Amplifier for Dynaudio Confidence C1


Hi,

I am new to this forum as participant, but have been following many threads here over the past months an hope to benefit a bit from the plenty of experience available in this forum.

I recently bought a Dynaudio confidence C1 Mk2 and am now on the search for a well matching amplifier in the price range of up to about 4.000€(probably around 5.000$ US) for a new, demoed or young used model.

I had the chance to try 3 amps in my system so far, but am not fully happy with any of them. The three tested amps are:

Gryphon Attila:
Very refined, many details, though never shrill or fatiguing; not very deep, but very punchy and quick bass; Superbly fine, natural and fluent voices, quick and dynamic; BUT: With classic orchestra and even more so with Rock Music it lacked some body and substance, sounded a bit thin and focused on the middle and high tones.

Symphonic Line RG10 MK IV:
Much more powerful, substantial tone, but lacking much of the resolution and subtlety of the Attila; deep and full, but not very quick and precise bass; better than the Attila for Rock Music, but clearly outperformed by it in Classical or Jazz recordings

MBL 7008:
Impressive on the first listening, with a good tonal balance and tight, rather full bass, but for my personal taste it became very annoying for longer listening, too much forward tone; also not very detailed and mediocre imaging

What alternatives could you recommend for these small, but quite demanding loudspeakers? Is there any amp you could recommend in the indicated price range that combines the finesse, high resolution and dynamics of a Gryphon Attila with a somewhat fuller-bodied presentation particularly in the lower tones? I currently have the Hegel 200,the Leema Tucana II, the Electrocompaniet 5 MK2,the Plinius 9200 and the Accustic Arts integrated on my list, but can't audition them all and would be very grateful for yor experiences, particularly from C1 owners. New proposals are als welcome.

Best,
Fritz
fritz_28
I drove em with pass xa-60.5 and arc ref 3. Great combination, highly recommended .almost like a tube amp in the mids, great tonal balance for these speakers. Lots of depth, wide soundstage, good dynamics and voice instrument focus.
I have Dynaudio contour 4.5 from my point of view dynaudio are great speaker,s but, they need a high current power amp
along with a high damper factor to sound the best
I drive my dynaudio with Audio research LS27 and the DS225
power amp a superb combination. Good luck on your search. Juan.
Fritz There is no difference in sound between the mkII and the Signature. The difference besides price is the Sig's come with a 10 yr warranty (instead of 5yr) and the finish either being high gloss Bordeaux and Mocha.

There is a significant difference between the originals and the MKII/Sig's. That being the MKII/Sig do not have to be turned way up in volume to sound the best
Thanks a lot for the recommendation so far. Seems as if Mc Intosh and the Naim would be worth trying. The Sam G2 is a fine amp, could hear it with a floorstander, but I am a bit afraid it's sound might be a bit thin for these standmounts. Gamut electronics is difficult to find here in Germany, have not come across any dealer so far.

Xti16: I would be interested to hear a bit more about your experience with the differences between the signature /mkii versions. What are the main differences in sound you noticed?
I've heard the original C1's sound great with Gamut monoblock amplification. The older version, which might be within your cost estimate. TAS did a review on the stereo version of the Gamut amp, and I heard the monoblocks in the reviewers listening room. Outstanding.
I had a Bryston B100sst driving my original C1's (kind of dry sounding but reasonably good). Then came real real close to getting a Naim SuperNait. I finally decided on the Octave V70se (a little above your budge but better control of the sound). Then I upgraded to the C1 Signatures. You don't need the power as you did with the originals when compared to the MKII/Sig. I would recommend the Naim XS2 - the SuperNait2 or an Octave V40se. Pre-owned would be less money. Also with the Naim and Octave you can add an external power supply which helps a little when funds are available.
when i had a pair of c1s i had very enjoyable results with a simaudio i7. if found used it would be easily within your budget.