Dynamics - S40 00:00 , Rubicon 2 00:48 Acoustic - S40 01:35 , Rubicon 2 02:49 Folk Rock - S40 03:53 , Rubicon 2 04:53 Jazz - S40 05:57 , Rubicon 2 06:50 Transients S40 07:47 , Rubicon 2 08:38 Rock. - S40 09:37 , Rubicon 2 10:47

Your the only one with efficient and meaningful and organized speaker/amo videos sir! big respect

Excellent comparison videos! Please keep making them. So far the Dali's are my choice, but it's hard not to like the sound of the Dynaudio's for just relaxing.

Rubicon 2.. more alive and detailed with a 3d like sound. Love your videos - great work again.Special 40's - smoother sound. I wish I could afford the Dali Rubicon 2's... I'd buy them in a flash!

I've always said that comparison videos are the best ones. While KZfaq sample audio clips themselves don't really give an accurate representation of what the speakers do in person, the comparison and contrast of the two pairs of speakers give the viewer / listener some meaningful perspective of how they perform relative to each other. That can be a very helpful tool when navigating the expensive world of audio gear. I really enjoy these comparison videos; please keep them coming.

Interesting video, as always.

My friend is testing now the Oberon 2 and Special 40 with expensive audio gear. He likes both speakers. Both speakers are great!

Great comparison, lovely to see opinions split down the middle. Exactly what makes HiFi such an interesting past time. I'm a fan of the Dynaudio house sound, very dynamic yet relaxed (seems contrary). It's hard to even say which is more accurate, especially the jazz track, depending on the room it could sound real either way in person? I agree about the harsh "S" sounds on the Dali, but then again it could be noise being revealed by the speaker and better isolated components could do it more justice? Another point to note even with this very objective comparison.

The Dali Rubicon sound brighter, harsh "S" and vowels Seemed like I could only hear the vocals and not the mid range Special Forty sounded better balanced overall Cool match up

In this particular setup, the Rubicon 2 sounded a tad too bright for me plus its bass was not only stronger than the Special 40, but it was to the extent of overwhelming. Overall, I felt the Special 40 is more balanced and is a pair of speakers that you can really sit down and have an extended proper listening session with. But, that is to be expected, in most group tests, in general Dynaudios don't do well because I would say many average listeners are after a sound that encompasses ultimate resolution and full attack. By default, the Dynaudio house sound is neutral at best, so when you put them under a back-to-back comparison situation they rarely do well. I feel like the Dynaudio house sound is more of an acquired taste if you will. You need to get to know it a bit before you will get to appreciate it. So, when you first listen to it, it doesn't scream "come and check out how good I am". That relationship has to be built over time. Other more revealing speakers on the other end of the spectrum on the other hand are trying to win you over right away and some of them do a great job in that context like the B&W 805 D3s or D4s or Focal Sopra No.1s of the world.

Thanks for the comparison, you put my hifi-itch to the rest for a few months again :) I have had the SP40's for some time now and I really love them for the incredible soundstage they have and how they absolutely disappear in my room. But the itch was there, since I really love the Dali sound (had the Oberon 3's for really long). Now I hear why I switched to the Dynos - Dalis have more treble extension and work better in the time domain, delivering more detail but those highs bleed back into the midrange, giving vocals some glare that I don't have with the SP40's. Midrange is far better, more neutral, and warmer on the Dynos for my ears, which again is due to the fact that we hear less top end extension and ultimately this is my preferred choice. I wonder what the Epicon vs Heritage Special shooutout would be.

Thanks for your video. I think I'd stick to the Dynadio's. I like the scene and the depth of the sound stage, find their bass more engaging. That's my take. Greetings from Madrid.

I have Opticon 2 mk2 and they are amazing speakers…but next week I’m going to buy a pair of Rubicon’s 2….they are absolutely astonishing 😊

Rubicon's allows you to hear bass guitar not just bass

Hi. What is your impression from the special 40s? What is the setup playing? How far are the 40s from the wall? Do you use port blocks? Thanks! From what I was told the 40s needs around 100 watts to start singing.

What is the source input ? is there pre amp or Dac there is a differentiation in the Sound , but too many unknown to qualify

Hi…I love midrange of both speakers.In your perspective which speaker has good Bass?

I am a little bit surprised that I find myself preferring the Dalis. They just have more excitement & joy for me. Thats not to say the S40s sound bad & they are gorgeous, especially in the Black Vine finish.

Well...Dynaudio was a step up class but i like the dali rubicon more impressive and giving a spirit sounded.

Hi! What is your Choice? 🙂 Which better in your opinion?

Dynaudio - I hear a set of sounds, Dali - I hear music. As for me, Dali is much better in this setup, in this room, today)

Feels like Dyns has much more potential ahead using higher class amplification...

