B&W 803D what amp for
|
Bronze Member Username: Hoanghai2kMelbourne, VIC Australia Post Number: 14 Registered: Oct-05 | hi guy, need some help with those 803D, which amp go for. i listen jazz, vocal, pop, and some nature sound... thanks and how it compare to Sonus Faber Cremona thanks guys |
|
Bronze Member Username: RavbainsMelbourneAustralia Post Number: 41 Registered: Mar-06 | Hi Hoanghai, wow 803D, those are some serious speakers!!! You will need some good help from a dealership, to guide you and let you listen to various amplifiers. If I was in your enviable position, I know the first amplifier I would listen to, to partner with your diamond tweeter B&Ws would be the delta series pre and power amps from the Canadian manufacturer Classe. http://www.classeaudio.com/delta/index.htm From past listening to previous series of Classe, I found the amplifiers very even handed, and not favouring any particular type of music. I have not listened to the new diamond tweetered B&W Nautilus models. But in the past when I lived in the UK I heard, B&W 800 with Linn Sondek CDP and naim amplification (sounded awful, what was the dealer thinking!!). I also heard another Nautilus (801 I think), with Krell CDP/pre-amp, and a Krell FPB-400cx amplifier. This sounded very nice to my ears, I think B&W and Naim is not a good match. I don't mean to say B&Ws are bad, I just dont understand the dealer in London, who matched a Nautilus with a Naim amp. I would describe the B&W Nautilus series as neutral and analytical sounding, hence that's why I guess many Nautilus speakers perform duties as monitors in many studio control rooms (including most notably Abbey Rd). I have listened to a few Sonus speakers in the past. Some very expensive ones, whose name I forget, and also the small mini-monitors. I found Sonus to have a beguiling mid-range that I found to be a rose tinted view of reality, and it did not suit all types of music. Also I found compared to B&W Nautilus, the Sonus speakers I listened to suffered from dynamic compression at very high levels. In comparison B&W Nautilus range does have this problem and seems to thrive at high sound pressure levels. These are purely my subjective impressions, do not take anything I say too seriously. Since we all hear things differently. I see that you are in Melbourne like me. I would recommend you talk to someone like George Secher, the owner of Secher Audio dealership. Since I found George to be friendly and patient. Another range of amps you may want to listen to is the Canadian Sim Audio range, which are available at Carlton Audio Visual, but they dont have any B&Ws there. Also you may want to talk to the folks at Tivoli Audio, since they are the B&W people in Melbourne (but I dont find them to be so good). cheers Rav |
|
Gold Member Username: Project6Post Number: 7588 Registered: Dec-03 | If you have acces to the B&W and the Cremona, you really need to listen for yourself and decide. I have the Cremona but I have not compared it the the B&W, but I am guessing they would sound different. So far, they are the best speakers I have yet owned. It is up to your ears on which you would prefer. |
|
Bronze Member Username: RavbainsMelbourneAustralia Post Number: 42 Registered: Mar-06 | Hi, just one extra point from me, in replying I kind of assumed that you already had the 803D's, but I guess not. As Berny says, you need to listen for yourself, that is why I mentioned the importance of a good dealer. But I think that you will find that Sonus, and B&W are opposite ends of the spectrum. You may find that Acoustic Research, or Mcintosh amps are a good match for the Sonus speakers. BTW Secher Audio in Melbourne, stocks the Mcintosh range of amps. cheers Rav |
|
