Recording - March 2018 - 42

Dynaudio
LYD 48 3-Way
Active Monitors

This design offers so much more
than "one more driver"
REVIEW BY ALEX HAWLEY

grew quite attached to the LYD 7 monitors from
Danish maker Dynaudio when I reviewed them (November
2016); they had an incredibly accurate midrange, and
mixes done on them translated beautifully to other playback
systems. The LYD series, an evolution of Dynaudio's wellloved BM monitors, features serious DSP firepower under the
hood, and given their precision and accuracy, I was anxious
to get some LYD monitors back in my control room.
The LYD 48 is the first LYD 3-way, featuring an 8" rear-ported
woofer, 4" midrange, and a 1" soft dome tweeter, with crossover frequencies of 460 Hz and 5.5 kHz. It is tri-amped with
efficient Class-D amplification (80W/50W/50W). While
the LYD lineup is designed for nearfield use, the LYD 48 also
works in a midfield setup if desired-the manual recommends
1.5 to 2.5 meters listening distance.
The driver arrangement allows for a wide horizontal listening
window, with vertically-aligned tweeter and midrange and
the woofer to the side. This arrangement ensures phase
consistency as you move left or right of the speaker,
creating a generous sweet spot. Just make sure the speakers
are pointed exactly at ear level, as the vertical window is
rather narrow in comparison to the horizontal one. By the
way, the LYD 48 is sold in black or white finish; I loved the
black, but the white is also aesthetically clean and pleasing.

The Power of DSP

The LYD 48 offers balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA analog inputs, internally converted to 24-bit/96 kHz digital for
onboard processing. The powerful DSP allows you to fine-tune
low-frequency response and overall tonal shape, as well as
account for physical positioning near walls. These parameters
are controlled with three switches on the rear panel.
The Sound Balance switch improves on typical EQ shelves
by implementing a linear phase tilt filter. The gentle tilt filter
42

RECORDING March 2018

sounds more transparent, and creates less phase shifting than
traditional EQ shelves. There are three settings available: Bright
(-1.5 dB @ 20 Hz, +1.5 dB @ 20 kHz), Neutral (flat), and Dark
(+1.5 dB @ 20 Hz, -1.5 dB @ 20 kHz).
The Bass Extension setting includes -10 Hz, 0 Hz, and +10
Hz. Selecting -10 Hz increases low frequency extension, at
the cost of -5 dB output level. The +10 Hz selection will
allow for maximum volume output with the least amount of
low frequency extension. I left this setting on -10 for the
majority of my testing to add as much depth to the bottom end
as possible. I don't tend to mix at very high SPL levels, where
this setting might cause issues.
Finally, the Position switch toggles between Wall and Free,
applying a low-frequency shelf to minimize issues caused
by reflections and frequency buildup when the monitors are
placed in close proximity to a wall. The back panel also features
switches for input sensitivity (-6/0/+6 dB) and standby
(automatic power-saving) mode settings, and the power switch.

In use

If you haven't spent much time mixing with a 3-way speaker
design, you're in for a treat. To me, the 3-way LYD 48 elevates
the LYD series' emphasis on accuracy and precision to a level
unmatched by 2-ways; each driver operates much more
efficiently, creating less distortion and more clarity.
After setting up and burning in the LYD 48s in a roughly
1.5-meter triangle, I started by listening to a couple of reference
recordings. I was quickly captured by the excellent stereo
image and clean mids. The vocal range feels detailed and full,
while adding a nice top end sheen-almost creating a halo
around the voice on well-mixed recordings. I was impressed
with the LYD 7's vocal clarity, but the 3-way design improves
on it. The crossover frequencies stay clear of critical areas,
which is why I imagine the vocal range is able to translate so
cleanly on the LYD 48. Even in the typical "mudrange", around
125-250 Hz, these monitors are unapologetically revealing.
For an instrumental reference, I turned to "The Curtain" from
Snarky Puppy's album Sylva, with lush string sections, driving

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - March 2018