ON TEST DYNAUDIO EMIT M30 LOUDSPEAKERS ynaudio has come a Peel the front grille from a Dynaudio loud- MSP, and also ensures that the cone is rein- long way since it first speaker and you’ll immediately recognise it’s forced close to where it meets the voice-coil came into being in made by Dynaudio, even if there’s no man- former, a technique that improves both the Skandeborg, Denmark, ufacturer’s badge in sight. The first giveaway frequency response and the phase response of in 1976, but despite is the use of a magnesium silicate polymer the driver. improvements in mate- (MSP) material for the bass and midrange As for that voice coil, Dynaudio uses some rials and manufacturing cones and the second is the unique manner of the largest-diameter voice coils in the busi- technologies—and that the company is now by which the very large dust-cap is attached ness (relative to cone size), with the coil on Downed by Chinese giant GoerTek Inc.—Dy- to those cones, via a series of tabs rather than even the smallest cones measuring 75mm in naudio products are still very much and the usual continuous plastic weld. diameter rather than the 25–30mm diameter very uniquely Danish—in fact we’re reliably This ‘tab’ technique was developed by coils used by most other driver manufac- informed that despite GoerTek’s purchase of Mark Thorup, of Dynaudio. It’s not only turers. This large voice coil diameter means Dynaudio, all Dynaudio drivers will continue unique but also very clever, because it means fewer coil turns are required which improves to be manufactured in-house—and largely by the dust cap and the cone can be formed at electrical efficiency and reduces heat build-up hand—in Denmark. the same time using just a single piece of in the coil and in the voice coil former. 18 Australian Hi-Fi www.avhub.com.au Dynaudio Emit M30 Loudspeakers Due to the large diameter of its coils Dynau- off early, leaving the upper bass midrange point, the two drivers are flush-mounted and dio uses aluminium wire, rather than the driver to deliver the midrange on its own, the attached using standard softwood screws. usual heavy copper. two bass/midrange drivers in the Emit M30 The tweeter (Type 81702/7369582) in operate in parallel, covering exactly the same the Emit M30 is also made in Denmark by THE EQUIPMENT frequency range. While this does disadvan- Dynaudio and has a 25mm coated fabric The Emit M30 is part of a ‘budget’ series of tage the Emit M30 in some respects, it does dome. Unlike the bass/midrange drivers, the speakers released by Dynaudio in October have the advantage that it allows Dynaudio tweeter’s front plate is recessed into the front 2015. The other speakers in this range (at to use a very simple two-way first-order (6dB/ baffle, but like those drivers, it’s fixed in place least at the time of writing) are the Emit M10 octave) crossover network to cross the bass/ using standard softwood screws, rather than and Emit M20 bookshelf/standmount designs midrange drivers to the tweeter, but despite bolts with captive locking threads. being simple, it’s a If you’re interested in seeing how these high-spec design—as drivers are made—and it is interesting, even All Dynaudio drivers are you’d expect of Dynau- if you know nothing about driver manufac- dio—using air-cored turing—you can watch a seven-minute video manufactured in-house—and inductors, ceramic factory tour of Dynaudio’s Danish facility largely by hand—in Dynaudio’s resistors and MKP ca- here: www.avhub.com.au/Dynaudio_Factory_ pacitors. It’s connected Tour which includes sequences showing how own factory in Denmark. to the drivers via very the bass drivers and tweeters are assembled. thick Dynaudio-brand- The cabinet of the Emit M30 measures ed Figure-8 cable. 204×275×960mm (WDH), weighs 18kg and is The bass/mid- available in two painted, lacquered finishes: range drivers (Type satin white and satin black. The cabinet itself and the Emit M15 centre-channel. As should 84464/7364370) are made in Denmark by Dy- is made from the ‘soft’ MDF that’s typically be evident, Dynaudio is obviously expecting naudio and have a hefty centre-vented mag- used in China and is 25mm thick over the that these speakers will be used in mul- net that attaches to the diecast aluminium entire front baffle and 19mm thick elsewhere. ti-channel and home theatre applications, chassis via ‘moon-lander’ style tubular struts, All internal walls are covered with panels of either with identical speakers in all channels so there’s maximum airflow behind the cone, soft foam, while the inner air space is filled except the