Loudspeaker : Dynaudio Excite X38 (Part 3)

A little experiment

As an experiment I tried driving the X38s with a little 45W integrated amplifier, a vintage Pioneer A-300R Precision, and enjoyed perfectly respectable sound when I didn’t strive for excessive, party-level SPLs. Thanks to the relatively easy-going nature of the speaker’s tweeter, high frequencies remained commendably refined. When hooked up to my 100W Mark Levinson No.383, however, the sound sweetened up considerably, the X38 dispensing a more refined sense of air and treble purity. And with the more powerful amp providing better grip, that dynamic and punchy bass also gained weight and control.

Dynaudio Excite X38 Review 4

Where Dynaudio’s slightly larger Focus 380 floorstander commands attention, such is its forthright and dynamic music delivery, the Excite X38 seems to present a rather more charming and seductive sound image. When chilling to the hypnotic soundscapes of Patrick O’Hearn’s So Flows The Current album [Paras Recordings PRC 1117], I was greeted by a wide and deep sonic picture in which the underpinning bass notes added satisfying gravitas to the ambient melodic patterns.

Similarly, with the chill-step electronica of Phaeleh’s Tides [Aftergo AFTRCD1004], the X38’s subjectively pungent and bouncy bass delivery added a gratifyingly solid foundation to the enchanting rhythmic melodies from the Bristol-based composer. Albeit artificially created, the soundstage image was both open and airy, individual sounds within the music’s arrangements presented with precise and clear outlines. By dissecting each composition’s elements the X38 is both rewarding and entertaining, allowing the music to envelop the senses.

Dynaudio Excite X38 Review 5

Hi-fi news verdict

The unusually high sound quality rating I’m affording the Excite X38 reflects its notably high cost/performance ratio. This is a great all-rounder for less than a king’s ransom – and, although not luxuriously appointed, perfectly nicely finished. Clearly the cost-of-parts budget has been carefully managed by its designers to deliver plenty of ‘sound per pound’. It’s a fine compact floorstander for the money.

Sound quality: 85%

Dynaudio Excite X38 Review 6

Lab report

Dynaudio’s claim of 88dB sensitivity for the X38 holds up if you simply average our FFT response data from 200Hz to 20kHz but the industry-standard pink noise figure – which better represents the sensitivity achieved with music signals – is about a decibel lower at 86.9dB. Dynaudio’s specified 4ohm nominal impedance is spot on, though, given that we measured a minimum modulus of 3.3ohm at 123Hz, just above the 3.2ohm minimum implied by a 4ohm nominal rating. Impedance phase angles are quite high at low frequencies, so the EPDR (equivalent peak dissipation resistance) falls to a minimum of 1.6ohm at 101Hz, which is about typical for modern floorstanders of this size and will not trouble a worthy partnering amplifier.

Measured on the tweeter axis with grilles removed, the frequency response is essentially flat in trend to 10kHz, with only a hint of a presence band suckout, before rising a little through the final audible octave [see Graph 1, below]. Despite this, errors were well controlled at ±2.9dB and ±3.2dB for the review pair and the matching error was commendably low at ±0.8dB (all 200Hz-20kHz). Diffraction-corrected nearfield bass measurement showed the –6dB point to occur at 56Hz (re. 200Hz) – typical for this form of speaker – but also indicated that low frequency output is peaked up by around 3dB at 90Hz. At the opposite end of the frequency range, the ultrasonic output from the soft-dome tweeter begins to drop away from 20kHz. The cumulative spectral decay waterfall [Graph 2] shows fast initial energy decay across the spectrum but some low-level resonances are visible at treble frequencies.