RB 1090 vs. RB 1080 with BW703

[b&w fan]

I am now at the point of making the decision concerning the power to drive my B&W 703 (and also a pair of CDM1NT). I am going to use them only for music and the dilema is:

Should I buy the RB 1080 (as recommended by my dealer) or the RB 1090?.

Besides the obvious differences in power, will I perceive a clear difference in sound quality? Is it worth to go for the RB 1090 with my 703?. My dealer says it would be just too much ..., what do you think?.

Unfortunately I dont have the luxury of auditioning them before making the decision.

[bowlman]

b&w fan
I also have the 703s and powered them with a denon 3803 110watts it sounded good.I hooked up a parasound 2125amp 125watts sounded better,the1080 has plenty of power,200watts.It should sound nice with the added power.The 1090 at 400 watts might be overkill..Buy the amp that runs cool and has the best power supply & components,that is your best sounding amp. [Just my opinion]

[Aussie Geoff]

Hi,

I have had both the RB-1080 and RB-1090 in my house for an extended period to compare. IMO driving real real world speaker loads like the B&Ws the 1090 sounds better even at moderate volumes. This is probably becuase rge RB-1090 operates in "class A" mode for much more of its power range than rhe RB-1080 so (if you believe class A sounds better) it would explain the extra clarity and sweetness that I found...

Regards

Geoff

[DL86]

My recommendation: RB-1090
I have both the 1080 and 1090 and the 1090 provides more information to the listener. If you have the budget for a 1090 go for it. I guarantee you won't regret it. Also the extended bass response I got from my studio 100's with the 1090 is nice. Overall a more involving listening experience from the 1090.

Cheers, David

[grit]

Well, for what it's worth, I ran 703's off a 1075 amp for a year, and never felt they were lacking. Not disagreeing with the idea that you can get MORE out of the 1080 or 1090, just dont think you'll be disappointed with the 1080.

That being said, the 1090's are said to be in scarce supply, and are expected to have a great resale value because of it.