Which Amp for new B&W 804 Diamonds

Recently heard the B&W 805 with Naim XS amp. Sounded terrific. I know one's a floorstander while the other is bookshelf but they should have similar tonal qualities.

EDIT - Sorry only just seen the 200 watts bit. You'll have to look in the Musical Fidelity M6i range. The figures are pretty similar but may deliver the wattage cleaner. It won't come cheap though. Whatever your short-list you'll need to dem.

Hi,

I  am using a Unison Research Unico Primo fed from an Audiolab Mdac with B&W Matrix 800's and the sound is great.

I prefer it to Classe(of which I auditioned a no. of amps), even though the Classe are much more powerful.

Thanks Plastic Penguin. Can I ask why you suggest the integrated route as I am currently using the MDAC as a preamp and keeping the power separate?

Thanks artist. I have read that the 804Ds are power hungry so in theory should not reach their full potential with your Unison Eesearch suggestion? Happy to have your thoughts and to also understand why you recommend the integrated route, when I currently use the MDAC as a preamp and keep the power separate.

The Classé amp is a smooth and detailed performer. It's not the most exciting listen but is very easy to live with. Build quality on the units I've seen has been really good. We use a Bryston 4B SST2 in our main room. It's neutral,  detailed and doesn't tend to hype up the music. They're different, but both will work well with your B&Ws. Both deserve a listen.

Yes, IMHO, when you get a certain price point with amplifiers (approx. 2-2.5k upwards) the gap between integrated and power amps is negligible. I've heard 10k systems made up of Caspian Monoblocs + pre with Wilson Benesch speakers, I've also heard hi-end Bryston integrated with the same speakers and same dealers, and can't really see why anyone would want to have extra boxes for very similar sound qualities.

This is my own interpretation....

Hope that helps.

Talk to any Classe dealer I would have thought - they usually carry B&W 800 series as well

One  that comes to mind being Acoustica in Chester, which has a couple of Classe units available ex-dem when I last looked (a 2300 and a 3200). Geoff is the owner, I met him about 30 years ago when we both used to hang around Bespoke Audio in Stockport - good old days! Other than that I have no connection with them at all, just happened to be looking at their website the other day.

I do think you are right to find the right amp though. I had a pair of Nautilus 802's that I used to drive with a 200 watt Meridian amp. Sounded very nice but I always thought it was capable of much more.

Happy hunting

Do you plan to listen at high volume levels?

The B&W's dip to 3ohm's, which might cause problems for some amps.I had a pair of N803's paired with a Krell Kav300iL(rated to 4ohms), and it would get scalding hot and blew its fuses when playing very loud. This wouldn't be a problem if you don't intend to recreate the local concert hall in your living room, but to get the best from the B&W's, i'd look for an amp stable @ 2ohms. A Krell FPB200 would be a nice choice if going second hand.

You could try an Electrocompaniet AW250R power amp .

It is a very high current  ( 100 amps ) 250 wpc stereo power amp that is stable down to 0.5 of an ohm and delivers 1100 w into 1 ohm .

  http://www.electrocompaniet.no/products/classic/poweramp/aw250r.html

http://www.luxurie.me/electrocompaniet-aw250r-two-channel-power-amplifie...

It retails for £4950 and will probably  last you a lifetime , sounds pretty good too

The easiest way to describe the sound it produces is a combination of the best parts of  Classé and Bryston plus a little extra .

You could also try the AW 180 or AW400 monoblocks  .

What is your budget and how is your room setup? 

(Dont forget the room factor to get the most out those lovely speakers)

Room is 5 x 3.5m and speakers and me roughly form an equilateral triangle about 3x3x3 , speakers are 15-20cm from wall, mounted on blue horizon spike shoes on a wooden floor - not sure if this is what you mean?  And budget is anywhere from £2-5k - from some of the comments here, some users feel that Amp potential can reach a ceiling, so I am happy to be guided by some of your personal experiences. Thanks!

I take it you like the sound of the B&W/Classé pairing?!

There is an interesting comparison here between a Classe pre/power and a cheap Sony AV amp into a pair of B&W 802Ds.  Before you go blowing thousands...  http://hddaudio.net/viewtopic.php?id=3848&p=6

Whoa!  Anyone have any opinions on this - I am sure you have