Silver Member Username: HawkHighlands Ranch, CO USA Post Number: 842 Registered: Dec-03 | Hoanghai: NIce speakers, but I must say I am a bit confused. Are you asking because you own the 803Ds or are you considering both them and the SF Cremonas? Either way, you will get quality sound with a good amp. For the 803Ds, I think you need a big amp. Now the 803Ds are a pretty efficient speaker (90 db), which tells you that you can get the speaker started with modest power, yet that unit has three bass drivers (in addition to the tweeter and 6" cone midrange), so mechanically speaking, you need some serious current to get them to open up and present its best soundstage. At least 100 wpc, and that needs to be a real 100 wpc, not a japanese mass brand receiver (we are talking current here, not "power"). Rav's suggestion of MacIntosh is a very good one. Macs produce a lot of current, exactly what you need. Krell, Parasound Halo, or Bryston would also do a very nice job for those speakers. I don't know what might be available "down under" so I am just throwing out names of amps I know would work well. It is unlikely you will find anything less than a seperate amp that would be worthy of those speakers (except a Mac--the Mac integrated or receiver is good enough, IMO). I wish I could comment on the Cremonas, but I haven't taken the time to listen to them yet--my local SF dealer has been bugging me about it, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Maybe I will now . . . |
|
Bronze Member Username: Hoanghai2kMelbourne, VIC Australia Post Number: 15 Registered: Oct-05 | i have not own them yet. but will be soon when some money return from friend. but as i said i want to have good detail speaker, i love to listen to jazz, classiccal, vocal, and dont want too much bass ( as some people said about the bass from B&W). i have listened to both of them, but they match with differ type of amp. im so confusing for now. anyway, love to hear your comment. then i will have more and more option about those 2 |
|
Bronze Member Username: RavbainsMelbourneAustralia Post Number: 48 Registered: Mar-06 | Hi Hoanghai, you can read all the message boards you like, but it won't help you. You really need to find a good dealer, since speakers like 803D and SF Cremona cost a lot of money, especially in Australia. I did a image search on Google for the Cremona. This confirmed to me that I have listened to the SF Cremona when I lived in the UK. I heard the Cremona with a Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista amp and SACD player. It was a good match, sonically and electrically. I heard this speaker at the AudioVenue dealership in Maidenhead Berkshire, UK. (It is a digression, but I ended up listening to the Cremona by default, I was really at the dealership to listen to the Tri-Vista amp, but the SF Cremona was the only speaker that dealer had that I found at least okay.) I listen mostly to rock, but for me the SF Cremona is not a good rock speaker. It did not have the visceral dynamics needed for a good rock speaker. I would use the SF Cremona for classical, opera and jazz. I think it will suit your taste in music well i.e. jazz classical vocal. But to answer your question. B&W 803D -goes well with high quality solid state amps with a good damping factor, eg Classe, Krell, and Simaudio. The Sonus Faber Cremona, for me is a speaker with a definite 'sonic signature'. It will mate well with McIntosh amps. Also I can personally vouch for the fact that the Musical Fidelity hybrid amps go well with the Cremona e.g. Nu-Vista, Tri-Vista and the new KW mu-vista integrated series. But you really need to find a good dealer, take your favorite music, and trust your own ears. very best of luck, Rav |
|
Bronze Member Username: RavbainsMelbourneAustralia Post Number: 49 Registered: Mar-06 | Hi, I just want to add that I listened to all this high-end gear back in 2003, before our baby was born. Since before parent-hood beckoning I was planning a high end system. Now things are different, I have a lot of joy from the little one, but a fairly modest system. These days if I need a sonic upgrade, I make use of 1) the manufacturers service manual/schematics 2) a soldering iron and 3) a web-etailer like Digikey for the parts I need. -c'est la vie, mon ami Rav |
|
Bronze Member Username: RavbainsMelbourneAustralia Post Number: 50 Registered: Mar-06 | Hawk, here in Melbourne we have: Krell, Classe, SimAudio, Bryston, and McIntosh, all at various different dealerships. No, one stop shops here!! Of the brands you mentioned, the only one I am un-sure about is Parasound, I can't say for sure if this is readily available in Melbourne. ciao Rav |
|
