Dynaudio Contour 30 vs Confidence C2 comparisons

Thanks for the great insight everybody, much appreciated!
shingy, some day I hope to have a dedicated 2 channel pre amp, but that will have to wait. (money and space constraints are the guilty party) The av8802a has a very nice clean sound to it, but doesn't have quite the all around "robust" body of a serious 2 channel pre. When it comes down to it, my final decision will mostly depend on price/value of any deal I might find. I'm certain I'd be thrilled with either the C2 or Contour 30, but I have a couple concerns about both, to be honest. I've read (not sure where) that the newer Contour line has a treble that has a slightly more 'crisp' sound to it compared to the current Confidence range. I already have tinnitus in both ears, so I'm not sure that would be the way for me to go. Having said that, they have a much more modest appearance, and I think they'd be that much easier to set up properly. As for the C2 treble, I think its safe to assume it would be incredible similar to my C1.. although I've heard people say the C2 treble is even smoother, while others have disagreed with that. I know the Contours also use the esotar2, but the crossovers are not the same. I hear what you're saying about the Confidence range being long in the tooth nitewulf. I'm curious to know what Dynaudio plan to do about this in the (hopefully near) future. It'll be exciting, but well above my budget I'm sure! And to your statement, jonmc138, I can attest to the C1 being a bit power hungry, and I have also bottomed them out ONCE! I was watching the beginning of the first Guardians of the Galaxy during the scene where Star Lord gets taken by the space ship as a young boy. I've learned my lesson after that, so now I take the time to MAKE SURE I HAVE MY CROSSOVERS SET PROPERLY LOL!

@scaf_007

I too started with an AVR to drive by Dyns (Audience 70 back in the days). But the sound was flat as a runway. So, sold both the AVR and Dyns and updated to to my current set of speakers and a newer generation AVR.

Still it sounded okay but nothing I would call Earth shattering. So I started trialing a brute power amp at 500wpc and AVR as pre. Certainly there was bass slam but no mids and muffled highs. 

Further updates lead me to try two pre/power combinations,  one was a tube pre and 300wpc power from same manufacturer. I could have stayed there. That had a wonderful SQ, tubey mids and with meaty lows from the solid state power amp. When a Gryphon integrated came up for sale I hadn't look back. This amp would stay for a foreseeable future. It has so much control over the Dyns, micro details and refinements. Yet when the source demands a huge push of power to the speakers, the Gryphon more than deliver. 

My thoughts are a mid range preamp can do wonders with your setup. when compared with an high end AVR. Granted it is not a priority right now. : )

Actually, I too contemplating in going up to C2. But room size is not ideal for placement. Too close to my listening position. So I am following your thread with interest. Cheers. 

@shingy


One of the main reasons I started this thread is because I have an opportunity to grab a pair of C2's mkII but would require me to trade my C1s and I'm just not sure I want to do that.. I love them too much! lol
I have a pair of Paradigm S6 v3 in piano black that I need to unload before I can make any decisions anyhow. I just don't want to deal with shipping them so trying to sell them locally, which isn't the easiest thing to do in a small market area!

If you're happy with C1 and gave the room then a move to C2 would be a good one I think. Even if a new line comes out the C2 is still going to sound great. Upgrading the front end is also great suggestion if the C2 slips away or not. I think you'll get even more enjoyment out of either speaker with better electronics. Good luck with whichever path you choose.