Recommendations for Integrated Amp to go with B&W Speakers

[moonlightdrive21]

Hello.

My brother called seeking assistance with choosing an integrated amp and CD player to go with his B&W CM4 floor standing speakers. Here is his situation:

-Must be an integrated amp
-Wants to spend around $2000 on both the amp and CD player
-Currently has a Marantz SR4320 Receiver (80 watts) and CD5400, and wants better
-One of his complaints about his current electronics, is that they don't have good dynamiucs at low to moderate volumes
-Only listens to classical music

Can you guys please make recommendations?

Thanks!!
Dave

[ejuanpiman]

rotel rx-1052 i have it paired to my 705's with a mirage s8 sub, sounds awesome for my taste and is loud too, awesome soundstage

[scanido]

CHord makes some of the best in the world. Very Expensive though.

[Tommy]

For your budget I would suggest Arcam. They make one of the best integrates (in terms of price/performance) out there. They even has an all-in-one unit called the Solo. Very positive reviews for this machine all around.
If you have more money, you can't go wrong with Mcintosh integrates.

[bigburner]

Hi Dave,

Convince your brother that separates are a better solution than an integrated amp.

Based on the recommended power handling of the CM4 (50 - 150 watts into 8 ohms) I would suggest the following. Prices are USA list - which you will find in the Rotel club in this forum - so discounts are likely.

Rotel RC-1070 Remote control pre-amp with mm phono,12 v trigger $ 499
Rotel RB-1070 Two channel amplifier 130 watts x 2, 12 v trigger $ 699
Rotel RCD-1072 Single disc HDCD CD player, 12 v trigger $ 699
TOTAL $1,897 – leaving $103 to put towards interconnects

If you do a search of this forum you will find many members (including myself) who are satisfied B&W / Rotel users.

Nigel.

[Nick M]

I currently use Rotel separates, but after playing with some higher end integrated amps I no longer bash them. The above mentioned units from Arcam are certainly good pieces.

Recently though, I tried a Krell KAV-400xi integrated unit that was amazing. It's MSRP is $2499USD, but you could easily talk em down close to $2000 (20% off).

The Rotel stuff is definetly good for bang/buck ratio fer' sure (it's why I use it anyways). I use the RCD-1072 CD Player, RC-1070 Preamplifier, and RB-1080 200Wx2 Amplifier to drive a pair of large bookshelf units ('Digm S4's).

[Mark_C.]

From the used market at Audiogon, check out Classe CAP-101 or CAP-151, truly excellent integrateds. They are discontinued models now, and can be purchased from $600 to $1,000. The 101 is 100 wpc and the 151 is 150 watts per channel. Superb.

[Joey_V]

Definitely the Krell KAV400xi, used on the gon for $1500... cant beat that. You have balanced outs that can output to Stereophile's Class A+ Krell Standard SACD player... and voila!

Joey

[chuck1801]

Have to agree with the Krell KAV400xi recommendations. IMO the best use of your brother's money would be to the keep the Marantz CD5400 player, at least for now, ditch the receiver and get the Krell. It will make the Marantz CDP and the CM4s sound better than he thought possible, even at low to moderate volumes.

[moonlightdrive21]

Great info/suggestions guys!

Has anyone heard about the Creek Audio Destiny 5350 integrated amp? It lists for $2,395 and Stereophile loved it. Anyone compare it to the others listed in this thread?

Also, do you suspect the Rotel RCD-1072 CD player to be a very noticable step up compared to his existing Marantz CD5400 CD Player?

Thanks again!!!
Dave

[chuck1801]

If all he listens to is classical and he wants the best sound he should be looking at a SACD/CD player. A lot of the best new classical recordings are coming out on hybrid SACDs and then there are the terrific Living Stereo and Mercury Living Presence reissues on SACD. A very good SACD player like the new Marantz 8001 (under $1K) or a great SACD player like the universal Ayre C-5xe ($6K) would be worth the investment. I doubt there would be a big difference between the Rotel and the Marantz but have not heard either.

[SCULLY]

Krell 400xi and if you want SACD , get the Krell SACD and use the balance outputs . Krell comes to life using balanced interconnects .

[Joey_V]

Krell 400xi and if you want SACD , get the Krell SACD and use the balance outputs . Krell comes to life using balanced interconnects .

Cannot agree more.

[alebonau]

For under $2k US for amp and CD player I'd go integrated amp option. the arcam a90 integrated + the arcam CD73 CD player would be a nice pair. Alternatively try the Cambridge audio integrated and CD player. Other options on integrated amps are the cyrus 6 or the musical fidelity a3.5. All very nice sounding. Also as suggested consider second hand might be able to pick up some nice gear for the money and save a bit in the bargain.

[BTB]

-One of his complaints about his current electronics, is that they don't have good dynamiucs at low to moderate volumes

Test measurements of certain B&W models (for example the 704 or the new CM7 floorstander) refer to a "suck out" in frequency response plots around the "presence" zone... basically at the hand-over point between upper midrange and treble proper. This might lead to a speaker with a slightly laid back or recessive sound... in other words one that's not overtly "exciting" to listen to unless the volume is cranked up a bit.

Speaker manufacturers purposefully voice loudspeakers this way to avoid a "bright" sounding overall balance, given how sensitive human hearing is in this part of the audio band, even small differences here could have a big impact subjectively. If I had to guess, I'd say this might be part of your brother's problem... and would recommend that he also check out another pair of speakers as an option as well as some of the electronics upgrades already suggested (as an either/or type scenario), to see which one gives him more of what he is after.

That said, a really big amp behind those speakers (like 200w plus for a start) may lead to a more lively character at lower levels.

[moonlightdrive21]

Thanks everyone !

[beden1]

I'm running a Pioneer Elite 82 receiver (130 Watts X 7 channels) with 703 fronts and an ASW750 sub woofer. It sounds great and has a multitude of adjustments to keep it interesting. I replaced my high end components in favor of this receiver with the added benefits of 7.1, HDMI 1.2 and built in video processor. You can get one discounted on-line for about $850 (list is around $1,300).

And, I guarentee that 95% of the listeners would not audibly hear the difference!