Gold Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 1323 Registered: Sep-04 | Personally I think Naim and B&W are a good combination provided they're matched appropriately. You would need near top-end Naim for the system to work well so CDS3/252/300 as a minimum. B&W themselves would probably recommend the Canadian brand Classe', with which they have close commercial links. I've heard 801s on the end of a Classe' Omega system and it was good. Regards, Frank. |
|
Bronze Member Username: RavbainsMelbourneAustralia Post Number: 51 Registered: Mar-06 | Hi Frank, I have read a lot of magazines, notably HiFi+ using current Naim amps (e.g. NAC552/NAP500) to power B&W Nautilii speakers. I am sure it must be a good match. I imagine that a current model NAP300 upwards with a good B&W would be an awesome combination. But having listened only to the modest Naim '5' series, I would say my impression is today's Naim amps are more compatible than in the past when it was Linn/Naim, or Naim/Naim all the way. Sorry I was a bit vague, the stuff I heard was B&W 800, with Linn Sondek CD12, with various high end Naim 'boxes', and various PSUs from the older olive series. Sorry I don't recall the Naim amps (I was 'off' the magazines at the time, so my trainspotting skills were below par at the time.) But I do recall that it sounded horrendous (harsh and transistory!!). It was a salutory reminder to me that when it comes to putting hifi systems together, throwing money at the problem does not always arrive at a good solution. My comments were limited only to the combination of equipment I heard. Again it stresses to me the importance of a good dealer, or a customer with a lot of good judgement and experience with a lot of different equipment. the very best of regards Rav |
|
New member Username: Ben_dissPost Number: 4 Registered: Mar-06 | I listened to B&W 802D's with NAIM equipment in a shop in NYC and it was aweful. I couldn't believe this shop paired the two. I later listened to 802D's at a different shop using a low power tube amp and it was beautiful. Not enough power from the tube setup, but it was great sound. |
|
Gold Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 1325 Registered: Sep-04 | Which just goes to show how important it is to set things up properly. I've heard both good and bad Naim systems in my time. The latter have usually been down to setup issues such as not using their own cabling, using some kind of mains failter (kills Naim systems) or some such solution. That said, there have been times when I've setup a Naim system myself and it just sounded 'off'. Generally though, it's a great solution. The other thing to bear in mind is that I may simply like the Naim presentation and you may simply prefer a different presentation. The Naim presentation is fairly warts and all. It doesn't flatter performances but then it doesn't hold them back either. It's relatively lean sounding since it doesn't emphasise bass and some people dislike this, or find it unnerving. I wasn't trying to be combative in my earlier post. I was just hoping to provide an alternative view. As to HiFi+, Paul Messenger (the 552/500 user) has used naim equipment for many many years. He tends to test big speakers such as the B&W 800-series, Focal Utopias, JBL K2 S9800. Big speakers are his bag. He rarely changes his system though so he's a bit biassed toward the Naim sound methinks. Oddly enough he uses an Isotek Titan mains conditioner which I have tried and believe kills the life of the system! No accounting for taste.  Regards, Frank. |
|
Bronze Member Username: RavbainsMelbourneAustralia Post Number: 54 Registered: Mar-06 | Hi Frank, got to agree with you on the mains conditioning side of things. I only have limited experience of these devices, but have never liked them when used with an amplifier, the dynamics sound like someone heavy has sat on the amplifer. cheers Rav |
|
Gold Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 1328 Registered: Sep-04 | Yup - exactly my experience! Regards, Frank. |
Main Forums
Today's Posts- Home Audio Forum
- A/V Receivers Forum
- Amps Forum
- Cassette Forum
- CD Players Forum
- CD Recorders Forum
- DAC & Transports Forum
- DVD-Audio & SACD Forum
- Equalizers Forum
- Integrated Amps Forum
- iPod Docks Forum
- MiniDisc Forum
- Mini Systems Forum
- Digital Music Systems Forum
- Phono Forum
- Preamps Forum
- Speakers Forum
- Subwoofers Forum
- Tuners Forum
- Home Video Forum
- Home Theater Forum
- Car Audio Forum
- Accessories Forum
- All Forum Topics