Dynaudio Confidence C2 and SuperUniti
Posted by: Dan.S on 10 February 2017
While my really really wonderful MA Gold 200 really really give me all I need in terms of sweetness, resolution, image and authority when necessary, I have a really good opportunity to buy a pair of Dynaudio Confidence C2. I managed to have a listen over their owner's house but due to placement in an empty room (waiting for a new owner) and a really underpowered amp (meridian G56) I didnt got a change to hear them really sing.
I know listening to them in my room would clear things up but carrying 80kg of precious cargo without their original packaging across the city is not really an option. I could however take my SU unit and pair it with the dynos at their location but that cave room would really mess things up again.
What I loved about them: sweeter mids, more resolute (not by much) and a somewhat less fatiguing sound. And the looks. (and the bragging rights..) What I did'n like: they sounded super weak, no authority, rock sounded dull and had no stereo image whatsoever despite my efforts of moving them around a bit.
So to cut to the chase, my question is: should I take the "fk it, life's too short" way and sort the aftermath (provided my SU is enough in terms of power) or take the cautious route and be a bystander, see this opportunity go down the drain?
If a I choose to be brave, I won't have money for a more potent nap but I do have a mate with a beautiful pair of mint cyrus mono x power bricks waiting for me to explain to my wife their arrival into the house. 
Fire away.
Not sure if this helps but I know a guy that ran his C4 with no problem. There is also a review I've read about a SU driving C1 with no issue. C1 is harder to drive than the C2 and C4 I believe. Do it then let me know how it goes.
Quite a little while ago the guys in Audio-T lent me a pair on home demo. My at the time 282/200 pairing I thought just wasn't up to it and when the guys picked them they concluded they needed a 250 or 300.
Regards,
Lindsay
Should say drive C4 with his SN2.
If the price is right get them. Those 4 Esotar tweeters will let you discover what's hidden into your recordings!
The Strat (Fender) posted:Quite a little while ago the guys in Audio-T lent me a pair on home demo. My at the time 282/200 pairing I thought just wasn't up to it and when the guys picked them they concluded they needed a 250 or 300.
Regards,
Lindsay
it could be because the C2 was not run in maybe?
My focus 260 took hundreds of hours and 6 months to fully come on song and sound as dynamic as the X32 it replaced.
My serviced NAP135s are only just up to driving C1s properly.
To drive C2s properly may require a NAP300DR or similar.
A Superuniti with Dynaudio C2? Keep your hopes high and your expectations low, unless you plan to quickly change electronics to 52/135, 252/300 or more.
Happy auditioning! FT
I do have 2 cyrus monos on stand by on a very good price should things get dicey on the end of my SU. 240W in 4 ohm they say.
I have always thought that Dynaudio and Naim work well together, but the more power you can throw at them the better. I have somewhat ageing Audience 50's. They were great with Nait 5, but really came alive with SN1.
If you can easily shift them on again if you're not happy then it's fairly low risk and worth a try. I somehow doubt it'll be a match made in heaven with the SU and likewise the SU with the Cyrus monos...
Anyway good luck Dan and i'll be interested in how you get on if you go this route
James
analogmusic posted:The Strat (Fender) posted:Quite a little while ago the guys in Audio-T lent me a pair on home demo. My at the time 282/200 pairing I thought just wasn't up to it and when the guys picked them they concluded they needed a 250 or 300.
Regards,
Lindsay
it could be because the C2 was not run in maybe?
My focus 260 took hundreds of hours and 6 months to fully come on song and sound as dynamic as the X32 it replaced.
They were a 2nd hand pair fully run in. I had Contour 1.8s which never really rocked until the 250DR came along. I love Dynas but they need space and strong powerful articulate amplification. As FT says hopes high expectations low because whilst I am far from a source first advocate I don't see this working.
Sorry.
Lindsay
A £12,000 speaker driven by an all in one. Great idea. As for the bragging rights - 'listen to my system, it sounds crap'. Hmm.
