Power amps for Dynaudio C2's


I just purchased a pair of Dynaudio C2's. My system currently consists of a VSE-modded (Level 5) Sony 777ES, SAS 10A tube preamp, Empirical Audio-modded Carver ZR1600 power amp, and Ridge Street Audio MSE Gen. II IC's and SC's.

The modded Carver does well in that it has the power to drive the C2's. It also does reasonably well in the highs. It falls short in the mids, with some smearing and grain, as well as the low frequencies, which are not defined anywhere near as well as other SS amps I have heard (CJ Premier 350, Threshold T400) or even as well as the Atma-sphere MA1 Mk. 2.3 OTL's (but I didn't hear these amps on the C2's).

The store where I purchased the C2's from was using Chord electronics. The sound there was quite good. I was curious what others are using to drive these speakers. I am particularly interested in JC-1's, the Edge NL series amps, as well as the Atma-sphere OTL's (although I don't know if they would have enough juice or match well with the 4 ohm load).

I listen to mostly classical, jazz, and female vocals, with an occasional flashback of classic rock. Any and all opinions are welcome. Thanks in advance.

Bill
billspecfoc
i agree keithr,my humble system kicks but,had a friend out from minn,he was very imppressed.just ai3 amp equinox cd,1.3 se,az,shunyata,ect.w-5 or plinius gets my vote!my freind wadia 861,audio research vt-100 3,wil-benesch stand mounts.
i've been driving my C4s with jc-1s for about a couple of years now and am quite happy with the combination,only downside was that breaking in the amps took about 1500 hours,but the end result was worth it.have not heard the edge or atma-sphere with dyns.
I purchased as pair of C2's in February of this year and have been driving them with a McIntosh MC352 amp. I have been thru a several amps including Thule, Conrad Johnson and Jolida and the Mac stands out far above any of the others. The combo with the Dyn's is stunning - clear, grain free highs, rich and well detailed mids and a surprising tight and well defined bottom end (considering the size of the woofers). As mentioned, I have moved thru a lot of equipment in the past few years but I thing (famous last words) that this combo is here to stay.

The MC352 is no longer available, but the MC402 (current version) is the same amp with 50 more watts.