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How do I power my 800D(3)s

Hi folks

I am new to this, but trying to learn fast!

I have long been a fan of Bowers and Wilkins and I am lucky enough to buy a brand new pair of 800D(3)'s.  I have recently built a new house, so now have enough space for this very special purchase, which I plan to make in the next month or so.

I want to run a two channel system in our living room so it's a pretty simple layout.  Can anybody give me some advice, so that I get the best out of the speakers.  Will a Pre-Amp, and an Amp be enough with a Streamer?  Do I need two amps?  

Can you also advise on the best brands to look at.  I see that B&W tends to show the speakers off in thier demo's with Classe?  Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

Matt
128x128matt_gf
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bo1972's avatar
bo1972
2,789 posts
 
You want the Truth?

I dare B&W to do a shootout between their 800D3 and the Monitor Audio Pl-500?

We will make a review of it. I can garantee you that this will not happen. B&W does not want people to know that their stage is a lot less deep and wide.

What is audio?....as it should be

Audio is all about shootout and what the real properties are. Customers will get a higher level of quality when audio becomes more open and honest.
jafant's avatar
jafant
19,618 posts
 
Welcome! Matt-

very nice speakers to compliment your new home.  There are many wise people here offering advice. I concur w/ the panel and working w/ your local dealer/retailer is sound.  Keep us posted on your progress and take your time selecting the gear, including cabling, for the B&W speakers.

PLease give a shout -out w/ dealers and retailers in correspondence on this project.  Happy Listening!
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 

I don’t think anyone here would disagree that one of the criteria for comparing speakers is their ability to create a realistic soundstage. I listen to a lot of live performances ranging from jazz trios to large orchestra and the first thing that catches my attention is the quality of the soundstage instead of quality of the recording, etc. I also admit that I know a number of folks, some with a lot more disposable income than me, that have spent large sums of money on super expensive audio components and had not even noticed or looked for soundstage until I pointed it out to them. They were simply enamored by the exceptional dynamics and detail coming out of speakers. I must think they "felt" the differences among the speakers at the time of purchase but didn’t specifically look for soundstage differences. So bottom line is people spend their money on what makes them happy and may look for different things in the same object. One friend bought a pair of Sonus Fabers - not sure about the model, but paid just under $20K, and he said they looked much nicer than any other speaker he saw - and touched, in that size. To each his own.

Edited: Asked my friend and he has the SF Elipsa model. Forgot to mention the McIntosh MC601/C2500 feeding the beasts. Most beautiful speaker I've personally ever seen close up and the system has an incredible ability to create eerily realistic soundstage, especially on live close miked recordings.

georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
matt_gf
How do I power my B&W 800D(3)s
You will need an amp the can deliver good current down to 2ohms with this sort of impedance and -phase angle in the lower regions. Think big Krell type amps with bi-polar (BJT) output stages, not mosfet or tube.

http://www.stereophile.com/images/616BW802fig1.jpg

Cheers George
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