Ouch HH. Neither subtle nor wrong.
Fingers crossed though! FT
I used to own Dyn c1 mk11's,that I used in my home theatre,they were driven by a Cary audio 200.2 amp,which is 200 into 8 ohms/350 into 4ohms.This worked well,but when I tried running them off my Supernait 2,they were ok at lower volumes,but things fell apart when I turned it up.I agree with FT and HH,minimum 250 dr,but personally I would want a 300dr or even 500 to truly drive them properly.
The C2's may be expensive but apart from the nice fancy cabinets, their driver components are only more refined versions of the 15W75 Dynaudio mid-woofers and D-28 tweeters. In other words, nothing to embarrass any Naim amplifier. As with any loudspeakers, more power = more control in the lows.
Dynaudios don't need complicated energy consuming crossovers because of the quality and linearity of their drivers.
Hungryhalibut posted:A £12,000 speaker driven by an all in one. Great idea. As for the bragging rights - 'listen to my system, it sounds crap'. Hmm.
It won't sound crap, but it may not sound ideal at very high volumes either.
I understand what you are saying, but times have changed.
For instance I used a Hugo to front my 202/200/Dynaudio system, 1400 GBP source with a 3000 GBP amp.
Now I use a Mojo to front the 202/200 system - 400 GBP source with a 3000 GBP amp, not a mullet to my ears, as essentially a Mojo is basically a Hugo with a different processor, and battery, but running similar code, both have the same 4E pulse array DAC.
Dynaudio present stable 4 ohm load to the amp, and even DAC V1/Nap 100 had no problem fronting a Dynaudio X32 speaker (4 ohm load), but yes, don't push it to very high volumes.
Again, not sure why this high volume is such a criteria.
I would risk the SU with the C2 speaker, and keep in mind having a CB or olive 250 as a backup. I think the Cyrus Mono's should be able to handle the C2.
By comparison B&W speakers are more demanding of the amplifier than Dynaudio speakers.
I've owned 3 Dynaudio speakers so far X16. X32 and Focus 260, none have any problems with my Naim amps
What I'm most afraid of is their notoriously choosy nature when it comes to positioning. And matching. And current draw. And room integration. And additional costs, to be honest.
My naim drives a modern Hyundai right now and I've struck such a balance, many of my friends noticed it, so did my wife. But my heart yearns after an Audi. A ten years old fastidious Audi. And while my goal is higher SQ, I'm not sure this is the way either.
This game is tough. Thanks everyone for contributing.
I don't know anything about your speakers but you seem to like them and others do too. I had an SU for a couple of years with PMC twenty.23 speakers and really enjoyed it. But when I changed to a 272/250DR it was a whole different world in terms of musical enjoyment, and sounds so much more real, unforced, and natural. That's what I'd look at if I were you. It's got to be so much better to have your mates say 'wow, this is great music' than 'blimey, those speakers are really big, but why don't they sound much good?'
Actually HH Id want to evaluate carefully the C2 and 250. I say this because recently Dyna have been demonstrating the new Contours with a 300DR. Those Dynas like it up 'em.
Regards,
Lindsay
Dan,
I have no direct experience of you speakers or the SU, but have had C2's ( the first version) for more than 10 years now. And my impression is that in a way the C2 are less power demanding than the e.g. their Contour speakers (not heard the new contours though) in that sense that they sound open even with "simpler" amplification where other dynaudio speakers might sound a bit restrained. Obviously they will deliver more with better amps and sources, as all decent speakers I assume, but if going overboard with speakers vs. source and amp they are from this perspective IMO not the worst choice.
If I were you my concern would rather be how the work in your room, and towards your preferences. Obviosly also the amp is a part of how a room and speakers match, but if room and speaker don't match better amps might not be a solution either. So if the seller is willing try arrange a home demo, even if you need to "hire a station wagon" for transportation, that would be my recommendation.
