Amplifier for 705

[Shyamalan]

I'd like to buy a ht based on the b&w 804 but, by the moment, I cant afford it.
I was thinking about buying a pair of 705 to listen stereo music and, in the future, use them as rears with the 804.

Which stereo amplifier do you recomend me for the 705? My budget for the amplifier is, more or less, $1200.

Thank you very much.

[GregLett]

Rotel RB-1080 is a good candidate.

[george_k]

Sounds like a plan,

What will you do with your stereo amp after you move the 705's to act as rear channels?

Will you keep it and and buy a separate 3-ch amp for the fronts (assuming you go with a 5 channel system)?
-or-
Will you sell it and buy a 5-ch amp?

The reason I ask is because you might make a better (and less costly) decision if you think about your long-term goals for a bit before making a move.

I took the plunge and started building a 5.1 system without thinking things through...I got bit by the HT hype in early 2000. With the same money today I could build a higher quality 2.1 system, which would also make for a better stereo system. For me the Dolby Digital 2ch mix sounds good enough. Now, as things stand, it will cost me more to downgrade that to just keep what I have.

Bottom line is, I should have thought about it a little harder at first :-)

[crowland]

I kind of fell into the same trap with the rmb 1095. If I had it all to do over, I would have started things off with a really mean ch amp and then work out from there. With that in mind, how do you think the 1095 would perform in a bi-amp situation? Anybody out there tried it?

[george_k]

*edit* oops wrong thead

[Briz vegas]

Rotel does seem the obvious choice for 700 series.

Quad 909 should work well, maybe McCormack DNA125. A good secondhand amp is a smart way to start and will allow you to get the 804s sooner.

I'm keen to try my 705 rears with my new Conrad Johnson CA200 which is currently running my 804s. I may try that this weekend just for fun. Obviously from a $$$ perspective it is a mismatch but I have always though that the 705 needs a good quality amp and reviewers do this sort of thing all the time.

Just for fun I would try a tube amp with the 705 as well. Its all part of the process of educating yourself about your options before you buy.

[jjahshik32]

hehe ic that your getting the 705's for now as your main and thinking about the 804's later. I picked up a pair of 705's as my main yesterday and to me that is more than good enough as mains for the next few years. I will gladly upgrade later but I picked up a rather cheap integrated amp from ebay for 300 dollars, a rotel Ra-985bx(kind of old) but should do the job well for these. I love these 705's! I tested the 805 and the 705 and I thought that they were very close in sound quality and the 705 is the sweet spot for the money =D

[Shyamalan]

What will you do with your stereo amp after you move the 705's to act as rear channels?

Probably it's a better option buy a amplifier for ht now.
What do you think about the Denon AVR-4306?

[jjahshik32]

Why don't you do like I did and get the 705 for now and a cheaper amp and later use the 705 as rears and buy a nice amp later with the 804's

[Briz vegas]

Probably it's a better option buy a amplifier for ht now.
What do you think about the Denon AVR-4306?

Not sure about this as a solution. I had a 110w Marantz receiver with 705 at one point - fine for movies but not for music. Denon may be a better match.