Hi I've recently pulled the trigger on a set of B&W 603 S3's. Now for some power. I want to add either the NAD C272 to drive them or a Rotel 1080, 1075, or even the 1070. The 603's specs say max 150w. Does this rule out the 1080 which is 200x2w? The NAD hits the closest at 150w however want to ensure I am reading the specs right. Any input would be greatly appreicated.
Hi christain. You are gonna find a lot of enthusiastic bettors on both sides here. I, myself have been shopping Rotel(own) and B&W(maybe). Your choices of amps are quite good, as you are not going to underpower the 603's. The Rotel/B&W are distributed by the same group, as are the Nad and Psb speaker line. I heard the 703,s with 1080 and my 1072 cdp recently. Pre was Rotel 1068. A very good combination, for me.
It has been recommended to me(more than once) to go very high with amps and pre for the B&W. Bryston seems to be a very good rec. But remember, when shopping the amps(and pre), all power is not created equally. Your choices( and Bryston) will deliver as advertised, but realistically, how often are you going to open the power?
Big heavy power supplies will recover from big surges well, the Bryston can out-slew all but the best, with rates that Rotel can dream of.
Keep the options open, luckily, your 603's are common in good shops, so listening should be easy.
Where are you located? What did the shop offer when you purchased the B&W's?
Hey Nuck, thx for the advice. I'm located in Toronto so have a few options avail. Both brands have been suggested, I wasn't sure if I have a power cap e.g the 603's are rated to 150w and the rotel 1080 is 200w, vs the NAD which comes in at 150w. I dont want to blow anything up, but I also want as much amp as my new speakers can handle.
Hey chistain. Yeah, I shop TO as well. I wouldn't get too hung up on power ratings at all. You are dealing with good quality stuff already, the Bryston tip would mean a step up in bucks, but the entry level , like the SST2 would open a lot of power, regardless of wattage. It's the first watt that matters most.
Have you checked out preamps? That's where the money goes.
Christian, I have a Rotel RC 1070 Pre Amp and a Rotel RB 1070 power amp powering a Rotel RDV 1060 DVD/CD Player. The speakers I have are B&W 704's. To my very untrained ear, this sounds amazing.
Ian, how do you like the 1070? Do you miss tonal controls at all? Have you played a 'poor' disc? The Rotel setup might be what chistain is looking for, but the better setup(like yours) will expose a poor recording in a New York minute.
christian, I run the older 985 5x100 amp. This thing has never, ever let me down. I ran a car sub box with it @2 ohms and falling. Never got warm. And thats about 300wpc. I called Rotel(usa) and the guy laughed, says try 1ohm! Honest, lots of good stuff out there, but I don't see Rotel overcharging for anything.
I opened the amp in the spring for cleaning and inspection. The XO is large, of course, but the power caps are just stinkin' massive! As well, 10(ten) fuses, all 7amp, one for each leg of the 5 channels. Over built, over compensated and over done. Just about right. And cheap.