Hello everyone, this is my first post on this forum. I found this thread as the most logical one to post my question.
I recently purchased a beautiful pair of Dynaudio Focus 260 floorstanders in piano black finish. The amp I am using at the moment is a new Arcam A29, the DAC is a Chord Mojo and the source is my iMac with Foobar2000 (or my iPhone 7 via Onkyo HF player).
The weakest link in this setup is apparently the amp. I have a chance to return the amp and get a Naim XS2 (the 70w version) as the dealer I bought the amp from is also an authorized Naim dealer. I am also expecting delivery of new factory terminated Chord Epic Reference speaker cables as well as Chord Epic Analogue Tuned Aray interconnect.
Will the XS2 be up to the task of powering the Dyn's? I have no experience at all with Naim amps, nor have I heard one with Dyns before. Apparently I can't take my speakers to the dealer in order to audition the amp.
What my Arcam setup is lacking at the moment is midrange - it sounds thin and bright, almost nonexistent. While the highs do sound very sweet and seductive, and the bass is so-so, the mids are killing my enjoyment. I am virtually embarrassed to play a rock song (let alone something heavier in sound), as it sounds pretty ridiculous through a pair of pretty expensive speakers.
So, is the XS2 the right way to go, or should I go for something else?
Many thanks!
Amused posted:Apparently I can't take my speakers to the dealer in order to audition the amp.
Why on earth not? If your dealer won't let you, find a new dealer. Better still, see if you can get a home demo of the amp, or a purchase with the option to return it if it doesn't work for you.
Correct me if I'm wrong but each Naim dealer should / must let you audition at home. This is part of the philosphy.
After all - you'll be listening at home, not at your dealer's... 
I have taken big heavy speakers (2-person carry) to three dealers, two a year ago and the other 20 years ago, in two of which they carried them to upstairs demo rooms, without the slightest complaint. I also took my amp to the two last year, though I carried that while they carries the speakers. Those are the only times I have asked, and they didn't question or try to disuade.
The options are simple: either the dealer lets you do that, or supplies you with the amps you wish to audition to your house, or you go somewhere that will - simply make the third option clear to the dealer if he is unwilling to accommodate either of the first two.
Some dealers may even supply you with an amp to audition by 'mail order', subject to you paying the full amount up-front as a deposit, which can be an option if you are very remote from a dealer, such as in a different country (e.g. If the awkward one you mention is the only one in your country and you have to seek elsewhere).
Amused posted:Hello everyone, this is my first post on this forum. I found this thread as the most logical one to post my question.
I recently purchased a beautiful pair of Dynaudio Focus 260 floorstanders in piano black finish. The amp I am using at the moment is a new Arcam A29, the DAC is a Chord Mojo and the source is my iMac with Foobar2000 (or my iPhone 7 via Onkyo HF player).
The weakest link in this setup is apparently the amp. I have a chance to return the amp and get a Naim XS2 (the 70w version) as the dealer I bought the amp from is also an authorized Naim dealer. I am also expecting delivery of new factory terminated Chord Epic Reference speaker cables as well as Chord Epic Analogue Tuned Aray interconnect.
Will the XS2 be up to the task of powering the Dyn's? I have no experience at all with Naim amps, nor have I heard one with Dyns before. Apparently I can't take my speakers to the dealer in order to audition the amp.
What my Arcam setup is lacking at the moment is midrange - it sounds thin and bright, almost nonexistent. While the highs do sound very sweet and seductive, and the bass is so-so, the mids are killing my enjoyment. I am virtually embarrassed to play a rock song (let alone something heavier in sound), as it sounds pretty ridiculous through a pair of pretty expensive speakers.
So, is the XS2 the right way to go, or should I go for something else?
Many thanks!
Careful asking here if an amp is up to to it. You will be steered toward way more than what is really sufficient.
Well, because I don't live in the UK The Arcam was a blind buy as well I still have to persuade the dealer to take back the Arcam