Looking for a high end integrated to suit Dynaudio contour 5.4's
Hi All
I am looking to move to an integrated amp to drive my Contours. Dyns look to respond well to amps that are high current as I have had a Griffen Diablo connected into my system and there was a massive difference in the performance of my Dyns. While I would love a Griffen its pricey so I am looking for an alternative. At this stage I have been considering a Pass Labs INT-250, Audia Flight FLS-10, Vitus R-101 and Griffen Diablo 300.
Does anyone out there have any of these speaker/amplifier combinations or other suggestions around amplification for the Contours?
You should try to listen to a Bakoon amp.On paper they are not as powerful as the others you have considered but I have heard them sounding wonderful with Dynaudio speakers.They have a beautifully pure,clear and natural sound and allow you to hear the potential of the Dynaudio first order crossover approach.http://www.waraudio.com.au/p/8755060/bakoon-amp-5513mk3.html
I also tend to agree about Accuphase integrated amps sounding very good and prices in Australia are very reasonable compared to North America.
Hello everyone, the sound Plinius (Tautoro + Reference SA) with the 5.4 is very good, the sound scene is impressive, both lateral and in depth. The serious one is dynamic with a lot of body and control. The bad thing is the high price of the amplification and if you want the maximum enjoyment you have to select class A, which implies a large consumption expenditure. The heat generated by the amplification is another factor if you live in hot areas, since it generates the same as a stove. I live in the Canary Islands (good weather almost all year round), and the cost of the electric bill made me change my opinion in favor of class D, and as for the small difference with respect to the superior sound of the Plinius it is compensated Clearly for the low consumption and not generate heat Wyred, and especially because the Wyred allows you to enjoy music 24 hours a day seven days a week, something that with the Reference SA you have to think twice about the consumption.
If you are worried about what you spend on gas, your car will not buy a Ferrari, especially if you like to make long trips with the car and go over the speed limit.
Hola a todos, el sonido Plinius (Tautoro + Reference SA) con las 5.4 es muy bueno, la escena sonora es impresionante, tanto lateral como en profundidad. El grave es dinámico con mucho cuerpo y control. Lo malo es el precio elevado de la amplificación y que si quiere el máximo disfrute hay que seleccionar clase A, lo que implica un gran gasto en consumo. El calor que genera la amplificación es otro factor si vives en zonas calurosas, ya que genera lo mismo que una estufa. Vivo en las Islas Canarias (buen tiempo todo casi todo el año), y el costo de la factura eléctrica me hicieron cambiar de opinión a favor de la clase D, y en cuanto a la pequeña diferencia respecto al sonido superior de la Plinius se compensa claramente por el bajo consumo y que no generan calor las Wyred, y sobre todo porque las Wyred te permite disfrutar de la música 24 horas al día siete días a la semana, algo que con la Reference SA te lo tienes que pensar dos veces por el consumo. Si te preocupa lo que gasta de gasolina tu coche no te compres un Ferrari, sobre todo si te gusta hacer largos recorridos con el coche e ir a más del limite de velocidad.
Dynaudio always pair very well to Plinius ! i used Plinius SB 301 + Conrad Johnson ET 5 tube preamp pair with my Dynaudio C2 Platinum , resulted excellen soustage and very ddp bass !
Dynaudio always pair very good to Plinius ! The more power of the amp the better soundstage ! Bass go deep and tight !!!! i used Plinius SB 301 + Conrad Johnson ET 5 tube preamp pair with my Dynaudio C2 Platinum , sound excellent and very deep BASS .
A nice write up on your auditions @plb02. Your comments pretty much reflect my listening notes from my shootout of the bigger separates at Class A Audio, though I wasn’t as taken with the Luxman’s mids as you. For me it just lacked a little class a magic to render a natural presentation compared to the Accuphase amps. Though as you noted, it’s difficult to say how the Audia Flight FLS-10 would have stacked up as that was in a different setup. Perhaps you could swing a home audition of the AF amp which would be the utlimate lipmus test? John is pretty accommodating if you ask him. The AF amp has almost triple the capacitance of the Accuphase & would have a lot more headroom and dynamic freedom. That said, my only reservation with the Accuphase amp is the inflated AU pricing vs Japan pricing which is a better represenation of what that gear is actually worth.
