Best Receiver to use w/ B&W C series speakers?

[arochorn]

Hello everyone;

I am looking for a sub to go with a B&W 5.1 setup (CM7 x2, CM1 x2, CMC). I have been hearing that the Rotel are not all that great since they are not future proof (HDMI 1.3), and that it's better to go with a different manufacturer for a receiver with these speakers.

I am a newbie to the audiophile arena, so I thought I would reach out and see what recommendations other B&W owners might have on this, or what receiver they are running with their B&W's. My preferences are for movie watching (90%), music (10%), and my area space is 12x16.

Thank you in advance for your time and feedback

[btf1980]

OK, first of all, there is no such thing as "future proof". You don't know what the future will bring.

I have the same speaker configuration and you will be doing your speakers great injustice by using just a receiver. The CM series are hard to drive. Go with seperates. I have the Rotel rsp 1069 and the rmb 1075 multi channel amp, and so far it sounds great. I personally don't think HDMI 1.3 is needed, but if you insist on the bells and whistles, you can get the Integra DTC 9.8 pre-pro for $1,600. Just add a decent power amp and you are good to go.

[arochorn]

Thank you

BTF1980;

Thank you for your reply, as it is very helpful since I am very new to the audiophile arena, but am looking to make a smart investment in all of my pieces so that I don't have to worry about upgrading in the immediate future.

It's funny that you mention the Rotel separates, as I was demoing the C series speakers with the EXACT two Rotel pieces that you have, and it sounded absolutely AMAZING! But, I initially budgeted around $1500-2000 for the receiver side of this project, but now I am thinking that I may need to just go ahead and go with the separates and spring for the extra $1000 (I will just tell my girlfriend that we are getting our office furniture from Staples instead of Crate and Barrel to compensate for the extra spending here!).

If I were to go with the Integra DTC 9.8 receiver, which amp(s) would you recommend pairing with it? Thanks again for your help.

[Ted]

Hello,

I also have the same front set-up, using a Rotel RSX-1057. I don't really think you "need" to have separates to drive the CM-series. Most likely, I will up grade to separates down the road and agree they will sound better, but I've never felt I "needed" them. As far as HDMI, I agree, I don't think this is a must, though other users do think so.

If separates are out of your price range, don't worry, the RSX-1057/58 should work very well for you too as a less expensive alternative. Good Luck!!

[Sounder]

As an option, check out emotiva. www.emotiva.com. I just got their separates, IPS-1 and MMC-1 for my B&W 9NT/CNT/SNT setup, and I'm very impressed. 150 wpc, high current, great sounding separates. Delivered, $2k. Plus, from the "future proof" standpoint, if you want to upgrade the processor later, you get a 40% discount. It's worth a look!

[Russ L]

Another option is to get a Rotel Receiver like the RSX-1057 for home theater and purchase an integrated amp for 2 channel listening. Make sure it has home theater pass through. Try the Moon i3 SE. You'll be amazed how this amp makes the CM7s sing. Try it head to head with Rotel seperates. Thats the upgrade I would choose.