Conrad Johnson C200 will soon be controlling my Dyn Focus 140's. Overkill????? The little NAD356BEE is really good but it will be fun to see how this works. Any thoughts?:scratch2:

Thoughts? Umm...is jealousy a thought...lol

The CA200 is rumored to be an excellent unit (as I'm sure PC will concur with shortly). When I was looking for my first C-J power amp, some of the C-J crew tried to move me toward the "all-in-one" (for some reason, they didn't like calling it an Integrated) CA200. I opted for the MF-2500a instead, and am pretty damn happy.

"Overkill" for Focus 140s? Well...I subscribe to more on speakers than the amp approach, but not everyone does. Besides...just think how good it could sound with S1.4s, 25s, or C1s :thumbsup:

Enjoy!

I don't think you can overkill on an amp with a great set of speakers. Danes don't lie: they love power. :thumbsup:

Did you and Joeinid get together! Hope so.

Yes!!! This is the first previously owned item I have ever purchased but it is because WE (AA) are all family. Joe is great to deal with. I hope he gets down to Naples to listen to this on Dynaudio.:thumbsup:

Me too, thanks Howard :thumbsup:

I use a 452 and 3 601 McIntosh amps to run all the Dyns. They love high current:)

Dave...have you posted pics of your custom Dyns, in the pictures thread? I'm sure we'd all love to see them!

I will do this as soon as I can, I think I did have a general pic of the system that shows the 3 way towers. but I have 4 surrounds, a center and custome super tweeters too.

Will do I will book this thread. thanks!

Joe and Howard,

That is so cool. I told Joe not to wait for me (I wanted to listen to CJ first), and now I'm very happy he didn't! Let us know how you like the combo.

Anthem Statement P5 though I'm starting to think that was a mistake.. I'm getting (only at very specific frequencies it seems) static. I tried different cables, same deal. Brand new Integra DHC-80.3 processor. What is odd is that my Confidence Center does it as well which is rated at significantly higher RMS (P5 puts out 500W @ 4 ohm, Center rated at 300W, C1 at 170W). The one thing I haven't yet tried, I at the moment ran the amp out of one wall outlet without power conditioning mostly because I'm not sure what to buy. I was considering a Panamax. Any suggestions?

Hi,

I've a DarTZeel NHB-108 powering my lovely Dynaudio Temptation :)
Much to my dismay, the power copes beautifully with the large speakers, while it struggled with my previous C4 (older model, not II). I guess C4's near 2ohm minimum was too much :)


alexandre

People here really like the pure power :thumbsup:

PurePower Home

:applause:Welcome Kronik and Alexandre !!

kronik.......Welcome to Audio Aficionado. :wave:

The Anthem P5 looks pretty healthy with 325 continuous watts per channel into 8 ohms, with each channel being a mono amp with its own transformer and power supply. I don't think it was a mistake to purchase this amplifier. I don't think the amp is the issue. Reading the specifications, it appears that the P5 has two power cords and requires two circuits to feed it 120 volts, each capable of 1800 watts. This means you are not powering the amplifier properly if you have it plugged into a single 120 volt duplex wall outlet. The Anthem P5 will need two circuits. If you can get two 120 volt, 20 amp dedicated circuits to the gear location you should be able to power the Anthem's two power cords, one to each dedicated circuit, and still have sufficient power remaining in those two dedicated circuits to power your processor, and sources. Right now I would not concern myself with power conditioning until you have solved your dedicated circuit requirements. The Anthem Owner's Manual clearly states that the P5 amplifier must be powered from two separate circuits. After you have accomplished that, then look at power conditioners. In my opinion, though, I would suggest you save your money for some serious power conditioners if Panamax is your only choice.


http://www.anthemav.com/components/c...ings/o/147.jpg


http://www.anthemav.com/components/c...ings/o/145.jpg

kronik... Welcome To AA!!!


:welcome2.:

kronik, welcome aboard! :wave:

alexandre, welcome aboard! :wave:

So I did that, needed to use an extension cord to get to another circuit but did.. the issue persisted which suggests that it's not a ground loop at the amp. I then brought a different source in with the same material (How to Train Your Dragon on FiOS vs. Boxee), no distortion whatsoever. Upon further consideration, the only time I hear static/distortion is from the cable box (127 Hours, etc.), never directly from Blu-ray or Boxee..

