Proac response 2.5 or Dynaudio Special 25

Ejlif My first experience with Dynaudio was at my dealer who had Sim Audio stack as his premium set up. I brought my 20 + year old Mission 782's to compare. It was the comparison that made me fall in love with the Dyn's. Like I said (or maybe didn't) The Sim was great with control but so detailed I couldn't live with that for the long term. Same thing when I heard Classe Omega mono blocks driving B&W 802d's. Again great control and detail but what I found was I was listening to individual instruments and vocals saying WOW. But for me I just couldn't hear the music as a whole because of all the individual sounds being so detailed.

That being said that was the 'sound' I 'thought' I wanted when I first started my audio journey. After listening to a modest Naim 5i I found myself listening to the music and noticed my toes a tappin. That was the day I decided I didn't care for all the detail. I wasn't until I listened to the Octave V70se did I hear the music with control.

Well that's my story as to why detail isn't my cup of tea

Should the Dynaudio be as engaging? And what about Dynaudio c1?

Well I'm biased because I do have the C1 Signatures because to me and my taste the C1's are much more engaging. If you have the opportunity give the C1's a listen and decide from there.

I have the Proac Response 2.5 and I recommend trying them with an EL-34 based tube amp. I think you may be even happier with your current speakers.

I believe you would be happier with your 2.5's. I had them, as well and can give you some advice on how to get more out of them. Your Rowland is a good match for the speaker, but not the best. Its a very unusual piece. I have a Rowland 112 which I think is very similar, or even the same amp that is in your integrated. The Rowland is very detailed but also, at the same time, very forgiving. You really don't need an amp like that for your speakers. Its a good amp to use if you need to "fix" a harsh or bright speaker. Your Proac's do have a very musically forward, lively sound. Your amp is holding back a lot of that. Your Arcam is also a very good piece. I had the 33 but imagine that there isn't too big a difference between them, as well. It has a very "polite" or smooth sound but not a lot of dynamic contrast. You could say that the Arcam, generally speaking, aims for a similar sound as the Rowland; but not taking it that far.

If it were my choice, I would upgrade your amp first. Tube or solid state will work fine. You just need to pick the correct amp regardless. Heres a list of tube amps I used that will make a huge difference in sound quality: VAC 30-30 Mk III, Quicksilver V4 Monos, Audio Reasearch VT 100 (1, 2 or 3 - all good). For solid state: Ayre V5, Bat 220, Pass 0's and CJ 2250. I'm sure there are some other good choices as I haven't herd everything out there.

In my opinion the best tube were the V4's followed very closely by the VAC. For solid state, the Ayre would be my first choice. Any of the amps I list, though, I think will be a much better match for your speaker than the Rowland. Your system will immediately come alive with any one of them. For the rest of your system, I say keep the Arcam, for now and get a simple passive preamp so you can use it. From there on, I would listen to the system for a while and get very familiar with it. How you deal with you preamp in the future will be very important and it would be best not rush into it quickly. It will make just as big a difference at the amp.

Hope this info helps. If I'm not clear on something, just post and I will try to give a better answer.

Thanks for all the great assistance.

I am quite happy with my amp, and do not want to make that change. I am merely looking for an answer comparing my Proac's with Dynaudio.

The Dynaudio Special 25 offered a very interesting and dynamic sound. But just did not draw me in to the music, tapping my feet like my Proac. I wanted to know if the new Dynamo Signature C1 would give me that improvement and draw me in. Will I be listening to the music or just the speaker?

Has anyone heard the c1 who also knows the Proac Response 2.5, and what's your opinion. Should I just forget about upgrading and keep my Proac's?