High end brands that work well with B&W 800 series

[JimTW]

We know the Rotel, Classe, Krell, and McIntosh stuff are popular with
B&Ws with Rotel at the upper end of the mid range (or low end of the
high end range) and Classe, Krell, and McIntosh right in the high end
classification.

Question... whare are some other brands for amp and preamp that are
maybe not quite as expensive as Classe, Krell, and McIntosh, but a
definite step up from Rotel?

The likes of Arcam? Bryston?

I understand very well, it's not about price, but about what your
ears hear. But, just wanted some ideas tossed around so I can
investigate/research more. Right now, since I only know these few
brands, their websites are all I look at and their stuff are all I listen
to. I want to check out more brands and equipment to do more
shopping.

Thanks!!!

[akhter]

We know the Rotel, Classe, Krell, and McIntosh stuff are popular with
B&Ws with Rotel at the upper end of the mid range (or low end of the
high end range) and Classe, Krell, and McIntosh right in the high end
classification.

Question... whare are some other brands for amp and preamp that are
maybe not quite as expensive as Classe, Krell, and McIntosh, but a
definite step up from Rotel?

The likes of Arcam? Bryston?

I understand very well, it's not about price, but about what your
ears hear. But, just wanted some ideas tossed around so I can
investigate/research more. Right now, since I only know these few
brands, their websites are all I look at and their stuff are all I listen
to. I want to check out more brands and equipment to do more
shopping.

Thanks!!!

I run my N804 with Arcam AVR300, and couldn't be happier. The pre section of the Arcams are fantastic.

[tdiciple]

I ran them with B&K Ref 50 & B&K Ref200.7 and they sound really good.

I had Parasound C1 & Parasound HCA2205A (5x220Watt THX Ultra) and they also sounded good.

[Djas_Puhr]

I'm running Nautilus 803's with a pair of Bel Canto eVo2 mono's and I like what I'm hearing... There are a lot of reviews available online for the eVo product line if you're interested.

[Miroku]

I absolutely love Arcam's AVP700 processor over a Rotel 1068. Its only $500 more MSRP, and quite a bit better sounding to my ears.

[Hannu]

I'm very pleased with the sound of Electrocompaniet. They deliver very refined, subtle sound, almost tube-like, and can push lots of power into low impedance loads (800 series do have _very_ low impedances). Highly recommended.

[dan87951]

The Classe CA-301 really opened up my N802's. I have heard things I have never heard before with this amp. Love it!

[NonSense]

Primare and Musical Fidelity both sit in that mid range.

[JKalman]

We know the Rotel, Classe, Krell, and McIntosh stuff are popular with
B&Ws with Rotel at the upper end of the mid range (or low end of the
high end range) and Classe, Krell, and McIntosh right in the high end
classification.

Question... whare are some other brands for amp and preamp that are
maybe not quite as expensive as Classe, Krell, and McIntosh, but a
definite step up from Rotel?

The likes of Arcam? Bryston?

I understand very well, it's not about price, but about what your
ears hear. But, just wanted some ideas tossed around so I can
investigate/research more. Right now, since I only know these few
brands, their websites are all I look at and their stuff are all I listen
to. I want to check out more brands and equipment to do more
shopping.

Thanks!!!

I have been running a 9B SST and like it. There are definitely great deals out there at certain price ranges, I think Rotel is one of those in its range, and I think Bryston is one in its range. With Bryston you get a lot of horsepower for the price, and it is very transparent and detailed. One dealer I know referred to it as a muscle car. Some people love muscle cars, some people like cars that are more sporty.

I am personally switching from Bryston to a more costly brand that I feel is a great deal even compared to stuff much higher in price, in case that makes my advice invalid to you. It is all relative to what you find pleasing with your equipment.

I did a demo with Arcam's FMJ CD33 at home for a few weeks but I didn't like it, but I'm not sure how I feel about their other equipment. I was comparing it with a Meridian G08 at the time. I ended up not getting either one and bought an Ayre C-5xe instead so I could play all formats on it. Arcam won awards from Hi-Fi Choice magazine this last year in its price bracket for amplifier and preamp combo so it is probably worth testing. I personally plan on replacing all my gear with Ayre equipment because I felt that for the price it blows most other gear on the market out of the water.

[sikoniko]

the Ayre cd player I heard was the cx-7e. it sounded very nice. Personally, I am using a jolida jd100 cd player and it is great for the price! I am also using nuforce ref9's to power my l/c/r speakers. I plan on biamping to get better imaging at lower volumes. as for pre, i think im 2 years off from buying a new one. im waiting for the hdmi 1.3 thing to get released...

[JKalman]

the Ayre cd player I heard was the cx-7e. it sounded very nice. Personally, I am using a jolida jd100 cd player and it is great for the price! I am also using nuforce ref9's to power my l/c/r speakers. I plan on biamping to get better imaging at lower volumes. as for pre, i think im 2 years off from buying a new one. im waiting for the hdmi 1.3 thing to get released...