Oh and FYI, got the following from Nick @ Anthem over on AVS regarding the Anthem P5 for anyone else that may be considering it:

"Running the P5 from a dedicated 15A circuit instead 20A or two 15s (one per power cord) merely means that the breaker in the service panel would trip sooner, assuming the amp is made to work hard enough for a sustained period. Aside from such a circuit interruption there is no difference in what the amp would deliver relative to line circuit capacity."

kronik.......You didn't mention your source was a cable box. These are notorious for introducing noise, hum, distortion, ground loops, etc. You might begin by installing a VSIS-EU Cable TV Ground Loop Isolator. They are available on Amazon for $16.00. This will isolate the grounds, and should quiet things down.


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg

I use that isolator too. It works like magic. it took me weeks before I isolated that the problem was my comcast cable box.

Excellent - I'll give it a try!

Keep us posted on the BUZZ . I am sure Dan's advice will work ! I would like to hear what you think of the synergy between the Contours and the Anthem P5 :thumbsup:

Hi Dan,
Do you put this before or after the cable box?:scratch2: I would assume after

Doug.......Before the cable box on the incoming coaxial cable. A short coaxial jumper will be needed to go from the isolator to the cable box input.

I haven't yet gotten the isolator but hop to get one installed before week's end.

Thanks for all the warm welcomes.

We have the Dynaudio Confidence C2 MK2 with a Accuphase E450
The play very well together on every level
Gr Bert

bert50... Welcome To AA!!!


:welcome2.:

bert50, welcome aboard! :wave:

Loving my naim nait 5i.

Integra DTR 30.2 & DTA 70.1

A few years back I bought a new set of speakers for the main rig, and just didn’t have the heart to sell my Special 25’s (they really are special) so I moved them into the bedroom. Surprisingly they make very good near field monitors. They are being fed from a VTL IT-85 (EL34 integrated) and just sound wonderful.

Life is good!

I'm already thinking about upgrading from the NAD I got from Howard, so this thread is very informative.

Would appreciate a couple words on how the synergy is working for you. What made you like the coupling? Did you choose the electronics for the speakers? The speakers for the electronics? And why, what was the characteristic that cemented the deal.

well, hear me out....

I got my X16s over the 140s because I didn't have the budget to get them, AND I didn't think Id have a good enough receiver to power the Focus properly, at the time I had a Sony, but knew I wanted to upgrade from the Sony/Energy combo to something better. So when I found the X16s, they had everything I wanted and I used the Sony(after talking to Mick several times), BUT I knew that Id be getting a better AVR a few months later, and got the Integra. This setup worked great, and I added the X22 for movies, as that was my first concern. I played music thru my Sony BDP, and it sounded really good. I thought!

I have a buddy in Chicago, said hey, Im coming to CA, lets meet up at his buddy's house. I went to his buddy's house and there he had the Focus 220 MKI, Naim XS, Arcam rDAC and Mac Mini and it floored me. I thought the Integra was very good, until I heard that setup.

So to do my due diligance I felt I would save up, and audition IAs over the next year. I had a price range of less then $1500 to spend and went and heard several. T+A, PeachTree, Musical Fidelity, Parasound Classic 2100 Pre-pro and 2125 amp, Anthem 225, Rotel, and a bunch of stuff beyond my price range, Octave, Audio Research, Boulder, McIntosh, etc.

I could not get the same sound that the Naim did that just blew me away. The T+A was the only one I really wanted as much as Naim, but the T+A was the same price as the Naim XS, and I was in the Naim Nait 5i price range. The other issue I had to deal with was I had to have a HTBP, so my field narrowed. Nait 5i, Musical Fidelity M3i, Arcam A18/A28, Creek Evolution-2/Creek 5350 Classic.

