Proac response 2.5 or Dynaudio Special 25

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?

As a Dyn C1 owner I would say (if you really have the itch) to listen to the C1's (especially the MKII/Sig) on equipment like yours. Then make the decision. Again I haven't heard the Proac's and don't know their value but before spending C1 cash give them a listen and maybe even the Countour S1.4's. Either of those 2 drew my more into the music than any of the 'Specialty' speakers.

Otherwise be happy with the Proac's. Nothing worse than spending money and regret what you did. But if you kind of liked what you heard with the S25's just demo the S1.4's or C1 MKII's. Awww - throw in the new Focus 160 too depending on your budget.

I have listened to both Confidence C1(the old version, not the new signature) and Proac Response 2.5s albeit at different periods of my life. I heard the C1s about 5 years ago. As for the Response 2.5s, I listened to them twice, first was about 9 years ago and the last experience was 3 years back when the guy who bought my Plinius amp brought the 2.5s along in his vehicle.

Well, what can I say. Just 2 different speakers with different sound presentation. Both sound good though the C1s play cleaner with more finesse and detail from the mids right up to the highs. The Response 2.5s sound more balanced with fuller and deeper bass, as expected from floorstanders. The Dynaudios and Proacs have their own merits, nothing bad to say about both designs.

If you like the Proac Response 2.5s, consider keeping them despite having 2nd thoughts how other speakers would compare. If the temptation to try new things is too much to resist, you can always purchase the Dynaudios(or any other speaker) just for the fun of it and see if you will like them better than the Proacs. Only you can decide for yourself whether the change is worth the effort.

FWIW if you are happy with the sound you are currently getting from your system I would suggest that you stick with what you've got. There are just too many stuff out there, unless you like some experimentation and/or change. Music first and foremost, equipment secondary.

Good luck.