Dynaudio C1 Bass

Hello all! I am planning on getting the C1's in a few weeks. My dealer recommends the Arcam intergrated FMJ A32 amp to power the speakers (100 wpc). What do you guys think of his suggestion? Is 100wpc enough,should I be looking at something with a little more muscle? Are there other amplifiers you would recommend instead? Thanks for your time, Ken.

Kenz5,
I have owned the Arcam Alpha 10 which should be very similiar to the FMJ A32. In my opinion, the Arcam won't have enough power to drive the C1's to optimum owing to the fact that Dynaudio drivers are often difficult to be driven with their lowish sensitivity and impedance(4 ohms). Also, it depends on your room size and on how loud you normally listen to your music. Arcam gears being on the smooth and mellow side won't be able to provide the dynamic swings in music with the C1's. If your musical tastes lean towards transparency and dynamics I would personally look at amps that are more upfront.

Going back to the original question regarding bass capablities of the C1's, all bookshelves have their limitations so don't expect subterranean deep bass out of those small drivers. Miracles just don't happen. The specs of them going down to 45Hz are often misleading. My PMC LB1's specs say they go down to 35Hz but in actual case they roll-off at around 55Hz or so.

Originally I was using a 100 wpc Mcintosh Integrated amp and it just did not let the C1's perform at their full potential. After switching to a Krell that more than doubles the output of the Mac into 4 ohms it is a whole different experience. I would not hesitate to use a high quality/high current amp that can produce 500 watts or more per channel into 4 ohms with these speakers. It seems like a lot of dealers feel that smaller amps work ok, but they really will not let you truly experience the incredible sound they can provide.

Wow, I just talked to my dealer today and he flat out told me again that the A32 with 100 wpc is more than enough power to handle these guys!! I don't know if he is giving me a line and just trying to sell me his product or if he really doesn't have a clue as to what is needed (power wise) to make the C1's sound at their best. Thanks for your help on all this!!