Is a Special 40 or a Rubicon 2 good for metal music on a Yamaha AS-1200 ? TY

I followed all the speakers comparisons , but Dali Rubicon remains with the largest holographic sound stage. Many will say that the voice is light back, but is realistic and very well presented on the stage.

Not really a fan of Dali's tendancy to have tipped up treble as it's also got a certain character that I don't like. The Dynaudio are smoother, a bit more weight to certain drums etc. The Dali may sound a little larger and spacious due to the extra treble, but it seems less refined imo.

Habiendo escuchado ambas sin duda para mi las Special Forty son mucho mejores. Tampoco la colocación es la mejor por lo que veo en el vídeo. Esos altavoces necesitan respirar, y sobre todo en el caso de Dynaudio una amplificación poderosa y de mucha calidad.

Thanks for posting this. Comparisons hard through youtube channel. Folk Rock on the Rubicons you still had the Special 40 label up which was slightly confusing. In my (probably biased) opinion the S40s got nowhere nears the R2's. Dali have nothing to fear from these S40s.

@mykeldg It would be so great if you did a Rubicon 2 vs Buchardt S400 MKII 😃

Great comparison, one error Folk Rock 2 x Dynaudio writing, SP40 have more body, I'll get some Dynaudios after my Dali Menuet SE. I thought Dalis were warm :-)

Hey What’s the Name of the Song at 3:53min. It sound’s so damn good :o

I have listned to the S40 at a shop nearby. It's fantastic and smooth at a big listning room but for limited space the R2 is inbeatable. When it comes to microdynamics and microdetails and attack that I m used to, the S40 is missing that.( the Heritage has got that attack and microdynamics but at an unreasonable price IMO) The R2 remain without doubt more inteligable for dialogue and very very funn. I'm looking forward to try the Audiovector R1. It suppose to be near the Rubicon2 caracter with better measurement according to rumors😂

Very nice.. i have been thinking about the S40 for quite awhile now.. the Rubicon 2 sounds brighter compared to S40, or should i say S40 is darker or neutral. From this sound demo I would go with S40, i can sense more space and air, and i prefer the percussions to be in the background. Lately i see the Quad S2 seems to be very interesting at 1/3 of the price.

dali sounds engaging no doubt but im not sure if i can listen to it long term. special 40 on the other hand sounds very relaxing i might fall asleep listening to it

Rubicon again would love to hear this Rubicon against KEF R3

For those who have seen the Dali Rubicon in person, which looks better or would be more neutral looking in most settings, the walnut or russo wood veneer? Hard to tell color darkness in all the photos I have seen. While black gloss looks like an easy fit, it soils easily and cleaning can add swirls/scratches. White holds up better but it would have looked more keen with a jet black grill rather than a lighter grill. Of course I could probably order replacement grills.

I prefer the Dali Rubicon sound

Great video. Really surprising . The dalis seem way better i detail and transients. Im just wondering if the s40s had been run in enougg. Most reviewers saying they sound quite poor oit of the box and need a few hundred hours on them to open up

This test is a shock to me, as before listening I'd put all my bets on Special 40. After listening to different tunes, I would rather prefer to listen to Rubicon 2. They are lighter, more detailed yet less energetic than Dynaudio..

special 40, win hands down for the solid mid range.

It seems like the Rubicon is doing some of the B&W sound signature, but just not to the same extreme. I seem to like it. 😁

Tough choice !!!

s40 more natural, balanced and opened

This is interesting in that I’ve been comparing my Dali Oberon 3 to a pair of new Dynaudio Emit 20. This Dalis are warmer, more tipped up in the treble, a bit of a more musical listen, where the Dyns are perhaps the more technically correct speaker, super detailed, laid back, maybe even a bit dry but seems to lack a little cohesion to put it altogether. I think this is the Dynaudio house sound. I want to like them more, but it’s hard since they just do anything forward. For those that want spooky levels of detail like with Focal but more bass, more laid back. They are a heck of a speaker. Dali though just has more energy and really great detail. Hopefully we see a new Rubicon range soon. Maybe an Opticon 2 MkII vs Rubicon 2 video??

There is a comparison on youtube between Dynaudio Evoke 20 and Triangle Comete 40th anniversary. The conclusion is that Triangle has more natural tones and Dynaudio more bass. Triangle are also lively speakers like Dali , but they are not the most transparent. If i choose between transparency and better tones in speakers, I choose better tones. Among all speakers that I listened to, I was happier with Triangle comete, JMR Lucia (lively but homogeneous, smooth in the same time), and even Dali Zensor 3 (lively, pleasant, but the tones don't sound like real instruments in this range) Dynaudio in my opinion do better with more relaxing, slower music, but they don't give such emotions like JMR or Triangle.

Rubicon sound like the band is live in your room when the dynaudio sound like a neutral speakers. If I was in shop I will probably choose the dynaudio, I believe I will prefer for long listening sessions the dynaudio.

