choice of classe amps with b&w for HT and subwoofer choices

[joe_s]

I am attempting to validate the adequacy / synergies of this amp / speaker mix. I have some of this equipment but am considering extensions and refinements i would make when I upgrade from a TV to projection unit.

Speakers......
Front L and R....B&W 802D's
Center HTM2D
Rear 803D's
Sides .....two per side .....total of four....SCMS

AMPs
Qty (2) CA5200 from Classe.....one channel not utilized....Split the L and R across amps.

Subwoofer.....either B&W 855 or 825 ?

Specific questions.....with a cross over of say 40 Hz to the subwoofer, will the CA5200's be adequate ?

Any general recommendation of 855 vs 825 ? Tradeoffs of i.e. one 855 vs two 825 or even potentially (2) 855's vs (4) 825's ?

Room is 26 x 17 with 9 foot ceilings. Possibly move to something bigger ....maybe 2X total volume....in the future.

Primary use is home theater, but some music.

Also, any opinons on ARCAM AV9 vs Classe SSP600 ?

Thanks.

[hifiguymi]

I think two CA-5200's will work great for that system.

Two ASW855's would be more than enough woofer for a room that size. We had 1 in a demo room here that is 24' x 18' and it was plenty for the system. It has 3 HTM1D's and 4 SCMS's for the rest of the speakers.

The one thing about your speaker layout though. The "side" speakers are actually the rear channels and the "rears" are the surround back channels. The rear channels get more of the information than the surround back channels. I usually don't recommend or sell better speakers for the surround back channels than the rears.

Eric

[joe_s]

Thank you. My room allows full size speakers in the rear of the room but not on the sides. Your comment makes me wonder if i should just use all scms though. My initial thoughts were to set this up as 5.1, but now think the side speakers will add something more.

Any experience with the 825 vs 855 for music and HT integration with the B&W speakers ?

Thank you again.

[yannparis]

Hi,

I use a Velodyne DD18 with my 802D/ DS8S 6.1 system.
DD18 offers equalisation ( frequency, Q, level !!) and filter fine tuning , including phase and delay.
This allows easier use.
It also offers lower THD than B&W's. thanks to bigger woofer surface and servo feed-back.
The sound is dynamic, clean and does not cover the lower bass of the 802D.

Regards

Yann

[jericho]

I think two CA-5200's will work great for that system.

Two ASW855's would be more than enough woofer for a room that size. We had 1 in a demo room here that is 24' x 18' and it was plenty for the system. It has 3 HTM1D's and 4 SCMS's for the rest of the speakers.

The one thing about your speaker layout though. The "side" speakers are actually the rear channels and the "rears" are the surround back channels. The rear channels get more of the information than the surround back channels. I usually don't recommend or sell better speakers for the surround back channels than the rears.

Eric

3 HTM1-d's???Are you using center speakers as front instead of 802 or 800???

[hifiguymi]

3 HTM1-d's???Are you using center speakers as front instead of 802 or 800???

Yes. For a theater system there is no better front sound stage than three identical speakers for the left, center, and right!! All three of them are at the same height with the same amplifiers running them. You cannot tell where the spaces between the speakers are, it sound like one continuous speaker. Listening to music is very good as well. The HTM1D is basically an 802D in a different shaped enclosure.

Eric

[hifiguymi]

Thank you. My room allows full size speakers in the rear of the room but not on the sides. Your comment makes me wonder if i should just use all scms though. My initial thoughts were to set this up as 5.1, but now think the side speakers will add something more.

Any experience with the 825 vs 855 for music and HT integration with the B&W speakers ?

Thank you again.

Both the ASW825 and the ASW855 work very well with B&W speakers for both music and movies. I personally like B&W subs quite a bit. The 800 Series woofers are very fast sounding without sounding dry. Quite a few people on this forum like Velodyne woofer but for me they sound too dry and analytical. Don't get me wrong, I like Velodyne woofers in some systems (I used to own one and sold them for a long time). I would recommend you listen to a couple of woofers and find one you like.

As for the differences between the two 800 Series woofers, the ASW855 can play louder and has more weight in the very bottom frequencies. Other than that, they sound very similar.

Eric

[Minardi2]

I had an 855 for about a month on loan from my B&W dealer and really liked it for music and found it pretty good with HT material. But when the JL Audio f113 came home for a demo, it bettered the 855 by a decent margin in HT usage, which is what I was primarily looking for. Musically, it didn't provide the rock solid foundation of the B&W, but it was good enough to live with.

I can't recommend the JL sub enough if you're looking for something that will knock your socks off for a HT application. It's immediate, goes low, moves a lot of air, and sounds fantastic. You may also want to consider two f112s to get better bass response.

My room is 12.5x22.5x8 with a cathedral ceiling. Plus the room opens up to the kitchen just to give you a comparison to your room. Speakers are 803S left and right, an HTM7 (which will be replaced by an HTM3S in a few months), and DS7s for the surrounds.