Amp for Dynaudios


You guys are so lucky... I live in south america and browsing audiogon makes me feel like a kid ogling a toy store through the glass! I have just a few pro audio dealers who do high end on the side and importing means paying freight+duties+tax... and I hope this story makes you want to help me out of compassion and not temp me with alternatives ;)

I am interested in buying Dynaudio Acoustics BM6 or BM15; B&W and JM Labs are alternatives but are relatively more expensive. My current amp is a pair of vintage Luxman tube monoblocks with 6550s wired in triode, which put out about 45W (est). My understanding is that these speakers are power hungry, so although I don't usually listen at high levels, I'm not sure if the amps will "motivate" them.

I am willing to switch to SS amp to make these work, using a Pas-3mkII preamp, and the available alternatives are:
- Wire the Luxs ultralinear for 80W (est).
- A new NAD C272
- A used McCormack DNA-0.5
- A vintage Bryston 3B (non ST)

I have no experience with these ss amps and auditioning is complicated, so your recommendations will be VERY appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Luis
neluan6085
You may want to go with the powered versions of these speakers. I see them all the time on ebay, just make sure they ship internationally and you can get quite a deal. If you still want to go with a separate amp, sim audio is the best I've heard with dynaudio. However, if you can only choose amonst the options you listed, I'd go with the Bryston.
Look for an amp made by Chord Electronics of the UK. These are noted in pro audio circles for their compatibility with Dynaudio speakers. I had the good fortune to own one for a number of years, which I used with ATC monitors (and have since switched to ATC actives.)
The Chord amps are rather expensive, unfortunately, although you may be able to find a relatively good deal here on Audiogon. The feasiblity of such a deal would depend on the country in which you live, as almost everything one finds for sale on Audiogon is configured to work at 120V/60Hz. (If you post a 'want to buy' listing, you might be able to find a Chord amp in the UK, assuming you require one set up to run at 220-240V/50Hz, rather than 120/60.)

Hope this helps.
DA speakers like the older Dynaudio are quite power demending. Just be sure to pick amps with no-negative-feedback and high current design, otherwise don't be surprised if it doesn't sound good. This will assure the true potential of these speakers being revealed. Since a good quality amp is definitely needed, if I were to buy one myself, I would also consider the active version. Just my two cents! Good luck.

HC