802Ds new amp + pre-amp combo

[VictorHRS]

Hello there,

I'm a proud recent owner of 802Ds, what beautiful speakers they are. But they are also very demanding on their partnering eletronics and I feel that my Accuphase E-308 integrated amp is no longer up to task. I want to upgrade to separates, power amp first, and I have these options below here in my country:

Classé CA-M400 - U$18k/pair;
Accuphase P-7000 - U$15,8k;
Accuphase P-5000 - U$9,3k;
Halo JC-1 - U$9k/pair;
Mark Levinson 432 - U$11k;
Gamut M200 - U$15k/pair;
Krell FPB 350Mcx -

As you can see pricing for these luxury itens is quite high here in Brazil... which one would you choose and why, considering the price performance ratio and matching with the 802Ds?

Based on the amp I'll probably buy a pre-amp from the same brand.

Thanks! :T

Victor

[jim777]

Is the McIntosh MC501 500W mono available in your country? It would be another amp to consider.

[ShadowZA]

Congratulations on your new 802D's. Be prepared for a long and wonderful audio relationship with them. :T

Imho, the Classe' CA-M400's are the perfect partners to the 802D's. Some say that the Classe' sound is warm and mellow when compared to the brightness and punchiness of the Krell. Both amps are tops. The real test is to listen for yourself and then decide. You will be spending a lot of money on amplification and the listening test is really the only way to be truely sure as to your own personal preference.

I'm not familiar with Accuphase, Halo & Gamut ... but the one spec that you'll want in amplification is a doubling in power (watts) as resistence (ohms) halves.

Good luck with your choice

[VictorHRS]

Thanks for the replies!

I forgot to mention that there is one huge caveat, I won't be able to audition these amps in my system. But I have listened to products from these companies and I think I have some clue about their house sounds. The ones I'm more familiar with are Classé's CA-2200 with which I auditioned my 802Ds at my dealer's place and Accuphase which I own. I have previously owned a Halo A21 but the speakers at the time were Nautilus 803. The other amps will be bigger guessings...

Jim, I think McIntosh is available, but the company that distributes them in Brazil is small and not very trustable. But anyway I'll check their pricing.

I'm tending toward the Levinson 432, as it seems to be the best one cost performance wise.

And do you think about it?

[tboooe]

I am in your exact same position. I am currently considering the following:
Classe CAM400
Pass Labs X600.5
Parasound JC-1

All of these amps share the characteristic of being warm-ish and slightly laid back. If I was smart, I would probably go with the JC-1 as they are such a great bargain. I currently own the A21. But since I am a fool and just because I want to try something new, I will probably not get the JC-1.

[caleb]

Have you considered the Bryston Range is it available in your country - hell it's available here in the back side of the world!!!

My 7B SST does my new 800Ds proud.

[chuck1801]

I demoed the Classe CA-M400s with my 802Ds for over a week but bought the Classe CA-3200. The monoblocks were very good but the 3200 was so good that I could not justify the extra expense. So I have three 802Ds and the Classe 3200 for about the cost of 2 802Ds with the monoblocks. IMO a far better use of the money. Just amazing with multichannel SACDs and DVD-As as well as a great 2 channel system.

[earwit]

Congratulations on your 802d's purchase.

What I learned about the 802's is if you fully want to
bring out the most in the speaker, you need plenty of
wattage, a minimum of 350w per side.

Is Brazil under 110v, or 220v,

I would also suggest McIntosh, Classe, or Bryston, all wonderful amps
that work very well with the 802's.

To my ears:
Mcintosh - effortless, musical
Classe- Slighly more laid back
Bryston- More punch on the low end

[VictorHRS]

Thanks everyone for the replies! :T

tboooe, I can't get Pass's amps here in Brasil and I agree with you, JC-1s seem to be a great bargain, although I think they are not on the same league as the other amps.

caleb, although Brystons are great amps, specially your 7B-SSTs and its twin the 14B-SST, they are not reaaly what I'm looking for, as for me they don't posess the finesse of the Accuphase, Classé or the Mark Levinson. Thanks for the tip!

By the way, why hasn't anyone mentioned Mark Levinson? Have you had a chance to listen to the 432? Is the american distribution bad?

chuck1801, you took a very good decision money wise , I wonder if I should go the same way and go for a CA-2200, which sounds very fine with the 802Ds...

earwit, here we have both voltages, the main market is 110v (São Paulo), but my city is 220v. I was told that all amps sound better at 220v, but I haven't tested. As for McIntosh, I won't be able to get them, Brystons it's what I've said above and the Classé which seem to be the perfect match are too expensive here, even after my dealer gave me more discounts.

