Have you listened to the new Heritage Special speakers?
 

Anyone get a chance to listen to the Dynaudio Heritage Special speakers? If yes, please share your impressions.

Thanks

Yes I had a chance to audition them 3 weeks ago. The Hertiage Special might be the finest sounding monitor I have ever heard. Very balanced and extremely musical. I ordered a pair and it will be at least another 3 - 4 weeks before I get them.

Nelson, welcome to AudioAficionado!
I'm looking forward to your experience with the Heritage Specials!

I will update after the Hertiage Special has had ample time to break in.

I haven't heard them but I've seen reviews of them and the reviewers absolutely loved them.

What's the price?

$7,000 per pair.

Rob, thanks for raising this thread.

Nelson, congratulations on your order!

I own a pair of Special Forty which I have been enjoying, I believe the Heritage Special should be in a different league... Also keen to hear your feedback after break in :)

PS: what speakers did you have previously?

So Rob just joined the club. My order was placed today. I will know tomorrow how long my wait will be.

Congratulations Rob. Any wait is to long!

Too long is right. My current speaker are slouches, but they are long in the tooth (Thiel CS 2.3, mid-90’s). With Ivan’s help, in significant part, my equipment is much more current— and has been waiting for their chance “to be heard”. I am certainly looking forward to hear my equipment, including “not hearing” the new power distributor/conditioner (Shunyata Hydra Sigma S12) Ivan recently helped me acquire.

Dynaudio is on my line list. :ok:

Congrats, Rob.

Bear in mind that it takes at least 300 hours to run in Dynaudio drivers from new. And there will be a period that they might sound...uncomfortable to listen to during that time.

Once they get there...you'll know. Its like flipping a switch when they arrive.

Have you listened to the new Heritage Special speakers?
 

+1

https://www.dynaudio.com/dynaudio-ac...-your-speakers

I just ordered a pair of these. Presently running Special 40s driven by Mac tubes and looking for a bit more precision and more controlled bass for our small room. According to the CDN distributor there aren't many sets left.

Are those of you here who own a pair still enjoying them?

Mine sound excellent matched with a Naim Supernait 3.

https://i.postimg.cc/zX9TYf7t/5-12-21-no-2.jpg

Provide them proper spikes or some isolation feet - it will make a difference!

I actually now have vibrapods (3 each speaker) under them and it added to the already beautiful sound.

FYI, Vibrapods will take the finish right off of anything they touch. That includes any brand speakers, and any furniture finish.

:thumbsup:

@Beatlebum: My advice is to get some beeswax cloth, and put a single layer of it between the speaker and the platform it rests on. Or, cut approx. 1" square and put a square at each corner of the stand's speaker platform. The beeswax cloth will couple the speaker's cabinet mechanically to the stand to provide mechanical grounding, and also provide some constrained layer damping.

Then, as Delija mentioned, put some appropriate footers under the stands they are on. My recommendation would be IsoAcoustics Gaia or A/V Roomservice EVPs of the appropriate weight specification (For the IsoAsoustics, Gaia II or III depending on the weight of the speaker/stand combination). For EVPs, likely the high density EVPs. This will make a BIG difference, mostly in that it will make the room notably quieter.

Lastly, get the speaker cables off the floor. My recommendation would be the Shunyata Dark Field Minis; cheap at a box of 12 for $100.

I just received word that my speakers (Heritage Special) arrived at the dealer 2 days ago. Dynaudio’ s distributor told me a container arrived in the port in Tampa last week so if anyone else is expecting them your waiting may be nearing an end.

The Dynaudio speaker stands that match up with these speakers have a mounting plate designed specifically for these speakers. As far as “shoes” for the stands’ “feet”, once I have a little break-in time on the speakers I plan on trying (my) Stillpoints Ultra SS

Thanks to everyone for the guidance. To further clarify, the vibrapods I have are the cone type with the ball bearing making contact with the speaker cabinet, so no worries about the finish.

Also, I have the stands spiked through the carpet to the concrete floor under.

