14’ x 22’ living room, but there might be a downside. One side is all outside wall (plaster on brick) while the other side has two large arched entryways into the dining room and front hall that cannot be closed off. OTOH, my smaller listening room has just the door and I can close that if I want to.
Good to know. I sit 8’ away from the speakers and my speakers (Marten Duke 2 and Graham LS5/9) are around 6’ apart tweeter to tweeter, toed-in slightly.
In my experience, the system will sound “splashy” in a much larger living room due to the added space and reflection from walls or hard surfaces. The difference in presentation between the dedicated room and living room can be very different even with the same speakers and components. I’ve tried it before in my old house. The dedicated room I had has treatment on all walls so it’s a controlled listening environment. FWIW I actually prefer the sound from the current system in the untreated living room compared to my old system(different speakers and components) in the treated room of my old house.
I don’t treat my room. It has carpets, and furniture, and a wall of record shelves behind the speakers. I have heard – perhaps overly – treated rooms. They might have been “accurate” but sounded overly dead and lifeless to me. I like a bit more lively presentation. I have left my room as is and am happy with how it sounds.
1 Like
Same here. I prefer the “sound” of the untreated room provided one gets it right. I have a thick rug on the floor, fabric curtains behind, fabric sofa and equipment rack on the side walls. The presentation of an untreated room might be not very orderly or accurate but I prefer this “live” presentation. Room furnishing can still make a positive difference if appropriately implemented in the room. In my previous dedicated room that is fully treated, the system sounds rather dead. Perhaps I used too much absorption although I did incorporate some diffusion at certain areas in the room.
This is how my room is. It sounds naturally lively, but has great soundstage and is very revealing. I don’t feel like I have issues with reflections in the room.
10 Likes
Nice. I noticed the left speaker is closer to the side wall than the right speaker as the equipment rack is further down the room. In my system, I can’t push the left speaker closer to the side wall as the equipment rack is just beside the speaker. I’ll try to find a way to see if I can reposition the rack so that the speakers can be placed wider apart. It’s a little tricky for me since I don’t have much space to play with as the side wall is already full with furniture.
1 Like
No, that’s just an illusion of the photo. Both speakers are exactly 24" from wall to middle of tweeter. The optimal seating position is exactly middle of room, and that’s where the left chair is positioned. Dynaudio recommends siting speakers at least 1/2m off the side and back walls. If I had the room, I would leave a full meter between speaker and side walls.
The speakers are toed in slightly. I tuned that by ear using some orchestral music for stage, and solo marimba to fine tune the center stage. The subs are pointed to the opposite corners to load the room. I might still get a second pair of subs, even for this room.
1 Like
This is my room and I sit very close to the speakers as there is a bed behind the chairs
Hence my doubts about getting the C2 in this room
It’s a bit messy with cables because I just got the new WiiM pro streamer need to organise all this
I can’t really get a sense of scale for your room, since your shots are too narrow angle, but I can say C2 will want to be further off the wall than you have those Focus. All Dyns like space around them, but especially ones like C2s, or the bass won’t be right. And then it looks like you’d be sitting really close to them.
Offhand, I think you need more space if you want Confidence speakers, even with C1s. I think how I have mine is probably about a minimum for the C2s.
Hi this is another photo
It’s not really feasible to have the c2 0.5 meter away from the wall
And listening space to speaker is less than 2 meters
Doesn’t sound like a good candidate for C2s. They really need more space. When that close to a wall, they may end up boomy sounding, even with foam plugs in the ports. The back side of my C2s are 0.9m from the front of my record shelves standing behind them. That’s about a minimum. They were a bit closer at one time and didn’t sound as good, and the soundstage wasn’t great.
Listening distance to speaker at 2m is possibly reasonable, but siting them so close to the wall is not optimal, and makes them sound boomy. Dynaudio speakers are designed for open space, not up against walls. There are other speaker brands designed to work well against or close to walls. Maybe that should be your focus.
Personally, I wouldn’t purchase C2s for that room unless I can hear them there first. I suppose you can always buy them and resell if they don’t work out, but keep in mind the transport weight (assuming you have the wooden crates they come in) is about 175 lbs, each!.
Aren’t those Dynaudios reflex models, for which they supply port plugs to tailor the bass if the speaker has to be placed closer to the wall?
As for nearfield listening, it is often good even with big speakers - when I assessed my own room with my old PMC EB1i speakers the best sounding position in my room was about 2.3m from plane of centre of speaker baffles and that is in a room about 7m by 7.5m (overall).