Accuphase, M Levinson anyone?

Thanks!

Victor

[tboooe]

I have heard both the accuphase and levinson. I found them both to be too laid back. They sounded VERY smooth but I prefer to be a bit more engaged in my music.

[Andrew M Ward]

I demoed the Classe CA-M400s with my 802Ds for over a week but bought the Classe CA-3200. The monoblocks were very good but the 3200 was so good that I could not justify the extra expense. So I have three 802Ds and the Classe 3200 for about the cost of 2 802Ds with the monoblocks. IMO a far better use of the money. Just amazing with multichannel SACDs and DVD-As as well as a great 2 channel system.

Chuck,
The 3200 is my favorite amplifier to play with... I have many different power amplifiers but I always seem to go back to the 3200...

You made a great choice (IMHO)

[Kal Rubinson]

Agreed. Same configuration here.

Kal

[Gump]

Wow. How can you top three recommendations like that? I'm convinced. 3200 it is! (for me)

[gerardhn]

Hello.

I drive the 802d's with classe. cdp 100, 500 preamp and 2200 end.
works fine.! preamp is top class. I dont know what M400 monoblocks would bring more than the 2200..., Never heard them.

[Hoffi]

Hello!
Had my 802D´s together with a pair of Classe´s CAM 350. Great combination!
Have them now with a Krell FPB 300cx. It sounds even better-but it´s personal taste...

[tboooe]

Wow...Classe really seems to be a popular pairing with the 802D. From my informal analysis, Classe and Mcintosh appear to be the most popular pairings on this board. Cant complain with either of those options.

[DeepEndX]

I think it's a matter of personal taste. I have auditioned Classe, Krell, Levinson and all three are great amps. The below is what my ears told me:

Classe CAM400: laid back, soft and controlled, airy, warm, and very enjoyable to the ears
Krell MCX 750: Strong punch at the bass and bright towards the treble, detailed, thick and warm, powerful
Levinson (forgot what model): Extremely detailed but the music has less emotions

I bought the krell.

RH

[Gump]

Wow...Classe really seems to be a popular pairing with the 802D. From my informal analysis, Classe and Mcintosh appear to be the most popular pairings on this board. Cant complain with either of those options.

Hey tboooe,

Didn't you have a Classe 3200 at one time? What ever happened there? Just curious...

[RebelMan]

I drive the 802d's with classe. cdp 100, 500 preamp and 2200 end.
works fine.! preamp is top class. I dont know what M400 monoblocks would bring more than the 2200..., Never heard them.

I have heard the Classe' CA-2200 and the CA-M400s driving a pair of 802D (and all else being equal) on separate but numerous occasions. The monos appeared to be very slightly more detailed but they seemed to have more noticeable control and were fuller sounding under low volumes.

The 802D didn't need to be pushed as hard to sound alive when they were driven with the CA-M400s. I find that speakers typically loose some body when driven at low volumes but this didn't seem to be quite as apparent with the CA-M400s driving the 802D as it was with the CA-2200.

I agree, the pre-amps, especially the CP-700, are top class.

[kurtholz]

Just to throw in one more Krell plug, i am very happy with my Krell HTS 5 channel, bi-amp my 802D's and use the 5th channel bi-wired for the center, it's amazing the difference when you take off the grill covers on the tweeters to, it's a free tweak.

even on my 805S's i use as surrounds, it really balances out the whole mid range and up

i use a Krell processor, and have it dialed in to my liking, i don't feel it is outwardly forward at all, ( seems like you read that a lot)

good luck

Kurt

[stewfoo]

Chuck,
The 3200 is my favorite amplifier to play with... I have many different power amplifiers but I always seem to go back to the 3200...

You made a great choice (IMHO)

I love my 3200 for my front stage. Until I make the move to 800D, I will stay put with mine.

Stew

[tboooe]

Hey tboooe,

Didn't you have a Classe 3200 at one time? What ever happened there? Just curious...

Gump, I wish! I still have my Parasound A21. I am slowly upgrading to Classe. I just bought the Cp-700 preamp. Next are the CAM-400's.

[VictorHRS]

tboooe, seems that we will go the same route.... I just had today a transcendental audio experience with 802Ds, CA-M400s and top Wadia electronics in an acoustically very good room. ;x(

It was just amazing!

I wont be able to hear the other amps, so I´m still a little undecided as the Classes cost 6k more than the Levinson 432...

Thanks everyone for the opinions! :T