Audiophilepure

Photos from the recent installation of Rockport Technologies Orion loudspeakers in the dCS dedicated listening room, personally set up and optimized by Jon Zimmer, Director of Sales for Rockport Technologies. A listening session with dCS International Export Sales Manager Alasdair McDonald and dCS Managing Director David Steven featured the dCS Varèse flagship music system as the source.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/dynaudio-confidence-20-active-space-loudspeaker

As I see it, the almost full-range, full-scale Confidence 20A’s are meant for experienced audiophiles who want flagship driver technology in a smaller-than-usual footprint. They’ll also appeal to owners who value integrated amplification and DSP correction, and customers who use balanced sources and prefer a system with fewer boxes and wires. You may well choose to give these Dynaudios a hard pass if you’re on a restricted budget, want Roon and streaming capabilities built in, or love swapping tubes for fun.Priced at $24k, the Confidence 20A’s roared right into luxury territory when they were introduced a year ago. There, they compete with active offerings like Genelec’s 8380A’s ($20,500/pair) and Grimm Audio’s LS1c’s ($26,500/pair without integratable subwoofers). They’re almost twice the cost of the passive Confidence 20s, but you’re not just paying for amplification; you’re paying for drivers and electronics carefully engineered to form a no-hassle, well-matched, unified system … and maybe an end to the upgrade cycle.

The VE ONE exhibits impressive depth and power and generally impresses on the macro level, more so than competing units such as the UE5 Pro, which is quite intimate in comparison. However, it’s not quite as layered and resolving as the higher-end VE multi-driver models.

The listener’s ear will be drawn more to the low-end power and upper-register vocal presence than to a stretched, grandiose, ethereal performance.

The VE ONE has kept the tuning centered and slightly more forward for bass and vocal elements, providing a nice balance for modern pop and slower-paced synth music.

Given the matching amplitude of the 20-100Hz and 2-5k region, anything that registers in the upper-mids will still be clearly heard, but lower-mids instrumental micro-detail will be somewhat muted.

My suggestion is to pair the VE ONE with a neutral punch source and amplifier to retain a good level of dynamic range, without introducing any additional warmth to an already smooth-sounding presentation.

Among the tips, I prefer the WG01 (expansive tuning) for maximum openness and minimal midrange coloration, delivering the cleanest, most extended treble.

The standard tips and WG02 (balanced tuning) set provide greater fullness and body in the mids, but sacrifice some treble air and extension in comparison.

Compared to the previous generation, the tuning direction leans more balanced and faster in the bass, likely thanks to the smaller, quicker dynamic driver, resulting in a more vivid tonal palette, noticeably strengthened technical performance, and even greater treble detail retrieval.

Crucially, this extra resolution arrives in a swift, extended, and non-shouty manner rather than aggressive or peaky

The Arne Mk2 performed flawlessly for the six months that I had it. It is a super quiet integrated amplifier. There is no hum or hiss or any tube noise to speak of without any hiccups. I really enjoyed my time with the Arne Mk2. It was simple to use with auto biasing and a volume remote control; it made it easier for me to enjoy the music. As I have said, the Arne Mk2 sounded as if I were listening to separates. When one box integrated amplifier sounds this good, you say to yourself “do I really need the separates?” If you’re in the market for separates, you should give a listen to the Engstrom Arne Mk2 integrated amplifier. Its’ that good.