B&W N800 with Powerful Cayin Tubes?

[grefyn]

Dear All,
I have a local dealer offering a nice price a pair of Cayin 800mk second hand, which are tubes, but rated at 150w at 8 ohm.
I am tempted but I know B&W in general swing a lot in terms of impedance.
However, these amplifiers are quite unusually powerful for affordable tube amps (cost new a bit below 8000 EUR).
So I wonder whether the rule still applies: better go with very powerful SS technology, or whether, at first sight (based on the power and leaving other compatibility issues aside, which I should hear myself), these Cayin could handle the N800?
Thanks a lot in advance for your answers!!
Greg

[wkhanna]

You know what I would like to know?
I would like to know just who is it that goes around making up these 'rules'.
Who gave them the authority?
Are they ‘certified’?
Do they have to pass a test?
Who makes the test?
Oh, wait……it is my phone.........hold on a second………

Ok, I just got a call from a guy who works at the ‘rules’ office. Apparently there has been a change to the regulations. Anyone with an email account is now considered an ‘expert’ with unrestricted liberty to earnestly regurgitate misleading & fetid platitude randomly & at will.

Now......where was I?
ehhh, never mind.......

IMHO, the B&W’s are a fine speaker to take advantage of all that the wonderful world of relatively high-power vacuum tubes has to offer.
As always, JMHO, YMMV

[Briz vegas]

Yes wkhanna, you should always be punctual.

If you have a local dealer with second hand expensive amps that they are keen to sell, and you are a serious buyer, then I would have though that you could request a home demo. If you are new to the dealer you may be required to pay a small fee for this service. If you are a regular you would hope he would be happy for you to borrow the amps, my dealer does that all the time although he has a good strike rate with me (I buy too much stuff).

That way you can tell us whether these clearly powerful tube amps are capable of optimally driving the N800 (you lucky so-n-so, wish I had N800s).

I have heard what I seem to recall were the Audio Reseach 200w monoblock tube amps driving Vivid K1s with no problems at all. At the end of the day it comes down to whether they like each other and have a good synergy, and that means you have to spend a little time with them. To be fair to the system you will need to have a good chain in place from whoa to go. No good complaining that the amps are not up to it if the source is a ipod dock and the room is all hard reflective surfaces, you have to give the gear a fair chance (this may be stating the obvious if you are a long term sufferer of audio-nervosa).

Experiment, then you become the expert.

[Alaric]

I heard a pair of B & W 801's driven by some elderly MFA monoblocks (bi-amped w/four 250 watt monoblocks) and they had no problem with the speakers. I would think tubes would be fine per se , but like briz stated , check them out. Synergy is generally more relevant than energy. :T

[wkhanna]

Some ‘experimentation’ in progress at our local shop:









And at home:

[madmac]

Ok....that's a lot of vacuum tubes!!. Hehehe!!

[PewterTA]

Bill... I think my 802Ds need to see some of what Tom has at his shop!!!!!

When did you go down and WHY was I not invited?!?!!?

I know the Silver seven pictures are older...but what about the others...did you just go down there?!

[wkhanna]

Oh, do not panic. You know I do not leave home without my set of 'golden ears' (yours). :W

The red units are Bob Carver's new VTA 305M Black Beauty's. The same ones we heard a while ago that Tom has in stock.
I downloaded the pics from the shop web site.
Copyright...Shmopyright!

link to Vintage Hi-Fi of Pittsburgh photos

[PewterTA]

I think you can make it up to me by getting me a set of silver sevens.

[grefyn]

question on Cayin-B&W N800

Hey guys, thanks for your feedback, very much appreciated.
I love the fact that it went out of hand with these out of this world pictures of tupe experiments. How fantastic was that!!
Greg

[wkhanna]

You are V welcome.

My apologies if you feel my behavior was beyond acceptable limit. :W

AFA the photos…….. not necessarily ‘out of this world’, just a world not familiar to some.