NAMM 2017: Dynaudio upgrade LYD range with LYD 48
Is this new LYD model a quick fix or intelligent upgrade?
This new LYD 48 monitor from Dynaudio shares the same woofer as the existing LYD 8, but adds more amplification and a 4″ mid-range driver. This is risky business as it could give out the wrong message. Was the LYD 8 not quite up to the job? On the other hand, these are very intelligent upgrades, rather than just adding on a 10″ model. Dynaudio are badging this new release as the ‘flagship’ model in the range. One thing they did fix though, was the colour.
Dynaudio LYD 48 3-way Nearfield Monitor
Avid readers of Gearnews will remember I wasn’t bowled over by the initial release of the LYD range. (See my original story here.) Since then, a very close colleague of mine reviewed the monitors and his view was that, considering their impressive pricing point, they are excellent value for money. I was really pleased to hear this because I have a soft spot for Dynaudio, having spent my early years behind BM15’s. Unfortunately I’ve only heard them at a trade show, which isn’t an environment any opinion can be formed.
My issues however, were the lack of digital connectivity and the rather basic DSP features for adjusting the response in your room. These issues remain the same across the range including this new model, but the LYD 48 will at least be available in solid black rather than just the standard black and white design. It’s a small detail, but some of us have got used to speakers being black boxes.
So this new ‘flagship’ model for this semi-professional line of monitors is a 3-way design. By adding a mid-range driver, a 4″ in this case, the woofer can be left to deal with less frequency content. This is a well-known practice when designing speakers that has been proven time and time again. I suspect that this design, with the separate amplifier channels for each driver will be a marked improvement in terms of sound quality.
The separate amps rated at 80W, 50W and 50W for the woofer, mid-range and tweeter respectively, should ensure better clarity, time alignment and of course more headroom. The existing LYD 8 with the same 8″ woofer currently goes down to 45Hz. Dynaudio haven’t disclosed figures for this new model yet, but there’s a chance this new model might be able to drop slightly lower.
I’m now quite keen to hear these new LYD 48’s. With a renowned brand like Dynaudio, a 3-way design of this size should prove to be an excellent speaker to balance mixes on.
More Information
Some information is becoming available on Dynaudio’s webpage for the LYD 48, with hopefully more to follow soon. They are naturally going to be more expensive than the other models in the range. However, with a single LYD 8 currently on sale for 600 GBP, they shouldn’t break the bank.
This might also interest you
