Can Supernait + Hicap drives Dynaudio C1?

I used a SN2 with Dynaudio Contour 1.4LEs, and although it sounded good, it sounded much, much better, once I upgraded to a 250DR, and then a while later to a 282/ Hicap as well....

I think the Dyns benefit from a good amount of current, and I understand that the C1s are even more demanding and revealing of everything driving them.

I have used my C1s with both the NAP 200 and 250DR, and the latter made a big improvement.  I upgraded as the 200 sounded a little "light" for the speakers; they like an amp with plenty of control and "grip."  Others here can tell you if the SN is closer to the 200 or 250DR, I have no experience with the SuperNait.  Also my C1s are the latest model, the Platinum, which are somewhat easier to drive than the originals.

As ever letting your own ears decide via a demo is the way to go if possible.  I love the C1s, they are some of the best balanced and smoothest speakers I've ever heard with surprisingly full and musical bass for their size and many other virtues.  Definitely worth investigating with your SN, in my opinion.

I doubt it.  I have Dyna Contour 1.8s they just love power!! The c1s are a lovely speaker but will demand juice. 

Regards,

Lindsay

My NAP135s just about managed to drive a pair of the C1 mark 2 speakers, which validates others' experiences about how demanding they are to drive.

There is a huge amount of bass energy firing out of the rear port too,  so they needed positioning a long way out into the room.

Having said all of the above, if you can drive them with your amp, then I suspect that they would be quite remarkable musical communicators.

Hope this helps, FT

Of course your SN can drive them! SN is brilliant piece and wonderful one box solution.

But if you plan to keep the SN for a longer time without significant upgrades, it might be better to have slightly more efficient speakers like your own ProAcs, of the ProAc studio 140 which I recently heared and were quite impressive.

Depends also on the kind of music you are listening too / room setup.

I don't think it would be ideal, this coming from a SN2 and Dynaudio owner.

These particular speakers, C1, really need a very powerful amp to sound their best,  in reality they deserve the best electronics available to show what they can really accomplish.

I heard them at this years Axpona show, they were the finest sounding speakers at the show, but they were being driven by some outrageously expensive electronics.

If I owned these speakers, I would start with a Naim 500 system. 

But what speakers would be ideal for a Supernait? I have a pair of BW CM1's which are working nicely, especially on higher volumes :-)

Speakers for a SN2 - Kudos S20, Neat Motives, Dyna Focus 160, Focal Sopra 1s amongst many others. 

Ardbeg10y posted:

But what speakers would be ideal for a Supernait? I have a pair of BW CM1's which are working nicely, especially on higher volumes :-)

You have answered your own question, the ones that make you happy and sound good with your system.

Your Supernait will have no trouble driving the C1's but they will have a different sound signature compared to the ProAc's. Try to hear them before you buy. 

It is very odd that some people are saying that 135s will struggle, yet others say the Supernait will have no trouble. They cannot both be right. The other issue is would you front a system with a CD5x if you are using £6,000 speakers? And would you change speakers that you really like on a whim, just because some that seem to be a bargain appear. 

Let's take a bite of the reality sandwich. The system is not up the the C1s. Forget them. 

I have to disagree with the peckish flatfish on this one: a bargain IS (or can be, at least) good and sufficient reason for an upgrade.  If the deal is really attractive it makes sense to pounce on it, even if it doesn't conform to "source first" dogma.  Put another way it makes sense to get while the getting is good.

We talk about value for money all the time and a bargain price obviously changes that ratio in the buyer's favor.  At the same time I'm not saying to go out and buy things just because they are on sale... but if you are already in the market, even if just in the dreaming stage, it makes sense to act on a high value proposition when it is offered.  You can upgrade other pieces of the system later while enjoying your upgrade in the meantime.  IMO, anyway. 

Tallan - not source first dogma it's having first hand knowledge of Dyna speakers - which I love but they like strong articulate amplification - I used to question whether my NAP 200 was up to driving my Contour 1.8s.   Only just.  The C1s definitely need a 250 and a 500 would not be over the top.   

Regards,

Lindsay

Over the years there have been a number of examples of people buying speakers that are too good for the rest of their systems, despite advice that they should not buy them. Of course, what follows is the need to spend thousands and thousands on source and amplification upgrades in order to feed the ravenous beasts. So the OP can make a choice: listen to those with real experience, or grab something because it looks like a bargain. If they have a spare £25,000 to build a suitable system, then go for them. 

Brutally honest but on the money Nigel.  

I'd be interested to see whether the OP takes any notice, not of my ramblings but the points well made by yourself and Badlands, who clearly knows what she is talking about. If something seems like a bargain there is usually a reason. Anyway, I'll say no more as it's not helping my headache!

To repeat: "I'm not saying to go out and buy things just because they are on sale... but if you are already in the market, even if just in the dreaming stage, it makes sense to act on a high value proposition when it is offered."  Having actual ownership experience with the C1s I detailed that experience, trusting that the OP is capable of making an informed and mature decision based on his wants, requirements, and future plans.

