McIntosh 402/B&W 803D Question

Thanks everyone for your comments/opinions. I do like my current amplifiers, and would step up to the VTL MB 450s except that the current retail price is too rich for my budget at the moment. I've received several recommendatations regarding the 402, especially when combined with the 803Ds. My only concern is the excess gain that can be the result of a tube pre and a SS amp combination. I did leave a message at McIntosh for technical advise.

I must say I agree with Brianmgrarcom on this one. I've listened to McIntosh running B&Ws and the bottom end do get soft. I'd go with something from Krell, Gamut or even Accuphase.

Good luck!

I have B&W Nautilus 803S's and they were rated as A- from Stereophile because of "a slight lack of bass". Have not heard the D's (but even with the the 3rd woofer) would think they are not the last word in bass extension for rock music. You have plenty of wattage/current so my advice is to stick with your VTL pre and amp to get the wonderful VTL house-sound the engineers built in and add one or two sub-woofers. Get subs that have EQ and seperate volume controls like you find in the Velodyne DD-series. Depending on the size of the room you might get away with using only one 10" (DD-10) sub. Seeing the bass frequency response on a monitor and dialing it into your room is truly an eye/ear opening experience. After that all you have to do is turn up the volume on the sub/s to get all you can take. BTW I love my McIntosh equipment so check out my system and remarks.

Yes. The Mac will drive the B&Ws EASILY

Try ARC and get ready to have your expectations blown away.
Even their little 55 watt tube integrated on the 803's is a knockout. Tons of bass, presence and crunch. That said, the new 200 watt solid state integrated from them will totally lift those speakers off the ground.