HOME CINEMA CHOICE SEPTEMBER 2019
sure each speaker in a given family is exactly the
same. All are tested before they leave the factory;
it's only then they get a sticker and serial number
for authentication.Space invader
But before those fi nal quality control checks,
Dynaudio's attention is on the design of the speaker
itself. And in 2016, as part of its new R&D centre –
Dynaudio Labs – it opened a measurement chamber
allowing it to assess every design many times, and
with extreme accuracy.
Dubbed a Free Field Impulse Measurement Room,
but nicknamed Jupiter (after the king of the Roman
gods – who was also the arbiter of truth), it features
an array of 31 microphones spread across a semi-
circular frame. In around 20 minutes via 60 diff erent
positions, it can do a full assessment of a speaker
design when conventional setups might take many
hours. The impetus behind its construction was to
give the speaker brand scope to do more testing at
every stage of product development.
The sheer size of the room – essentially a
13 metre cube and the largest such facility in
Europe – is imposing enough, but there is a good
reason for the scale. Jupiter's apparatus can take
accurate readings of a speaker before any refl ections
occur, eff ectively removing the room from the
equation altogether.
Seeing it in action is
deeply impressive, and
like something out
of a sci-fi movie.
The speaker is
automatically raised
on a platform
ready to be
measured, and
the microphone
array moves
around it in total
silence. Witnessing
a piece of
equipment that
large move but make
no sound at all,
really does make
the hairs on the
back of your neckstand up. The platform is used for most conventional
models, but there is also a cavity in the room’s fl oor
to test custom install designs.
The benefi t of this process, beyond wowing
visitors, is that any small adjustments that need
to be made to the crossover can be done early
in the design, while the room allows easy
measurement of how the speakers perform off -axis.
Engineers on any project, I was informed, always
demand more time, while practicalities and
commercial pressures often mean the opposite.
With this room, they can have it.Listening time
My factory tour fi nished, it was time to check out
Dynaudio’s latest off ering, its install-focused Custom
Performance series, which will slot into its overall
product stable below the Custom Studio line,
launched in 2018. In-wall and in-ceiling models are
available, with each designed to deliver placement
advantages, such as a thin form factor, without
compromising on sonic delivery.
The in-wall range encompasses three models:
the P4-W65; its bigger brother, the P4-W80; and
an LCR model, the P4-LCR50. The two surround
speakers are two-way designs, both using
Dynaudio's 28mm soft dome tweeter but with a
6.5in midbass driver in the smaller model, and an 8in
unit in the P4-W80. The LCR speaker features twin
5in midbass cones.
In-ceiling shoppers can choose from the P4-C65
(1 x tweeter, 1 x 6.5in midbass), P4-DVC65 (2 x
tweeters; 1 x 6.5in midbass), and the P4-C80 (1 x
tweeter and 1 x 8in midbass). There's also an in-wall
subwoofer on the way, pencilled in for September.
The aim of the new lineup, says Hoff man, is to
deliver high performance from a strong price point
(prices range from £300 to £375), as well as provide
ease of install. The in-wall enclosures use a simple
dogleg and screw connection method, while the
in-ceilings have a twist-and-fi x fi tting so a single-
person installation is possible.
A demo found the speakers to be full-ranged,
detailed and agile, and seemingly able to go loud
without fuss. For those looking to top off a home
cinema with Atmos models, kit out a multizone
audio system or assemble a fully integrated
multichannel setup, these should appeal- particularly if budget is an issue Q
The company develops its tweeter and
voice coil technologies in-house
Dynaudio's new P4-LCR50 in-wall
speaker uses twin 5in midbass drivers
22 DYNAUDIO