Today I auditioned the Pass Labs INT-250, Luman L-509X, Accuphase E-470 with Dyn C2's and the Audia Flight FLS-10 Vitus R-100 with marten mingus quintets.
My personal view
The Luxman, beautiful mids and highs, loads of detail and texture, very chilled feel to listen to. Fantastic sound stage, placement of instruments, artists etc. Was missing a little of the low end I like.
The Pass Labs, nice soundstage, not has textured as the Luxman and a more rounded sound. Bottom end wise there was no comparison. This amp had control of the speakers from a bass perspective. Possibly a little to much for my liking.
This is where things got interesting. After listening to the Luxman and the Pass Labs I commented how a blend of these 2 amps would be just right. The consensus was to give the Accuphase a go. With in 15 seconds of listening to the first track I knew this Amp had something I liked. It had the vocals, the detail, the texture and control over the bass and bottom end that I liked. Talk about Goldilocks and the three bears.
Unfortunately for the Audia Flight FLS-10 and the Vitus R100 I was unable to pair them with Dyns. It was very difficult to do an Apples to Apples comparison. The Audia Flight FLS-10 I could see certainly had potential, the Vitus was a bit on the dark and heavy side depending on the track being played. Both had very natural vocals and you could tell the Audia Flight was waiting for you to throw something at it that would load it up.
I may be having to bite my tongue and swallow my pride on the gold Accuphase look as it was an awesome sounding Amp. Certainly hit all the right notes to my ears and music tastes anyway.
Thought I'd share my day trying out Amps given all the help Audigon'ers have been so far.
Google translated @nadimjaber"Hello, I have 5.4 for many years and I have tried several amplifiers from the Classe M600, the Plinius Reference, VTL 450 signature, Butler TDB 2250 (mono bridge), and now I amplify them with the monophonic Wyred4sound 1000R, and from my point View are the ones that best fit my Dyns for several reasons: 1. By power, more than one thousand watts at 4 ohms. 2. Total control of the box. 3. Small, low consumption, all day running. Music all you want without having to worry about the consumption or heat generated by an amplifier. 4. Good sound regardless of whether it is classical, jazz, rock, or indie. 5. Perfect for home cinema, since consumption is low.
In the previous one I have a Plinius Tautoro, easy to pass to HT with the touch of a button.
All wiring with Neotech 1001. box and interconnection."
Hola, tengo las 5.4 desde hace muchos años y he probado varias amplificadores desde las Classe M600, la Plinius Reference, VTL 450 signature, Butler TDB 2250 (bridge mono), y actualmente las amplifico con las Wyred4sound 1000R monofónicas, y desde mi punto de vista son las que mejor se me acoplan a mis Dyns por varias razones: 1. Por potencia, más de mil vatios a 4 ohmios. 2. Control total de la caja. 3. Pequeñas, bajo consumo, todo el día funcionando. Música toda la que quieras sin que tener que preocuparte por el consumo o el calor que genera un amplificador. 4. Buen sonido independientemente de que sea clásica, jazz, rock, o indie. 5. Perfectas para el home cinema, ya que el consumo es bajo. En el previo tengo un Plinius Tautoro, fácil para pasar a HT con tocar un botón. Todo el cableado con Neotech 1001. caja e interconexión.
What a helpful community we are (!) Audiogoners have excelled themselves once again with the usual buckshot blast of suggestions
😂. Here is the list so far...do you think the OP is confused yet?
Gryphon Diablo 300. Nothing like it. So far, one of the very best I've ever heard and absolutely reasonable price for the level of performance. Least of all for being a true all in one.
If it's heading off into Porsche 911 money then it's a no contest and the Porsche wins every time ;-)
In the under $50k bracket for separates or integrated, the Diablo 300 is right there.
At this level the diminishing returns are REALLY small.
No I haven't just thought I'd throw it out there as an option to look at as I am considering it to use with my Verity's as well as the FLS-10. May be hard to here as I don't know how many dealers they have other than the same dealer/distributor as Audia Flight. A couple of the reviewers were using fairly difficult to drive speakers from Boenicke and Gaudier.
Have you ever considered Naim Supernait 2. Very clean, neutral and realistic sounding integrated amp. Pairs perfectly with my Sonus Faber Amati Futura.
The 4B amps ae just amplifiers - - not integrated; however, for the cost difference between some of the higher-priced amps and the 4B, you could aquire an excellent preamp. Just a thought
have to agree with dpac996. I've had various interations of the 4b, and now using a 4Bsst2 to drive Thiel 2.7s (sensitivity 87). Very happy with Bryston amps, preamps and CD spinner.
