Short answer: the Dynaudio Emit 20 for better sound quality, the Infinity IL10 for the lower price. The Dynaudio Emit 20 ranks #54 of 100 bookshelf speakers at $1049. The Infinity IL10 ranks #59 at $160, $889 cheaper.
What the Dynaudio Emit 20 gets right: Two-way design with a 28mm Esotar soft dome tweeter (Hexis-damped) and an 18cm mid-woofer, using a first-order crossover on the tweeter and second-order on the woofer. The catch: A resonance around 600-800Hz gives snares and similar percussion a muffled, flat quality lacking impact - confirmed as originating in the woofer itself (isolated via measurements of the raw driver out of the cabinet).
The case for the Infinity IL10: Impressively flat for a budget bookshelf. The tradeoff: Resonances at 600 and 5khz, which show up as distinct distortion spikes at 96dB SPL/1m in the same frequency regions.
Buy the Dynaudio Emit 20 if sound quality matters more than the price. Buy the Infinity IL10 if the price matters more than sound quality.
Specifications Side By Side
| Dynaudio Emit 20 | Infinity IL10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,049.00 | $160 used, Discontinued |
| Ranked | #54 of 100 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers | #59 of 100 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 33Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 44Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 54Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 59Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Drivers | 7.1" Magnesium Silicate Polymer woofer, 1.1" Cerotar soft dome with Hexis tweeter | 6.5" (165mm) woofer |
| Weight | 12.8 lbs / 5.8 kg | 14.3 lbs / 6.5 kg |
| Sensitivity | 83.5dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner; 86dB manufacturer specified) | 86dB (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Impedance | 6 ohms nominal (5.5 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 6 ohms |
| Dimensions | 14.6"H x 8.1"W x 12.3"D (370.0 x 205.0 x 312.0 mm) | 15.6"H x 8.5"W x 11.5"D (397.0 x 216.0 x 292.0 mm) |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear | ported, rear |
| Discontinued | - | Yes |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More useful head-to-heads from the same speaker class:
- Klipsch RP-600M II vs JBL Studio 630
- ELAC DBR62 vs Klipsch RP-600M II
- Infinity Reference R162 vs Klipsch RP-600M II
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs Behringer B2030P
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2
The Two Speakers In Full
Dynaudio Emit 20: $1,049.00 Amazon
Pros: Two-way design with a 28mm Esotar soft dome tweeter (Hexis-damped) and an 18cm mid-woofer, using a first-order crossover on the tweeter and second-order on the woofer. Exceptional bass extension for a bookshelf speaker - reaches a clean, authoritative 40Hz in-room, rare enough that the reviewer says most listeners could skip a subwoofer for typical music. Very low distortion across the board, staying below 1% THD down to 40Hz at 86dB and below 3% even at 96dB - unusually clean bass performance where most two-way bookshelf speakers start rising in distortion around 80Hz. Wide, remarkably consistent horizontal directivity (about ±50-60°) that holds steady up to roughly 13kHz - rare for a speaker in this format, thanks to a beveled tweeter edge that acts as a mild waveguide. Excellent compression and dynamic-range linearity at the frequency extremes, actually showing slight bass enhancement rather than the sharp low-end compression common in similarly-sized bookshelf speakers.
Cons: A resonance around 600-800Hz gives snares and similar percussion a muffled, flat quality lacking impact - confirmed as originating in the woofer itself (isolated via measurements of the raw driver out of the cabinet), and attempts at constrained-layer damping didn’t resolve it. A peak around 4kHz adds a sharp, edgy quality to some male vocals. A roughly 5dB boost above 10kHz gives cymbals and hi-hats excess shimmer that can sound unnatural, especially pointed directly on-axis. Vertical dispersion shows two separate crossover-related notches (above and below the tweeter reference line around 5kHz) rather than the usual single one, a direct consequence of the shallow crossover slopes used on both drivers. Multitone distortion is elevated in the midrange, possibly due to the woofer’s magnet structure lacking a shorting ring. Best aimed slightly off-axis (about 10-15° of toe-out) to tame the excess high-frequency shimmer, rather than pointed straight at the listener.
Full Dynaudio Emit 20 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 33Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 54Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 14.6"H x 8.1"W x 12.3"D (370.0 x 205.0 x 312.0 mm) |
| Drivers | 7.1" Magnesium Silicate Polymer woofer, 1.1" Cerotar soft dome with Hexis tweeter |
| Impedance | 6 ohms nominal (5.5 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 83.5dB (measured, Erin's Audio Corner; 86dB manufacturer specified) |
| Weight | 12.8 lbs / 5.8 kg |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear |
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs Klipsch RP-600M II
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs JBL Studio 630
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs Infinity Reference R162
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs Behringer B2030P
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs SVS Ultra Bookshelf
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs Dynaudio Special Forty
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2
- Dynaudio Emit 20 vs SVS Prime Bookshelf
- See all 9 comparisons
Infinity IL10: $160 used, Discontinued
Pros: Impressively flat for a budget bookshelf. Predicted in-room response is good aside from a bit of excess energy here and there. Distortion at 96dB SPL/1m stays low and controlled outside two narrow resonance-driven peaks.
Cons: Resonances at 600 and 5khz, which show up as distinct distortion spikes at 96dB SPL/1m in the same frequency regions. Discontinued.
Full Infinity IL10 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 44Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 59Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Dimensions | 15.6"H x 8.5"W x 11.5"D (397.0 x 216.0 x 292.0 mm) |
| Discontinued | Yes |
| Drivers | 6.5" (165mm) woofer |
| Impedance | 6 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 86dB (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Weight | 14.3 lbs / 6.5 kg |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear |
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Infinity IL10 vs Behringer B2030P
- Infinity IL10 vs Dynaudio Special Forty
- Infinity IL10 vs ELAC Debut 2.0 B6.2
- Infinity IL10 vs JBL Studio 630
- Infinity IL10 vs SVS Prime Bookshelf
- Infinity IL10 vs KEF Q3 Meta
- Infinity IL10 vs Polk Monitor XT20
- Infinity IL10 vs Klipsch RP-600M II
- See all 13 comparisons