I will look into the Isoacoustics pieces but I'm not understanding the application? The Gaia would sit on the carpet under the stand bases?

I also have some isolators I can put under the speaker cables.

BTW, I'll take all of the constructive advice you all have to offer.

Cheers,

Tim

You need to add carpet spikes.

https://www.analogueseduction.net/us...rge/spikes.jpg

Or would it be best to install (3) Isoacoustic Orea Bronze between the speakers and my stands that are already spiked to the floor?

You can try, but IsoAcoustics suggests coupling of speakers with stands and decoupling from the floor. My experience says the same.

Spoke with Ethan at Isoacoustics regarding the proper application. His guidance is to use the Orea between the speakers and the speaker stands. I ordered (6) of them today and they should arrive Saturday. We'll see what kind of performance they bring.

:thumbsup:

Well done, Beatle.

As for cable elevators, it's important to use a cable elevator that will dissipate the electrical field that is present around a speaker (or power) cable when it is lifted off the floor. This field adds noise and results in diminished clarity, openness and focus. This is specifically why I recommended the Shunyata Dark Field Minis, as they are specifically made out of a material that dissipates static electricity charges (i'm going to put up a post with my experiences with these forthwith).

The other alternative is the more expensive Shunyata DF-SS footers.
https://photos.imageevent.com/puma_c...size/DF-SS.jpg

However the little Dark Field Minis will do the same job for less money; if you want, you can intersperse them between the cable elevators you already have.
It is important to use a cable elevator that will dissipate the static field that will occur if you lift a speaker or power cable off the floor, particularly a carpeted floor. The cable elevators that I know of that will do this are the two Shunyata ones (DF-SS and Dark Field Minis) and the A/V Roomservice CVPs (cable vibration protectors)*.
https://photos.imageevent.com/puma_c...ield-Minis.jpg

*–You can also buy the Nordost ones, but they are ridiculously expensive at $600 for just two elevators.

Hi everyone,
I wanted to give you a quick update on my Heritage Specials. I received them about 8 weeks ago and have at least 200 hrs on them. I like to slowly break in equipment a little per day so I can fully hear the changes it goes thru. Right out the box they sounded pretty good. They never went thru unlistenable stages like some equipment I have broken in but slowly improved each week.
I just got thru listening to some Bach's Violin Concertos and was totally lost in the music. Nothing hash just beautiful music. So classical music sounds wonderful, Alison Krauss's voice sounds like a angel from heaven. Jazz and rock are served very well with the Hertiage Special's.

I have been setting up numerous systems over the past 40+ years ranging from very modest to some quite expensive systems. Currently I am using a $20k turntable setup and well matched tube equipment to drive the Heritages. My digital is a cheap cdp but sounds quite good.
In a nutshell Dynaudio has put together a very enjoyable speaker that fills my 14 × 18 room beautifully. The bass is full and tuneful and nerver lacking for my tastes. So yes Dynaudio has made a great monitor that I feel is worth the asking price em

and should serve me well for years to come. Just feed them well and enjoy.

:thankyouspin: for the review!

Nelson, thanks for the informative feedback [emoji106]

@robfine
How large is your room?
Have you listened to Confidence 20's?

Copy/paste of my post from another forum - 3-4 weeks ago:

"Finally I got a chance to listen to the Heritage Special's for a few hours.

In short - they are very good speakers for smaller rooms, but pretty far from "Confidence killers" as someone could conclude from meny reviews and opinions online - both professional and user (on forums, FB groups...).

If you ask me - the difference in price is 100% justified.

They sound somewhat "lean" and unbalanced - to me. Yes, the bass is fast, controlled, precise, but it's missing both its body and the texture and that appears to affect the whole frequency range - from the bottom to the top. In some moments during the listening of double bass (e.g. "Ray Brown, John Clayton, Christian McBride - SuperBass" or "The Ray Brown Trio - Summer Wind: Live at the Loa" albums) I got the feeling almost like I was listening to the strings without a wooden body. The resolution is there, the details are there, but the full "body" of a sound is partially missing. And that is not how I felt only for instruments which play (very) low tones - it's pretty similar with other instruments. They are pretty well positioned in the space (although the soundstage depth could be somewhat better), but they are smaller in volume than they should be.