I have heard a demo of the Supernait with Dynaudio C1's at an audio show from a well respected and long time Naim dealer.  A few weeks later I bought a new Supernait after having tried and compared it with different speakers. In the end I preferred the Special 25 to the C1 but in all cases the Supernait had plenty of power providing loud, clean and undistorted music with good imaging.

Even if the C1's could benefit from being played with more powerful and refined amplifiers, the SN sure can let anyone hear the difference between a Scanspeak 2010 and a Esotar² tweeter! 

PS.: Hope you recover well HH!

Hungryhalibut posted:

IIf something seems like a bargain there is usually a reason.

Absolutely right!  Some of which include:

Marriage, divorce, moving house, birth, death, business loss, business expansion, health, job loss, job promotion, and bad (or good) day at the track, among many many others that have nothing to do with the intrinsic value of the goods.

Tallan posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

IIf something seems like a bargain there is usually a reason.

Absolutely right!  Some of which include:

Marriage, divorce, moving house, birth, death, business loss, business expansion, health, job loss, job promotion, and bad (or good) day at the track, among many many others that have nothing to do with the intrinsic value of the goods.

I'm struggling to see how any of those things could ever seem like a bargain 

ChrisSU posted:

Tallan posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

IIf something seems like a bargain there is usually a reason.

Absolutely right!  Some of which include:

Marriage, divorce, moving house, birth, death, business loss, business expansion, health, job loss, job promotion, and bad (or good) day at the track, among many many others that have nothing to do with the intrinsic value of the goods.

I'm struggling to see how any of those things could ever seem like a bargain 

The reason behind the bargain?  This is somehow opaque? 

Thank you for the very insightful opinions, and they are all very helpful thought I can also see some opinions are kind of obsession for perfection on setup. I heard that C1 is difficult to drive, I heard it once with a MaCintosh, and they sound very detailed with unforgettable charity on a CD5x.  I don't expect SN can bring out 100% of the C1 capacity, but if it could deliver 70-80% of what C1 capacity, I would like to see how it sounds on my Naim setup for a change of 10 years experience with D15 ( actually, a lot of changes have just done in one month time, and a Chord Epic Ref is on it's way). Of course, if SN can only force out less than 60% of C1 capacity, I would think it would be a waste of time of trying. So far, C1 doesn't seem to be a choice for most of Naim users, but CAT345 mentioned there is dealer putting them together on demo room, it should be such failed matching. My question to CAT345 is if the price for C1 and Special 25 is the about the same, would he have gone for C1 instead of Special 25?

The speakers being discussed are pre-loved (meaning second hand I mean).  So do your research and see if the price is fair.  If it is, and you can afford them; then why not buy them and try them... if you like THE SYSTEM better with the new speakers than your existing ones, then sell your old speakers.  If you like the system better with your existing speakers, then move the new ones on.

Only YOU can decide what sounds better in your system and your situation.  Everyone else may have an idea of their own but thats irrelevant; only what you think is important.

Just like nuking 'em from space ... its the only way to be sure!

One consideration is what/whether the OP has any longer term upgrade plans for the system. Given that the speakers have the greatest single effect on the character of sound in any given room, then if they give the sound you like within whatever limitation the present system imposes, and you can afford them, I would say buy them - there is no such thing as too high a proportion of system value in the speakers, especially if you do have future options to improve amplification if they would benefit from it, or if the source is restricting then changing at a future date should only allow the speakers to sing even better. But, here repeating what others have said, with speakers more than anything else you have to judge how they sound for yourself, precisely because of their fundamental effect on character.

fotogolfer posted:

Thank you for the very insightful opinions, and they are all very helpful thought I can also see some opinions are kind of obsession for perfection on setup. I heard that C1 is difficult to drive, I heard it once with a MaCintosh, and they sound very detailed with unforgettable charity on a CD5x.  I don't expect SN can bring out 100% of the C1 capacity, but if it could deliver 70-80% of what C1 capacity, I would like to see how it sounds on my Naim setup for a change of 10 years experience with D15 ( actually, a lot of changes have just done in one month time, and a Chord Epic Ref is on it's way). Of course, if SN can only force out less than 60% of C1 capacity, I would think it would be a waste of time of trying. So far, C1 doesn't seem to be a choice for most of Naim users, but CAT345 mentioned there is dealer putting them together on demo room, it should be such failed matching. My question to CAT345 is if the price for C1 and Special 25 is the about the same, would he have gone for C1 instead of Special 25?

I would advise to take time to hear the C1s by yourself before you buy and forget about price difference between loudspeakers. I bought new S25s for about the same price as the C1s at the time. I just prefer the bass energy of that 8'' woofer. I had many ProAc loudspeakers in the past and preferred them to Spendors, Kef, B&W, Monitor Audio, Epos, Rogers, Naim and so on...  I find the Dynaudio's more linear but not especially more musical than the ProAcs. I just needed a change!  

You can get good advise reading opinions on this forum but nothing will serve you better than your own ears.