High-tech speakers with a touch of the sublime

Dynaudio Focus 20 XD speakers feature brilliant design, high-tech materials, and extreme attention to detail. All of that, plus a touch of pure audio magic.

The legendary Danish audio company demonstrated them at Crutchfield HQ, and I was mesmerized — I heard goosebump-raising detail in songs I'd listened to 100 times before, and I felt like I was immersed in a soundstage I could walk around in.

 Innovative woofer design

I'll be honest, I geek out on woofer design. Each speaker manufacturer looks for a material that is lightweight, yet rigid, that also contributes to ideal internal damping. Dynaudio does that with their signature material: Magnesium Silicate Polymer (MSP). Each MSP cone is molded in a single piece, which helps to optimize sound dispersion. There's no separate dust cap, which further enhances the cone's structural integrity.

You don't have to have a degree in engineering to understand why this woofer design is important — the proof is in the sound. Simply put, these drivers get out of the way of whatever you're listening to, be it a live concert recording, intimate chamber music performance, or anything in-between. Your music doesn't shrink down to fit these speakers — it actually expands out until you forget you're in your own room.

 "Our tweeters love power"

That's what Dynaudio's trainer (read it with a slight Danish accent) told me when I asked him to confirm the power distribution from the Focus 20 XD's built-in amplifiers. Most powered speakers split the output at about 70/30, with the lion's share going to the woofer. Dynaudio splits it right down the middle.

It works because they use aluminum-wired voice coils that are lighter than usual, and can therefore be larger than usual. Combine a large voice coil with plenty of power, and you get superbly controlled driver movement, which pays off in extreme fidelity and low-to-undetectable distortion. The tweeter itself is a soft dome with a special coating that improves dispersion so it sounds amazing no matter where you're sitting.

If you've noticed visible copper leads when looking at photos of Dynaudio tweeters, that's intentional. The surround is inverted for better dispersion, so the leads naturally show. Just one more sign of innovation in pursuit of expansive sound.

 Tweak the sound to perfectly suit your room

Few of us have the luxury of an acoustically perfect listening room. The Dynaudio Focus 20 XD gives you plenty of ways to tweak the sound coming out of the speaker to fit your unique space. The free Dynaudio Control app helps you with initial setup, and an array of switches duplicated on each speaker let you tweak to your heart's (or ears') content.

There's a knob that helps trim the EQ based on room placement, with common-sense settings like "Neutral" "Wall" and "Corner." You can also boost or cut input sensitivity on the analog input, and select Zone and Channel Mode settings to optimize different setup configurations.

 Versatile connections

Unlike most powered stereo speaker pairs, each Dynaudio Focus 20 XD has two 150-watt amplifiers built in, and each has the same connections and controls. That makes them very versatile and flexible.

For starters, you don't have to run a cable between the speakers to share power and signal. You can use the coaxial digital input to one speaker, and send signal wirelessly to the second speaker. Just set the Channel Mode selector on the wired one to "master" and switch the wireless one to "slave."

To set up a deeply affecting high-res experience, you can run a coaxial digital cable from your music player to one speaker, and coaxial digital from that speaker to the other. This lets you enjoy full 24-bit/192 kHz resolution throughout the signal path.

 Optional expansion

Dynaudio offers some optional external components that make it even more convenient to get amazing sound out of these speakers in just about any situation.

The Dynaudio Connect box (not included) lets you stream wirelessly to both speakers without any hardwired coaxial connection. It also adds an optical digital input, another coaxial input, and a USB input for sending audio from a connected computer. Spotify Connect is embedded, so that adds one more convenient source that can stream directly to the speakers over your Wi-Fi® network.

 Dynaudio's DNA

Founded in 1977, Dynaudio is one of the world's premiere speaker companies. Their wide range of speakers for home, car, and pro audio applications are the result of a unique combination of innovative driver technology, state-of-the-art manufacturing, and true hand-craftsmanship. Dynaudio designs and builds all of its drivers at the company's HQ in Skanderborg, Denmark.

 Connections and Controls (located on back each speaker):

 Dimensions and Warranty: