MarantzMA6100 for B&W 805s?

[caleb]

I am currently using 5 x MA6100 monoblocks to drive my wife's setup of 4 x B&W 805s with (old) HTM3 centre, and Servo15 sub.

Sound is lacking something.

Without going overboard, and massive spends - what are your thoughts?

Do I need a more powerful amp setup?

[Karma]

HI caleb,
Could you fill me in on the power specs on the MA6100 amps? I don't know what they are. Then maybe an answer is possible. I also have 805S's.

Other things like room size, room configuration, room treatment, and how loud you prefer to listen are all relevent. Do you have a sub(s) and what is the crossover frequency? Is this primarily a music or HT system? What are your expectations? Why are you not happy? Be specific.

If you want good info, don't make us guess. You are just wasting our time. This type of general question makes me nuts.

Sparky

[caleb]

Hmmm - didn't mean to rattle anyone's cage here ! !

Amps are 125 watts nominal into 8 Ohms - THX certified.

We watch DVDs on our system and - yes - we do like a bit of volume!

The sub is placed in the fromt between the right speaker and the rack containing ht equipment / Plasma.

Room size about 6 metres x 5 metres little soft furnishings.

Oh by the way Sparky - I am wearing a blue suit with white shirt, black shoes and a dark tie - hope this helps you you bombastic git ! !

[Karma]

HI caleb,
Now, now, now. Are we being a little touchy? Don't worry. I didn't think you were trying to rattle anyone's cage. I just thought that you were asking a question in a way that made it impossible to answer. That being the case, why bother to ask in the first place? I just wanted to make that point. It does make me nuts. Sorry.

You still have not said what the problem is. The reason I asked about your subs crossover frequency is if it not adjusted properly it can result in a hole in the mid bass range. Remember, the 805S only goes down to about 50Hz. How do you feel about your subwoofer integration? Of course, since you have not told us what the problem is, I am guessing.

I do know that the 805S is rated at 125W. I have 250W/channel driving mine and I never feel that power is lacking. 250W is probably overkill. If I wanted Krell amplification in a multichannel setup, I had no choice. Someday I'll probably smoke my speakers.

Sparky

[caleb]

I have rolled off the 805s at 80Hz, and the sub integrates very well at that frequency.

Doing a frequency /dB trace from 250Hz down to 40 Hz does not show any alarming peaks or troughs.

I got a call from Pieter Thursday who has seen my romm and setup and he feels that the speakers are just not big enough for the room.

This is my wife's setup downstairs, and the room is completely open plan into the dining room and entrance hall.

I think this may be the problem, we are just not getting any "oomph" (sorry for the technical jargon! !).

I am changing my 802s in my upstairs theatre for a set of 800Ds, and instead of trading these in - I will put then into the fronts of my wife's system and put a decent amp to drive them.

The two 805s spare I will probable use for the backs and make it into a 7.1 syatem.

Thanks Sparkey - you made my brain work ( not well used these days).
RGDS

[Karma]

HI caleb,
Yes, I agree that room size may be your problem. The bedroom where my 805S's are installed is much smaller measuring 12ft wide, 15ft long and 8ft high. In this case the 805S's perform beautifully. I run them full range and my dual ASW800's are crossed over at 45Hz both for HT and music. Integration is wonderful but I'm still playing with it. Recently I installed the foam plugs (again) to see if the crossover region can be further smoothed. No final conclusions yet.

We have had similar discussions here before. Room size always seems to be the sticking point. Folks tend to put the 805S's down but further discussion leads to the room size issue. In a large room (people must think I sleep in an auditorium) I agree the 805S is out of its league. But in a small room, the size the speakers are designed for, the floorstanders are out of their league and the 805S wins, IMO. They are very impressive speakers when used as their designers intended. They justify high end amplification and good subs which are in action full time in my setup.

Boy, it sounds like you have some nice systems.

Sparky