Amp for Dynaudio C1 Mcintosh 402 or Cary CAD 500?

McIntosh 402 is not a god match for the Cary SLP due to its input impedence of
10,000 ohms (unbalanced)
20,000 ohms (balanced)

Cary CAD 500 is however a perfect match is you can find one for sale. They are getting harder and harder to find on the Agon.

@ Ajackson1: FYI, The Cary SLP 05 has a 400 Ohm output impedance... more than low enough for the 402.

However, I do agree the 500s would be a beautiful match if you can find a pair.

As much as u may be correct. Per another post TVAD replied to, he stated the following. This measurement is also available on the stereophile site.

"It's important to consider the preamp's highest output impedance when using the ratio.

John Atkinson made the following comments in his measurements section of the Stereophile review of the SLP-05:

I got significantly higher values for the unbalanced output of 1500–1600 ohms in the midrange and treble, rising to 3400 ohms at 20Hz, with similar if slightly lower figures for the balanced output. The Cary preamp needs to be used with power amplifiers having input impedances of 10k ohms or greater if the bass is not to sound a little lean. "

I'm also interested in the Pass 250.5. My reservation there is wondering if the 250 watt Pass is enough to drive the C1's.
They review like the type of sound we enjoy. Not to analytical, great midrange and solid articulate bass.

When I'm listening to these speakers, I sometimes wonder if its a power issue, or something else up the chain. Maybe on these speakers, in my current setup, the amps need to be plugged into the wall. Maybe its my room. Maybe the Nuforces have impedence issues with the C1's.

Don't get me wrong as there is magic here, it's just that the low bass we've experienced with our last 2 sets of speakers, over the course of 15 years, is missing. Maybe I'm I expecting too much from these little guys?

Again, I do have a JL Audio Fathom F113 coming to town - someday (it's been ordered, or rather, backordered).

Are tubes totally out of the question? How about the Cary 805C's? Would there be enough current to drive the lower registers in a C1 with a 85 sensitivity rating?

Thanks for your opinions.

I tried the C1s with a pair of VTL MB-450 tube amps and I really liked the combo. The bass was deep, tight, definitely not lacking, but then again I'm not sure what you're used to. It doesn't have the impact of bigger speakers, but in the medium sized room I listened in I could feel the bass.

I have the same issue as you in that I don't know if the Pass x250.5 (or 350.5) would be a better choice. I liked the VTL, but a lot of people seem to be praising the Pass, which I can't audition.

Tubes are not out of the question... I've paired my Special 25"s with a VTL st150 and loved the results. I should mention the VTL displaced a MC402 which I sold for twice the price of the VTL.

Being a Dyn onwer and having used both the 402 and 250.5 I would go with the Pass.Great match plus more power as the 250.5 is 500 watts into that 4 ohm load..No brainer,IMO..I would also go with a F12 rather that the 13

Sounds like the Pass 250.5 would be a good solution. The F12 vs F13 debate continues as I hoped I could use a single F113 vs 2 X F112. HT might benefit a bit from the larger F113 and given the supposed excellent low end response of the C1 and with a Pass 250.5 it seems logical.

Although I rarely see much logic in have the things I've done in this crazy hobby.

Thanks for the experience factor Toeapfactor!

Will Pass XA60.5 make a cut into driving a pair of C1 in a normal bedroom? Listening distance is less then 3m.

IMO, no problem at all unless you regularly play big music at very high volume. I drove C1s for a while with the 60 wpc Ayre integrated and it worked out pretty well.

McIntosh 402 used & they hold their value for resale

JL-I recently got one. Run don't walk and purchase one. It is all you have heard and a bag of chips

Seanyzf,
The XA30.5 is more than enough for the C1, IME.

The XA30.5 drives my Dynaudio Sapphires effortlessly and should handle the C1 with most source material in most rooms without a problem.

Dealer disclaimer.