Thanks heaps @dpac996 that's certainly a list of gear you have worked through. I'll definitely be having a listen to Bryston given your recommendation.
I quite like the Yamaha gear. It is a cut above the vintage yammy gear of old and shows a good amount of investment on their part. Back in the day, Yamaha earned a legendary reputation in high fidelity, and it seems they're aiming to nip at the heels of the likes of Luxman, Pass etc. Though to me, they're very good hifi/entry level high end products. They're not serious high end products like Vitus, Audia Flight, Audio Analogue and even products like the Accupase E-650.
corks67 I am looking forward in reading more about the SA-10 as you massage it into your system. The Yamaha 2100/3100 is a fine machine as well. Happy Listening!
I have the the dynaudio confidence 5 and have run them with a variety of amps and integrateds
sticking to integrated amps
i had a LSA standard integrated which is a hybrid valve pre and s/s power. Great sounding amp very powerful. But I don’t think they are sold in OZ any more.
i did have a JR continuum s2 and can confirm they drove my c5 very well, very fast delicate/vibrant sound, suited them well. If it’s relevant to you the optional phono stage is very good.
i later sold that to buy my current Yamaha AS3000 which being class A/B has a different sound to the S2 , hard to say exactly has I never auditioned them together. Sound wise very strong solid sound that I have to be listenable for long periods - mids and highs in particular sound good. Lots of facilities on the as3000 and the phono stage is again good.
having said that I’ve just bought a Marantz sa10 SACD and I’m thinking of getting the matching pm10 integrated :-)
cheers
ps sources were technics sl1000mk2 with Ortofon a90 cartridge, Yamaha cds2100 SACD since October 2016 and now Marantz sa10 in the last couple of weeks. So still working on listening with that one.
Another dark horse to consider is the Rowland Continuum S2 which ticks atleast three of your boxes...prodigious power (800 watts @ 4 ohms), has a HT bypass option & is in your budget. Rowland amps only come in their ubiquitous face plate, but it looks good if you don’t mind a bit of bling. The only thing is it is a Class D amp, but Jeff has been doing Class D longer than anyone, so it has the familiar JRDG house sound. That said, there is no substitute for auditioning gear, as at the end of the day you have to like the sound.
Thanks to all for the responses, my preference would be solid state amp and integration into home theatre the ideal. No dedicated room for me unfortunately. My main reason for opening the thread was to find an Amp that audiogon members had paired with Dyns and have seen them to have synergy.
No sure OP is opened to tube amps. Granted Dynaudio has partnered with Octave in some of their hi-fi shows. But I reckon he is more of ss amp guy and do know some of his favorite music is high on dynamic range. Head room! You always need head room. Is tube amp rated 110W @ 4ohm enough?
On top of this AV bypass is a must feature on his list. Please correct me if I am wrong @plb02
@tpreaves, Fair enough. That’s another option for the OP to consider. There are lots of good tube integrateds out there like the Vac 160i. Though personally I’m more of a ss guy these days.
melbguyone112 posts07-22-2018 10:21am@tpreaves, thier Integrated is only putting out 40 watts @4 ohms. Is that enough power for a full range, 4 ohm load with 87db efficiency? On the webpage it states “The V 40 SE is the perfect amp for speakers with an average efficiency rating”. And I don’t think the separates would be within the OP’s budget.
Octave has more models than the V40. The V70SE or the V110SE that jafant mentioned above would be perfect,IMHO.
If you don’t mind spending less money, then check out the Lyngdorf 3400. 200W into 8 ohms, 400W into 4, and the benefit of Room Correction. Made a big difference for me.
I have heard Contour 30 played with Octave 110 se. Incredible 3D sound stage with lots of seperation. Very natural sounding tone but softer attack/ dynamics. All in all very impressive though.
@tpreaves, thier Integrated is only putting out 40 watts @4 ohms. Is that enough power for a full range, 4 ohm load with 87db efficiency? On the webpage it states “The V 40 SE is the perfect amp for speakers with an average efficiency rating”. And I don’t think the separates would be within the OP’s budget.
You must have a verified phone number and physical address in order to post in the Audiogon Forums. Please return to Audiogon.com and complete this step. If you have any questions please contact Support.
