Amp for Dynaudio C4

Well if you want your C4's to sound really analytical then go for the Krell or maybe MBL. These amps will guarantee that your system will be unsustainable after about 10 minutes.

If you want your C4's to sound good well you have a couple of good choices. Solid State you could use the CJ Premier 350. If you want to go tubes then either the VTL MB-450's or the Manley tube amps. This is coming from someone who owned the C4's and had both the CJ and the VTL's with them. A Macintosh amp would probably go well with them as well.

The other thing with the C4's is getting good bass from them. They are tough to place in a room to get the right balance of treble and bass(don't believe me see Stereophile review of C4's).

You can email me directly if you have anymore questions about them. There great sounding speakers with the right placement and the right equipment.

Oooohhhh...I didn't even think of Parasound or Simaudio. Yes add those to the list of amps that will definitely make your C4's sound horrible.

Sorry I think those amps sound awful. You have to understand where I am coming from. I used to be a musician. I know what real instruments sound like. Those amps do not produce a sound that makes instruments sound correct.

I know for a fact that members of audiogon don't state their true feelings about equipment out of fear of hurting someones feelings. I can no longer participate in this. We do members a great diservice by not being honest.

Ummm...are you speaking to me? Well my friend your perceived measurements are completely incorrect if you are. Don't imagine come over and hear my system. You are more than welcome anytime. I am actually a pretty nice guy and I'll make you a great apple martini. :)

I have heard the sim amps running the dynaudio temptations. They made the speakers sound dull and lifeless.

I don't know if you have any friends who are in the business and who do the shows but I do. I have talked to them about how sometimes they get stuck with incorrect pairings because such and such a manufacturer is sponsoring their room.

Justin

Missioncoonery,

Your right my comments are both arrogant and rude. Of course so is saying "Oh,please dont throw that im a musician so I know what it should sound like BS around..puts the real deal pros in bad light...Class dismissed.....".

Now let's get to some points about why I posted what I did:

1. The only reason I pointed out that I used to be a musician is that I spent a lot of time hearing the sound of real instruments. You obviously have spent even more time. It's great to hear that you have been so successful in the industry. I had to give it up due to arthritis in my hands. However I have been fortunate in my current business. It has allowed me to build a wonderful sounding system.

2. I am fortunate enough to have a relationship with the manufacturer and co-creator of the Messenger preamp. He is fortunate enough to have played in renowned orchestras. I am also fortunate that I know people in the high end audio business all around the country. I have gained tremendous knowledge and insight from these wonderful gentleman who have taken the time to teach me so much about equipment and the industry.

3. The above two lead to my third point. I purposefully made my comments rude and arrogant. For one we don't talk honestly enough about equipment on audiogon out of fear of offending someone. The fact is I wasted a lot of money when I first got into this hobby because there wasn't enough honest information out there. Secondly, there are some things in high end audio that are subjective and others that are objective. You as a musician know what a piano sounds like or a violin or a guitar So do I. How an instrument sounds live, it's very essence, is not subjective it's objective. A violin should sound like a violin not some metallic beast. The reason that I quite emphatically and passionately commented on the gear suggested by others was that they violate this rule(the objective sound of instruments). I have either had this gear in my system or heard it. It really does sound bad from that perspective. Please note I never comment on gear I have not heard. Every audiophile I have ever met wants their system to sound like the real thing. So why would I recommend something to someone that is going to take them farther from that goal?

4. This does not mean that the gear listed does not do some things that people may like such as a huge soundstage. Some people want that others don't care. So you and I agree on that point.

5.My post accomplished what I wanted it to. It got you pissed off and you responded. Now we can have a dialog about why we are in this hobby.

6. We all have to face up to the reality that there is a lot of good gear out there, but there is also a lot of crap. Let's call a spade a spade instead of pretending that every piece of equipment made sounds wonderful. That's what Stereophile and The Absolute Sound are for.

Sincerely,

Justin

Missoncoonery,

If you are in LA then come on by my place. You are more than welcome anytime. Bring any equipment over that you would like to compare or just come by for a listen to the system.

I really am not an a-hole. It's just that I had the C4's and they take work to get them to sound right but when you do it's magical.

Justin

Ttowntony,

Yes I know I sound arrogant. It's really not my intention. It's just I run a business in which I always have to be direct and to the point. Needless to say it sometimes effects how I communicate in my personal affairs(just ask my poor wife!).

The Simaudio's that I heard at the Stereophile show made my temptations sound like $500 speakers. If I didn't own them I would think they were the worst speakers in the world. Now having said that I have not heard them with other speakers so I don't have a complete opinion on the line.

As far as Krell and Parasound go. Let's just respectfully agree to disagree. I find them cold and analytical. I don't feel that they produce a musical presentation.

As to your last point yes there is truth in what you're saying. The musicians that I know play classical music and/or jazz and tend to have pretty good ears. Now if we're talking about Slash or the guys from Metallica I agree with you. Now don't even get me started on recording engineers. They're never sober enough to know what an instrument sounds like.

Do you feel that Krell and Parasound accurately produce the sound of instruments and are musical? If so why? I don't, but if you do I respect that; however I would like to know your reasoning.

Hi Towntony,

Yeah I hate the Krell sound. However I haven't heard the Evo's so I can't comment. If you don't like Krell either and you thought they sounded great then that counts allot.

That's interesting about the Parasound. I don't like their sound either. I have found them to be very hard and brittle. However, again you had that model in your system so I defer to you.

Personally I have a bias for tube equipment. I had a CJ Premier 350 which wasn't perfect but I preferred to the Krells and Parasound that I owned before. The biggest problem with CJ's gear is that it can be a little dull on the top end. Also, it always sounds like it's a little bit behind the beat if you know what I mean. However I think it paints a beautiful picture and is the most tube sounding solid state amp I have heard. Overall I still recommend that amp if that's your price range. I ran them with my C4's and got great results.

Anyway, I have the VTL MB-450's run in triode mode only. They sound awful in tetrode. Tetrode mode introduces way too much distortion for the minor gain you get in dynamics and bass. Otherwise these amps are amazing. Not only are they neutral but they are exciting. The highs sparkle but are never harsh, the mids have that liquid smooth sound that only tubes give you, and there is unbelievable bass. I had a guy over the other day that thought I was using a sub with my system because they had so much bass. They also have great dynamics and transient response. I would take the risk of putting them up against the Krell or Parasound even though I haven't heard them. That's how much I believe in them.

Now I think there are other tube amps out there that are better. If I could afford them I would by the Wavestream's. However at $30,000+ a pair that's probably not going to happen.

Thanks so were your posts. They forced me to explain where I was coming from. I told you I wasn't an a-hole.

I was serious about the invite. If your in LA your welcome over anytime.

Justin