Just to add, that this exact description can be "attached" to many high quaity bookshelf speakes - that is something that I'm missing in sound when I'm listening to them. With Confidence 20's and also Contour 20's I don't have this issue. Of course, Contour 20's have their own drawbacks compared with both Conficence and Heritege, but if you ask me to choose between Heritage and Contour 20 - it's a tough task. Maaaaybe I'm closer to Heritage, because they really have significantly better resolution and transparency, but I wouldn't be too happy. With Confidence 20's - yes, I would be missing my Confidence 50's a lot and also my subs - but I'm sure that after some time I could adapt to their sound and to be pretty happy with them.

Of course, YMMV.

Just to add that the "test" system is pretty decent :)
Simaudio MOON P-8 preamp
Simaudio MOON W-7M amps
Simaudio MOON 780D v2 DAC / streamer
Métronome DSS streamer
Métronome Le Player 3 CD transport"

Curious to know what tube amp or integrated you are using with your HS?

Have you listened to the new Heritage Special speakers?
 

I’m not quite sure how to respond to your post because I’m not quite sure what you intended with your post. It’s really not in the nature of what is typically seen here ion AA. If you heard a particular pair of speakers, in this case, Dyn Heritage Specials, and wanted to discuss your observations and experience, good or bad, whatever they may be… more power to you. But that’s not really what you did. You addressed me, asked me about my room size, and asked me if I had listened to the Confidence 20’s. And then, for whatever reason, for whatever internal need in you that needed satisfying, and in so doing you couldn’t even make your comments in first person instead hiding behind the “copy paste from a forum 3-4 weeks ago” and pretty much proceeded to make an unsolicited attack on the speakers I bought and “my experience” with them as I described in this forum. I don’t understand what I wrote in my description of my speakers and experience that would warrant a comment to the effect that they are not “Confidence Killers”. I don’t believe I mentioned the word Confidence once in my posting. You then proceeded to say: “if you ask me, the price difference is 100% justified”. Again, you addressed your post directly to me. I didn’t ask you and I didn’t care when I got them nor do I care now.

I’m not going to waste time on the details of your review because they are not really relevant to me, the person you addressed your comment to, in part for the reasons included in my wrapping up thoughts. You mention that the “test system is pretty decent :)”. I got nothing bad to say about Simaudio equipment in general. I’m guessing your making the point that the “test system” , at about 5x the cost of mine I’m guessing is superior to mine justifying your comments as being somehow more “correct” than what I am experiencing. Well, Simaudio Moon is great equipment. Great solid state equipment. I have tube-based amplification. Simaudio is a great DAC. But it is not an R-2R based DAC. Regardless of cost or anything else, fundamentally different operating equipment will cause the same speakers to sound different. So here is my one critique of Simaudio equipment. For whatever reason, for how much you spent — way more than I spent on mine, it apparently lacks the ability to make you happy. No one who has that level of equipment and it is part of a system that can really take advantage of that investment and quality would bother to take the time to write a personal attack/critique of someone he doesn’t even know if he was happy. The only reason I can think of is that I am happy with what I have and said so and why. Nothing you have said indicates that with all that wonderful Simaudio equipment that it brings you any pleasure. My god, you can buy 4 of my speakers or more for the cost of any one of those several components you mentioned in that pretty decent “test system”. Maybe you have a system match problem just looking at cost alone. Maybe the TAD Compact Reference Ones are a more appropriate match for the “test system”. I’ve heard them and they do sound better than my Heritage Specials. Tell you what- you get the TADs, I’ll keep my Dyns. Hopefully you’ll be happier and maybe get a chance to really read the posts on AA and see that the people who frequent this forum show a level of courtesy and respect to each other that you couldn’t manage in your post addressed to me. I harbor no ill-will toward your notwithstanding your post. It’s not worth the energy. But let me say this, instead of taking out whatever frustrations you have with your very costly and very nice system for not bringing you the happiness my much less costly system brings me, on me and others, maybe stick around a bit (but keep the kinds of comments you tossed at me to yourself). There are a lot of really nice people who are really knowledgeable with systems ranging from barely hitting 4 figures to those into 7 figures— and as a rule they would be more than happy to help you with suggestions to help get that lovely Simaudio equipment you say you have to sound in a way that will make you happy. And then your posts will be much more appropriate for AA.