The Special 40’s are hyped too much, this great comparison tells the story….

I prefer the Dali Rubicon 2 !!

SP40 sounds better to me particulary on the transients part. I like the Balance & Lows in this configuration.

I prefer the sound of the Dali

...По мне, однозначно Dali...

Listening to this via my EQ'd Sennheiser IE 900 the Special Forty sounds more balanced and easier to listen to, guess I'll either buy them or the Triangle Comète 40th Anniversary

Rubicon 2

Everywhere, Forty wins a little bit (especially noticeable at the ends of the frequency response).

The Special 40's need more than one foot from the back wall to sound at their best and I find a slight toe also improves things.

How do these speakers compare when you play complex rock, pop, classical tracks? Throw something complex and layered to these speakers and see how the crossover with handle it…. It’s not a real test with one vocal taking up the entire spectrum.

Dynaudio much better mind you listening through b&w headphones

What do you all think... IMO, with higher end Dalis, there is great resolution, alot of details but they are smoothed over. Coming from Focal and Triangle speakers, it would seem I like a brighter speaker and I do if by brighter you mean greater natural details/texture and an extended high end without it being glare. Sibilance is more pronounced, and perhaps more/less sharper, but it is different from glare that occurs in the upper mids thru the treble region. My experience anyway in my room and with my equipment. I like Dalis but the missing texture is hard to let go once you've heard it. I can give up some resolution in place of that. So while I don't dislike Dalis, I seem to prefer my Triangle Plaisir Zetas over them. The Menuets are clearly at the audiophile level while the Zetas budget, but they display that level of texture to enough of an extent that I overlook the lower resolution. But the Zetas have better than average resolution, image well, are more engaging for me and I tend to listen to vs critique them. The Menuets do go lower in bass, it's faster while the Zetas have a bit upper bass presence which warms the speaker. The Menuets give a forward sound near and midfield but the Zetas sound a bit forward midfield and go back a bit behind the speakers nearfield, which is interesting. Both are fine up close. BTW, there is a glare with the Menuets in the upper range with some material but sibilance seems controlled. So, i'm going to add that transparency is also bringing those textures into the mix. One could argue color, emotion, for ex. does a piano sound woody or metallic, etc. Well, even a woody sound isn't a dull thud, it has extension, resonances, texture, etc. If it's in the recording and the source can display that and where there is good system matching, then it's a transparency issue. Someone once left a review stating the Zetas reminded him of his Spendors so for me, perhaps the upgrade is to try some Spendors. Smooth to me is likely balanced, if a speaker it too smooth, it is perhaps too much of the texture/micro-details were taken away which btw alot of people seem to like/prefer, but not me. Haven't heard Dyaudios but I'm not sure if they present themselves well enough considering transparency the way I described them. A balance of lows, mids and highs with good extension without glare while having a high degree of transparency is what I an after. Add to that a natural saturation of color in which instruments and voices do have to sound more natural and I would give up ultimate resolution for having those qualities. If I had to, I could live with Dali speakers, could live with alot of speakers but when you find ones that move you emotionally, that's special. Speakers I couldn't live with are for ex., Quad S2s (high resolution and detail, lacked color and 2D soundstage, no engagement with music, great for movies); Jamo C 93 II (did alot right for a budget but the upper extension, something, gave great fatigue after about 20 min), MA Silver 100 ( I liked the low to lower mids alot, upper mids and highs while they added life to certain songs could get muddled and just too much information all at once without separation, I think better suited for a larger room); MA Silver 50 (nothing like the bigger ones, sounded small, alot of resolution but chirped like a bird during sibilant passages). Still, all in all, finding a speaker with the degree of transparency desired in a smaller package has been difficult so the search continues. Btw, never tried Dynaudio. At price levels well above a grand, two or even more, transparency without smoothing is essential to render a recording that sounds more real than not, regardless of less bass, degree of ultimate resolution, etc. IMO. Current equip used: Hegel h160 Keces E40 with Topping D70s Focal 807W Triangle Zeta Blue Jeans cable Marantz CD6006 as transport

Dynaudio all the way, more detailed more alive!

40 👍

Dynaudio to much better

Dali has more clarity while the Dynaudio has more bass! Overall Dali is better but wt bad recording, it might be fatiguing! Both are good speakers!!

Where is your daughter? 😊

The Special 40's outclass the Oberon's with better tone and texture, fuller and more natural midrange, more micro-dynamic detail, and just more of a lifelike, less 'sense of loudspeaker' listening experience. The Dali's are pretty good, but not in the same league to me. Great comparison videos! Thanks.

Special 40 is muscular.

s40 more treble,bright, and rubi has better bass,a bit more impact. rubi for me

Dyn is more comfortable listening

These youtube tests are ridiculous i tought this was a review