Amp for 703 B&Ws?

[the teacher]

I' d appreciate any suggestion on an amp improvement (currently cyrrusIII/cyrrus power/psx in biamplification), to drive my 703s'. Surely i need something powerful, but also musical and fullbodied especially in the mids. I am considering Crimson 610c/640d pre-power monoblocks combo, or Magnum Dynalab MD308 integrated, or Primaluna Prologue 3+5 pre-power combo. Any ideas?

[Parsonsk]

As usual there will always be the Rotel group toting their favorites....including myself. I'd look at the rb-1080. I actually just went down this road and although the outcome was a bit different than planned i bought the 1080 with the B&W 804S. (My first purchase was the 703's.)
I looked and looked and looked but i just couldn't find what i was looking for in an amp. I wanted something high end, had excellent value, great sound and power and i just kept coming back to Rotel.

[the teacher]

Rotel or?....

Rotel is one of the first that comes to mind when looking for a powerful, trustworthy amp, one you don't have to spend a small fortune to buy. The thing is i am looking for a piece of kit that will make a significant improvement to the one i've been using for the last 6-7 years; something more refined, more hi end, that' ll keep me happy for many years to come... I' m not really sure rotel is really up to the project...

[Rolex]

I think you may want to try classe gear, or musical fidelity, which is my favorite pairing with B&W. Something like the A308 pre amp and power amp, or even the integrated would do wonders for your speakers, and could stick with you if you upgrade through the line to maybe a set of diamonds??

[tboooe]

check out Parasound Halo. I chagned from the Rotel 1080 to the Halo A21. I love the added warmth of the A21, a great match with the detail and clarity of the B&W.

[RebelMan]

What is your budget? Time split between movies and music? There are plenty of quality amps to choose from, price not withstanding.

[the teacher]

Amp budget for 703s'

Diamond is a really nice material dear Rolex but since my 703s' are just one and a half years old and, considering the fact that i have a wife and daughter (loving them both!!), i don't think there'll be any diamond plans for a few years to come... Classe sounds great, but also expensive. I' m staying in Greece, Europe and i'm quite sure US or Canadian amps cost a lot more over here than they do in the States. Am i wrong?
Just to give you an idea, i bought my 703s' for 2,850 Euros, which is 3,574 USD. Does this look expensive or fair? Money to spend on amp is max 3,000-3,200 Euros, about 3,700-4,000 USD.
My b&w set up is just for music through my Musical Fidelity Electra 601 cdp, upgraded with LC AUDIOS' Zapfilter2 at the analog stage(GREAT!!!!!!).

[Rolex]

Exactly my point.. you could easily pick up the a308 amp and pre amp for 3700-4000 dollars. If you buy used on audiogon. Then, should the time ever come that you want to upgrade to the diamond series, you pre amp and power amp would be up to the task.

[bigburner]

the teacher, have you been following the threads in this forum on digital amps such as NuForce, Halcro and Rotel? We may be on the verge of a breakthrough in price performance (and then again we may not!). However, the early feedback is most promising. If I wanted to upgrade from my current RB-1080 amp then I'd be auditioning these new digital products before investigating the more expensive, high-end traditional products.

[jim777]

Money to spend on amp is max 3,000-3,200 Euros, about 3,700-4,000 USD.

At that price, you could get a McIntosh MA6500 integrated amp (or maybe even the MA6900). I listened to Rotel and McIntosh and IMO the difference was soooo huge. They make my 703 sing , very musical sound (while remaining very detailed).

The MA6500 has no autotransfo, but it is designed for a 4-ohm load and McIntosh recommend to use their 4-ohm outputs anyway for B&W (because they are more like a 4-ohm speaker at low frequencies).

[the teacher]

Prima luna for 703s'

Hey there everybody! Yeah, i know i'm late, i've been really busy. Big day tomorrow (hopefully!) as i'm expecting my new pre/power combo to arrive home for my 703s'. Which one? you ask... Primaluna prologue 3/5, a 40 watter, Dutch-Chinese push-pull.
I know 40 just doesn't sound powerfull enough but, trust me, this 40 sounds like a 150 solid state watter!(depending on the room and speaker sensitivity, of course). I' ve had the opportunity to audition the prologue 2 integrated with a pair of JMLabs (927 Be) and, let me tell you, i was impressed! Pure musicality, amazing tonal balance from highs to lows, full bodied sound, along with a really 3 dimensional soundstage and a crystal clear presentation! It was a really expresive sound, making you wanting to just listen to as many silver discs as possible...
Of course i know that my speakers are easily capable of handling more powerfull and "scary" amps, but something tells me the FST midrange unit is really going to sing... As for the price it is 2,700 Euros, about 3,300 USD, how does this sound?
I'll keep you informed and also send some pictures of my new set up. Breaking in period of the Primalunas is about 200h, so.......be standing by!!!

[the teacher]

703s' and primaluna

Hi there everybody, yes I'm still alive!! It's been almost a month since i got my primaluna 3-5 pre/power, valve throughout, amp compo and I'd like to keep you up to date with the breaking in.
First thoughts? Well i'm just starting to realise how good my speakers really are; the 703's are true hi end products, but you never'll never know, unless you "feed" them with top quality current. At least i didn't know, not till i hooked them up to my new amps. After no more than 60-80 hours of running in and it already seems as if i've removed not just a curtain between the speakers and my listening position, but a really thick brick wall. The detail is amazing and i'm really enjoying re-listening to my favorite cds.
Stay tuned, much more coming soon, the amps are really GREAT!!!!