Amplifier for Dynaudio Contour 3.3

I have the Contour 3.0's up front and recently upgraded their amplification from the Krell KAV-500 (100w/ch @8ohm) to the Krell KAV-250a (250w/ch @8ohm). I personally love the Krell / Dynaudio combination, because the Dynaudio's love power and Krell loves to give it. I don't listen to music loud all that often (HT is another matter!), but I was amazed at how much cleaner / clearer everything sounded after changing the amplification, even at low volumes. Very noticeable and worthwhile. I have to assume that if cost is no issue, going with the Krell monoblocks would further the benefit, and I'm sure the 3.3's want at least as much power as the 3.0's do (though I know they're rated more sensitive). You can get a KAV-250a for around $1800-2000 used and that's a heckuva buy, IMO.

Kthomas, I had the Krell 300i in my system before. The bass was outstanding, but the high end was a bit "piercing" and it had a very "electronic" sound to it. The B&K is very "musical" but lacks the detail resolution that I was used to with my Plinius Integrated. The KAV-250a is tempting though, and I would guess it's more musical then the 300i. Cost is a factor. I'm doing a complete re-design of my audio system, and my amp budget is $3K; and I need 5 channels of amplification.

John,the 5 channels of amplification don't have to be all in one chassis.I use 3 different amps/my best runs the fronts. Bridge the 5 ch,for the backs,one for the center and get you a good amp for the fronts. If your amp can be bridged,the doubling of the power for he rears is a nice improvement/much more than the 3db suggests. Been there.

I am using Classe' CAM-350s with my Confidence 5s. I selected the Classe after listening to Krell, Bryston, Plinius etc. The Classe/Dynaudio combo had the smoothest treble and most natural midrange, and the CAM-350s deliver the current necessary to drive the 5's compound woofer. Tough to find used, kind of expensive otherwise

If budget is an issue I found that the Parasound HCA-2205AT is a much better amp then the B&K Ref 7250. I owned the B&K for a brief period before returning it. The Parasound has subjectively more power, detail, and extension at the extremes, and doesn't blur details on transients like the B&Ks. Compared to my Bryston 7Bs which I use for my L/R the Bryston is more even across the frequency range, has even more detail in the lows, mids, and highs, and is more transparent sounding. And of course is more powerful. I've recently auditioned the Classe CAM 350s and thought they were wonderful, but expensive at 3500 each.

I'm using a BAT VK-500 with my Dynaudio Confidence 5s and think them to be a great match. The VK-500 puts out 400wpc into the 4 ohm load. BAT is known for building solid state amps that sound close to tube amps in the mid-hi range while having the power for the lower end. This is exactly what Dynaudio's need. VK-500 can be found for about $3200 on Audiogon.