centre, or with the M30s as the which is important in a bass reflex design. with standard non-allergic speaker fill. The front channels and the smaller speakers as As stated earlier, the voice coil is 75mm in bass reflex port, which is located on the rear the rear channels. diameter and wound with aluminium wire. panel immediately above the speaker The Emit M30 is the only floor-stander in Fairly unusually for a speaker at this price- terminal plate, has a flared exit and is the Emit Series (at least at the time of writing) and, as you can see from the photographs The cabinet of the accompanying this review, it’s a three-driver Emit M30 measures two-way design using two 170-mm bass/mid- 204×275×960mm (WDH), range drivers and a single 25-mm soft dome weighs 18kg and is available in two painted, tweeter. What you can’t see (because the ǚŘƋɴˁƬʁƬƞǞȭǔʊǒƬʊƕʊŘǜǔȭ port that would give it away is at the rear of white and satin black. the speaker cabinet) is that the M30 is a bass The cabinet itself is made njʁɁȧǜǒƬɽʊɁǢɻÀ<hǜǒŘǜɻʊ reflex design. typically used in China Although the two bass drivers are listed as and is 25mm thick over being ‘17cm’ in diameter by Dynaudio, the ǜǒƬƬȭǜǔʁƬnjʁɁȭǜŽŘǙƬŘȭƞ overall diameter of each one is a bit larger 19mm thick elsewhere. All internal walls are covered than this, at 175mm, but because of the ˹ǔǜǒɡŘȭƬǚʊɁnjʊɁǢnjɁŘȧƙ design of the surround, the actual cone diam- while the inner air space eter is considerably less, at 114mm. However, ǔʊǞǚǚƬƞ˹ǔǜǒʊǜŘȭƞŘʁƞ ȭɁȭȊŘǚǚƬʁǷǔƋʊɡƬŘǘƬʁǞǚǚƖ it’s the Thiele/Small diameter that is the most ďǒƬŽŘʊʊʁƬǡƬ˾ɡɁʁǜƙǔʊ important dimension to know about any located on the rear panel driver, and for this driver it’s 125mm, which immediately above the gives an effective cone area (known as the speaker terminals. ‘Sd’, if you want to get technical), of 123cm2. However, because the two bass/midrange drivers operate in parallel, the overall Sd for the system is 246cm2. So if Dynaudio had used just a single driver, it would have need- ed to be around 230mm in diameter (overall) to deliver the same level of bass. Unlike many three-driver two-way systems, which use a 2.5-way crossover, so the one of the two bass/midrange drivers is rolled Australian Hi-Fi 19 ON TEST Dynaudio Emit M30 Loudspeakers 215mm long and 65mm in diameter. The to die for, chunky twangy bass lines and a album and, if you haven’t heard Carpenter’s speaker terminal plate is circular and has vocal that’s so real-sounding and exciting voice, ‘gorgeous’ is also a perfect descriptor just two multi-way banana-capable plastic that you’ll find yourself playing air guitar in of that as well. Listen to her smokily sensual terminals, so bi-wiring and bi-amping are not the breaks… or was that only me? delivery of the lines ‘For every time that I’ve options with the M30. After several sessions of the Seratones I been foolish that I’ve wished that I’d been wise, At just under a metre high the Emit M30s wanted to hear how the Emit M30s would the power of regret still gets me right between the are quite tall, yet they have a fairly small sound with a more pared-back sound and an eyes’ from the track Something Tamed, Some- ‘footprint’, so even if you use the provided album with top-notch production values. So thing Wild and you’ll immediately hear what spikes to mount the speakers, the cabinets what better album to use than Tinpan Or- I mean. On this album you can hear not only can tip over fairly easily if given a fairly good ange’s newest offering, ‘Love is a Dog’ which, the tonality of her voice but also the uncan- shove: a characteristic which should be fac- for my money, is their best of the five they’ve ny accuracy of the Dynaudio Emit M30’s tored-in if you share your home with small so far released, and also by far and away the imaging, delivering not only stage width but children or boisterous pets. Careful place- best album I’ve heard all year. It’s all head- also stage height and stage depth. ment could ameliorate this, but for maxi- lined by Emily Lubitz’s startlingly ethereal mum security it would be better to fit larger voice (here helped along by a wide variety of CONCLUSION base-plates to the bottoms of the speakers in tastefully-added FX). The album’s wonderful The Emit M30 is certainly the lowest-priced order to improve their stability… something sonics are down to producer Harry James floor-standing model Dynaudio has ever had anyone with even average home handyman Angus (The Cat Empire, Jackson Jackson) and in its range but since Dynaudio speakers al- skills could easily do quite cost-effectively.