To Jeff Fritz,
I have a strong inkling that you might just fall in love with the Dynaudio Contour 60s.
I heard a pair recently at some length -- alternating between the Gryphon Diablo 300 and Goldmund Telos 590 NextGen integrateds as partnering amps -- and it was very plain to hear that you no longer require (if indeed you ever really did) multiple boxes and a jungle of cables to achieve world-class sound. For me, all three models in the new Contour range represent a significant step forward for Dynaudio in terms of price/performance ratio.
With a view to your “downsizing” project, a top-class integrated amplifier is the obvious way to go, but I thought I might also mention the latest pre/power offerings from Mark Levinson. I recently had a chance to compare them to the D’Agostino gear and while I thought both were superb, I finally leaned slightly in favor of the Levinson No.526 pre and No.534 stereo power amp. And the on-board DAC in the No.526 is sweet as a nut, too. Clincher is, though, they undercut the comparatively specc’ed D’Agostiono offerings by about 50% in terms of wallet damage.
Just my two cents’ worth. Have fun choosing.
Bill Armstrong
United Kingdom