Well done rob. Don’t know where he was coming from with that. Enjoy the new speakers!

Hey Rob - enjoyed your review/opinions of the Heritage specials. It certainly seems Delija formed a different (subjective) opinion. Seems like a perfect case of 'one man's meate is another man's poyson' - an olde English expression - opinions vary.

As an impartial reader, I did not get the sense that Delija was disparaging the Heritages, just voicing his opinion. In fact he had many positives and really only one negative. If Delija expected the Hertigage's to match a full range floor stander, than that was unfair - but I did not get that sense.

yet another opinion -
enjoy the speakers!!

@robfine
I'm sorry if I've hurt your feelings.
That was not my intention.

I'm just somewhat confused with so much praise about Heritage which was not there for new Confidence line when it was launched on the market and still there in no much praise for them. And yes, pretty often people say (write) they are better than Confidence 20's, especially in Dynaudio FB groups.

Based on all that - I had pretty high expectations. I've waited for months for my dealer to get them. Basically my idea was to form one more system based on them in somewhat smaller room, but not too small. I didn't have a chance to try them in this room because they were already sold in advance - I was pretty lucky to hear them at dealer's place.

I was not provoking you - I really want to know whether you had a chance to compare them with Confidence 20's and I'm also curious about the size of your room, because smaller room can make a difference in aspects I 've described. And there is always subjective part - what we want from our system.

Beatlebum,
I am using two tube amps. A 100 watt amp snd a push/pull 15 watts mono block 2a3 amp. Both sound wonderfully musical in my room. If I was to choose one the 2a3 just sounds so good. The Hertiage doesn't need a powerful ss amp to work. Both my tube amps are sublime.

Mine finally arrived yesterday. Hooked up to my Yggy/C22/MC275 VI they are presently making some remarkably beautiful music in my small room. I view them as a solid upgrade over the Special 40s and Harbeth M30.1s I've had in this system up til now.

Technically superb, musically mesmerizing, beautifully made. Outside of the price and the ultimate bass extension not much to quibble with, IMO.

I have also owned the C20 and Special 24, although that was years ago and with quite different source and amplification. All three are fine exemplars of the best of the Dynaudio house sound, but the Heritage Specials do the best disappearing act of the three, and seem the least fussy about positioning. So far.

I'm using with a Jadis Orch Black 40w a/b tube. I just received last week but sounds great so far.

coz… Welcome to AA! :wave:

Sorry that I disappeared from this string for a bit. Big things at work overtook else for a spell. I did not talk about any comparisons to the C20s because I never compared them head to head. These are limited addition and I had an opportunity to hear them in my room with my equipment and they never left. I did listen to the Harbeth 30.1 but not in the same room or with the same equipment. These are really beautiful. Sounding speakers. They have their limitations of course, especially low base extension, but on test recordings I can hear tones down close to 40 hz which I find pretty amazing considering their size. They are very resolving but not punishingly so but they are incredibly musical. If I try to have a session to analyze them I usually quickly forget what I was doing and get lost in the music. The Specials, in my room and with my equipment (which I am very proud of and pleased with but would not be considered to be at the high, high end (high-end, definitely yes)) have that great ability to fairly often “transport the listener” out of the room and to where music is being made. While it’s been a long time back, I recall similarities to my Quad EL 63s, super quick, but still warm- and very realistic and… with that transporting ability. For similar equipment to mine and similar room, I would highly recommend them.