Decent Receiver for N804_HTM2 Home Theater

[deepH20]

Greetings:

I have a pair of N804's and a HTM2. I do not hav ea B&W budget, I just went a little impulsive and got these (but still at a very good price).

I need a receiver now. I am going to use the to watch movies on my FP. They are not for music per se.

Can someone recommend some decent (i.e not looking for audiophile stuff) receiver that will work well with these speakers? I had settled on a Denon 3805 which I'm about to test on Tweeters 30 day "rental" plan. It's loaded with features but a few posts didn't like their sound. I'd prefer to get something that's discounted some, don't mind used if necessary but can't watch for something on audiogon forever. NAD was a little pricy, didn't even consider ROtel. Thought about Marantz, same company as Denon but apparantly different sound and less features.

Thanks for any input/advise.
Scott

[sikoniko]

When you get to this level of b&W speakers, you really need to have some power to push them. Do you have a receiver now? if you do, I think you would be better off getting a seperate amp and buy a receiver down the road. I do not believe you will get enough power for the 804's with a receiver. They are very power hungry speakers.

[deepH20]

No, nothing yet. I haven't looked at any low end receivers. Well low-end is a relative term I suppose. The local B&W dealers say the Marantz rcvr's are fine for the job. FWIW, I don't plan on bringing down the house. Everything I've looked at has been in the 100-110wpc range. You think that's too low? They actually said these speakers are very efficient (e.g. dont' require a lot of power). No?

[BlazeMaster]

I have a Denon 2805 with my B&W 600s bookshelves right now, and I'm quite satisfied considering what I paid for them brand new. Since you have nothing at all right now, I think anything would be better than nothing. I bet those beautiful Naughty's are just teasing you right now, huh..LOL. Rotels also make some good receivers and they are good match for B&Ws, but definitly think about getting a separate amp in the near future to take some of the load off the receiver. Good luck.

[Miroku]

I would look into Marantz. I've used an SR7200 for quite a while with my CDM9 NTs (very similar to the N804). It sounded pretty good, but after upgrading to a Rotel RMB 1075 for the power the difference was noticeable.

The Marantz served as an excellent starting point though.

[deepH20]

The Marantz served as an excellent starting point though.

Thanks, will do. I'm not familiar with the 7200, any particular minimum wattage I should shoot for? I may try one from the Marantz Refurb authorized store. Worst case for the price of shipping I can "test" one to see if I like it better than the Denon.

Thanks for the help, Scott

[deepH20]

Since you have nothing at all right now, I think anything would be better than nothing. I bet those beautiful Naughty's are just teasing you right now, huh..LOL.

Ha! you got that right. I couldn't wait and went to borrow a 3805 to check out myself today. Damn thing took me 30 minutes to figure out how to setup with all my ins and outs but finally got sound and picture. By then too late to turn up; (kids)

[Mark_C.]

I would take 75 Rotel watts over 110 Denon or Yamaha watts any day. Marantz--maybe. The RSX-1056 would get you started on the way. You could always add an external two-channel amp later if you want more power for the 804s. I power my 804s with a 100 wpc Classe integrated. Unlike most on this board who are power-crazed, I agree with your salesman: the 804s are relatively efficient and can be driven easily with quality power. There's no law that says all Nautilus speakers must be driven with at least 200 watts per channel.

[Aussie Geoff]

Mark C,

Unlike most on this board who are power-crazed

Power-crazed - I've heard that term before but never really understood it...

I was always envious of the Stereophile reviewer of the B&W Nautilus 805s who found that they performed best on his 1000W Musical Fidelity Mono-Blocks! Really openned up the sound nicely apparently... I wonder what he used for the 804s?

Geoff

[sikoniko]

When I first got my 804's, all I had was a rotel 1055. From my experience, it was not enough power for the 804's. The receiver just didnt open the speakers up and made them sound very harsh even at moderate levels. it wasn't until I added the external amp that they opened up.

[JOY DIVISION]

That's true I tried to use my RSX-1056 with the N803 and it sounded funny, but acceptable, investing on speakers, you should at least invest on a good amp, heck I had my N803 in the box for a few months before I tried saving up for my Conrad-Johnsons amp/pre, my wife would look at me funny when I take em' out of the box and just looking at em' and pretending I had the hardware to power them, it's real fun though doing it that way and you reap the benefits after you get your gear or it makes a little workaholic out of you. 8O 8O Plus by doing this you could still do alot of research on each product and make a sound decision when you have enough money, well worth it for not upgrading for awhile not unless you hit the Lotto or something. :W :W

[Aussie Geoff]

Sikoniko,

The receiver just didnt open the speakers up and made them sound very harsh even at moderate levels. it wasn't until I added the external amp that they opened up.

I see that like me, you are another power-crazed contriibutor to "Club B&W Speakers"... :T

and JOY DIVISION,

I have to say that:

I tried to use my RSX-1056 with the N803 and it sounded funny, but acceptable, investing on speakers, you should at least invest on a good amp

Is getting up there near the power-crazed level... You'll need to watch out...

But is is a fine madness we have.... :righton:

Geoff

[gostan]

Thanks, will do. I'm not familiar with the 7200, any particular minimum wattage I should shoot for? I may try one from the Marantz Refurb authorized store. Worst case for the price of shipping I can "test" one to see if I like it better than the Denon.

Thanks for the help, Scott

My former Denon receiver did no justice to my former B&W 602's or CDM7NT's. The Rotel 1055 was a much better choice. I now use separate amplifiers to power my 803's, etc. and I would seriously advise you to consider going for some type of used amplifier-preamplifier combo on Audiogon (or at your local dealer). The 804's are far less efficient than the 803's. I would think that you could obtain a used Rotel 1066-1075 combo (or something similar) for a comparable price to a Marantz or Denon receiver. Even if you have to pay a few hundred dollars more, it is worth the investment and while you do not have to be Power-Crazed, you should consider being Power-Fullfilled.

[watchthewaves]

Scott,

If you're considering stereo amps, ever thought of pro audio stuff? Check out the Haflers (www.hafler.com). The P7000 or 9505 will give you plenty of clean power. And Haflers have a reputation for being musical. Don't know about any return policies though. You might want to enquire with them.

[jwakaruk]

Scott,

I would recommend getting a used reciever that has pre-amp outs. I'm sure there are some descent cheaper recievers out there (e-bay, audiogon) that have this feature. Then save up and get a good multi-channel amp down the road followed by a suitable pre-amp. I've used a few different recievers with my 804's and could never go back now that I use quality seperates. I believe that no matter what level reciever you get you will not be sastified long term so don't waste alot of money now. Just find a reciever that can do pre-amp duties latter and save up for a good amp.