Yeah, the Nuforce 9 is getting awards as well, from Absolute Sound magazine to name one. If you are looking for an extremely good price for an amp rated on par with Krell and the others you mentioned, that is a phenomenal deal, significantly cheaper than anything else in its quality range due to its being a digital amp. You can even test it out in your system for 30 days with a money back guarantee I think. I don't see how you can go wrong with that free trial... If worse comes to worse you can just return them. A pair of monoblockss costs around 2400 I think.

[JKalman]

Ah, Absolute Sound awarded it the power amp of the year award for 2005 no less.

[IntegrateMe]

Consider Anthem Statement, Halcro, and ADA/ATI as options.

[JKalman]

A pair of monoblockss costs around 2400 I think.

They are 150 watts/ch each, but you can bi-amp them if you need to and if your speakers can take advantage of biamping.

[tdiciple]

Aaaaaa, Anthem Statement D1 -> That's my next Pre..

[worldys]

Ran a pair of 803s with a BAT VK50SE (tube preamp) and a VK500 (solid state amp) and my B&W never sounded as good. The BAT combo beat my prior classe and krell stack. I am now experimenting with a BAT VK31SE and a Classe 301 amp.

[tboooe]

worldys...I would love to get your feedback on the vk31se...i am looking to upgrade my preamp to something that would give me a slightly warmer sound with better imaging, presentation, and soundstaging then my current preamp.

[ED K]

I have a pair of B&W 802Ds and I'm using a pair of Bryston 7B SSt monoblocks. I was using a mcintosh MC402 before going to the Brystons. I found for "my ears" the Brystons presented a MUCH better sounding two channel system. The Bass was fuller and the claritywas better than the 402.

[worldys]

tbooe

will let you know more in a week or two, bought a pair of 802s, would like to hear the bat and classe with the 802 since they should be more revealing than the 803s, my music opened up immediately when i went to the bat preamps, sound was so much more fluid and dynamic, much more playful on the ears, went back to a krell preamp briefly to make sure i wasn't just making it up because i spent so much money on the bat but the krell definitely sounded flat in comparison

s

[sikoniko]

They are 150 watts/ch each, but you can bi-amp them if you need to and if your speakers can take advantage of biamping.

The ref9's are 330W

Aaaaaa, Anthem Statement D1 -> That's my next Pre..

make sure you read more reviews on that one and listen for yourself. people that own them currently seem to like them, but a lot of people that have owned anthem think they sound very sterile.

Ran a pair of 803s with a BAT VK50SE (tube preamp) and a VK500 (solid state amp) and my B&W never sounded as good. The BAT combo beat my prior classe and krell stack. I am now experimenting with a BAT VK31SE and a Classe 301 amp.

nuforce just announced an SE version of their ref9 which they say sounds as good or better than the BAT. here is a quote from them:

Ref 9 SE MSRP is $2100 for rose copper color (available in one color only). Standard Ref 9 can be upgraded to SE for $750 if customer can tell the diff. If you have top of the line system (world class all around), then you'll find that the SE truly makes a different.
BAT's VK-600 charges 4 figures for the SE upgrade.
I will put Ref 9 SE against the top of the line BAT anytime. Bring it on.

[Angioguy]

Amps for 800's

When I decided to build a HT system around my audio setup, I had heard a lot of great things about Arcam. I did some research and read some incredible reviews. I listened to the AVR-300 AV receiver, and for its modest $2100 price tag, sounded pretty damn good to me on my DM-330's. Then I decided to upgrade to a pair of 803's and an HTM4S. Altogether, the 5 speakers sound very good on the Arcam. I love my AVR-300 for it's HT features, it's functionality and the preamp section. Just got a McIntosh MC402 for the 803's. The Mac uses the Arcam as a preamp, and the system now sounds incredible. I think it's a winning combination for someone who wants great sound without breaking the bank. Good luck! :T

[sikoniko]

I had been tossing around the possibility of getting the arcam avp700... i think they make great products.

[Miroku]

I had been tossing around the possibility of getting the arcam avp700... i think they make great products.

Did you choose something else? If so, what was it and why?
I am sooo close to buying an AVP700. I've already demoed one in my home and I loved it.

[RNKC]

I really love my Mark Levinson amp (model 432) with my N802. The downside with Levinson is that the quality control at their factory sucks - there is a possibility you might buy a product that almost immediately goes to the shop for service. Once it works though life can be very good.

Levinson is way at the high end of the price range but you can buy through audiogon at more reasonable prices. (Reasonable by our standards that is ...)

[sikoniko]

Did you choose something else? If so, what was it and why?
I am sooo close to buying an AVP700. I've already demoed one in my home and I loved it.

I decided to buy the AV9. I am saving up for it now.