It’s a hard fact in life that if we’re not occasionally reminded of the existence of a thing, that thing will fall out of the day-to-day consciousness. This is sometimes the case when you’re surrounded by so many Hi-Fi and Home Cinema goodies day-to-day… We have one or two such items in our shop that through no fault of our own, or indeed their own, have perhaps become not actually invisible, but now occupy a blind spot. So let’s refresh our minds and take a look at a beloved favourite…

THEY’RE EMIT 10S! WHO’D HAVE THOUGHT IT? here mounted on solidsteel ss-6 stands

There is nothing in their appearance to suggest they warrant a snub. The Dynaudio Emit 10 are attractive enough, with their plain and neat little cabinets, made of 18mm thick MDF have a chamfered baffle and a vinyl finish which is available in black, white or walnut. This is a step up from the painted finish of their predecessor, the Emit M10. They’re designed to be played in a small room, and their proportions reflect this.

Maybe it’s the components?

The star of the show here is Dynaudio’s own Cerotar tweeter, which derives from the extremely well received tweeters in their Confidence range. A great deal of Dynaudio’s 40 year long high reputation is built on their tweeters and one finds Dynaudio HF units in a great many other loudspeaker brands spread across the planet.

The midrange/bass unit is a highly damped design with its dust cap bonded to the voice coil behind and two magnets driving it – all the better to control the magnetic flux, we are reliably informed. The crossover was designed by the team behind the wildly successful Heritage Specials. No complaints here about that.

THE INEVITABLE CLOSE-UP WITH BOKEH SHOT.

The Emit 10 aren’t particularly difficult to drive, the 6 Ohm rating might suggest they may be, but when paired with modest amplification like the dinky Rega iO, they fill out the space they’re in very happily, creating a credible soundstage that does not suggest that more power is required. Listening to them in smaller rooms with modest amplification is a delight.

With this environment and partnering equipment the Emit 10 reward you with a beautiful, authentic and organic sound, filled with detail and with very little artifice. The decay of strings and cymbals is particularly natural and satisfying. Their nearest competitor, the Bowers & Wilkins 607 S2, might go louder and have more high frequency sparkle, but we feel that they can’t match the Emit 10s engaging and involving nature that allows you to melt into the music.

THAT REGA IO AMPLIFIER with a limited edition walnut rega planar 1

In conclusion, the Emit 10 deserve to be on everyone’s (who has a modestly sized space in which to play) short list of speakers under £800. In terms of transparency and authentic reproduction they have few peers at this price. They do have a limitation however – if you want to play music loud, look at the larger sibling the Emit20s.