So I went and really listened to the MF M3i, I liked it, a lot. But something was missing. This is the same place I bought my Dyns the dealer was like take it with you... pay me later! sighhhh,.... NO, not yet, have to "talk with the wife first". Foo Fighters sounded like live concert, classical was good, Jazz was very good. But I was missing the special something. I could not find a local Creek dealer in CA to take my Dyns with me to audition, so I spoke with a dealer who dealt with Arcam and Naim. My last 2 choices. We talked a lot. He knew I loved the XS, and we discussed what I liked about it, he then encouraged me to get the 5i because it had more of what we talked about me wanting and liking.

So I have had the Nait 5i for several weeks, about 1 month or so. What people say about Naim is true. Just like what they say about Dynaudio is true. There entry level products are more musical and truthful then anything I have heard. The way that the two pair together is just awesome. The Nait has slam, real slam! But it still has finese and detail and a nice airy presentation. I read a few personal review of the Nait 5i-2 today online, and I agreed with everything the person said. It has power, real guts. Violins have so much life. Bass is bass, with a pace unlike other IAs. Vocals are well placed and sound so lifelike. I love the low level detail to, a lot of my listening is later in the night and I still get so much from so little.

I still have to upgrade my DAC, which Im between the rDAC and DAC*iT, but I can wait to improve the SQ of my CD playback, my Sony just doesn't have the analog section to do what I want.

My TT setup sounds great tho with the Nait 5i. Pro-ject Debut III, Sumiko Pearl, MF V-LPS, yes it budget, but it renders some very good music with nice toe-tapping rhythm and good low-end bass. Very Pleased overall with my setup.

In the end, to answer some of your questions, I bought the speakers cause they were the best ones I found in my price range. My electronics were bought to match my speakers. But more then that, they were also bought to meet my expectations of how I want my music to sound. I want the truth, with great dynamics and PRaT, and a large soundstage and precise imaging. It tough to find that in "budget" components, but I think that I will/have accomplish(ed) what I wanted.

Wow! Now that answer is worth the price of admission! Thank you.

It seems Naim does comes up frequently in conjunction with Dyns. Howard, RaceTripper and others have mentioned them. I noticed when I went solely with the NAD that I did not like the bass handling compared to using the B&K straight into the NAD as a pre/pro. Bass is tricky, of course, but the whole thing went from a realistic sounding double bass to mushy and blooming. I'm okay for now since the combo seems to be working. The NAD amp is really musical in its presentation compared to the B&K, but I'd like to settle on an IA that can keep me toe tapping for many years.

Thanks. Any others?

I've tried several good electronics: Arcam, T+A, Simaudio Moon, Octave. They all sound great, but just don't have that grip and punch of the Naim. Octave came closest, but would have been most expensive. Now that I have the venerable NAP250-2 for amplification it will be even harder to beat.

I am looking forward to join your Naim bliss in the very near future :yes:

I use Simaudio (P-8/W-7), originally based on the premise that Dynaudio paired with Sim at every audio show so the combination must be good. And all the glowing reviews by people whose preferences are similar to mine helped.

In my home, the combination sounds great, although I've heard Dyn sound terrific with Octave and other gear at shows. I think any well regarded manufacturer would make any Dyn speaker sound good, and then it all comes down to the buyer's personal choice.

My poor, lonely Dynaudio C4's are without power. BUT, they are, as of today, able to look at the new home created in the Entertainment Center to house whatever electronics I end up choosing.
An absolutely expert craftsman, Greg ( a great friend of Buddy's), came over a few weeks ago and looked at the empty holes, studied my drawings and needs, and today installed the final project.
The 3/4" shelves are fully adjustable, 2 thermostacilly controlled fans in each cabinet drawing cool air in and exhausting warm air, multiple holes everywhere for running cable in an uncluttered pattern from the rear, sides and underneath. The adjustable tracks for the shelves are recessed into the wood and the back panel is removable if the need arises. Also, the fans are attached with wingnuts so I can undo them from the rear bathroom access and easily reach in for any special adjustments my equipment or wiring will need. There are also 3 holes in the back of each one of the 24" deep shelves. I will post more pictures as the project progresses.
Now, I just need to get some power and music to the Dyns.:scratch2:

hkval

I'm watching your system w/ great interest. I have C4 IIs on the way and have somewhat similar electronics to what you had previously (MC601s & C2300). Please keep us posted on what you decide and, most importantly, why you decided to go there. Thanks man.