B&W CM9's need much better power than a receiver. A separate high quality amplifier should be used with them. |
Would Marantz 8801 separates be adequate???? |
I agree with the above poster. The CM9's are very nice speakers but like most B&W's, have some pretty low impedence dips. Therefore, they will perform at their best when given plenty of high current power. The kind of power that very few AVR's can provide. Unfortunately that means your Yamaha RX1020 too - its power supply is simply too small to deliver the current that the B&W's will demand. There are those who will say your AVR will drive them. Sure, it will but you'll never hear the peak performance the CM9's are capable of and why pay 3K for a pair of speakers and not hear everything they are capable of.
I would be looking a high quality power amp for the CM9's too. I think the one you are asking about is the Marantz MM8077 because the AV8801 you mention is a pre/pro. While a huge step up from your Yamaha 1020, this power amp would not be high on my list for the CM9's. It has no rating into 4 Ohms and the CM9's will dip below this number from time to time. Also I found the following article interesting in the reveiwer actually thought his Anthem PVA7 has more balls than the Marantz. And the Anthem is rated at fewer watts per channel too. Its all about current delivery.
http://www.hometheater.com/content/marantz-av8801-surround-processor-amp-mm8077-amplifier
Don't get me wrong. I like Marantz, especially their Reference gear. I am just not impressed with what I am reading about this model. There a lot of other power amps at the same price as the Marantz you can choose from - Odyssey, Emotiva, Parasound, Anthem, NAD, Rotel, etc and I believe all of these list their specs into 4 ohms. These would be amplifiers you can trust to properly handle the CM9's. Good luck! |
Very good advice from Paraneer, and look closely at the last page of the Home Theater article (HT Labs Measures). Compare the measured power against published specs from Marantz. Also, high quality amps generally quote rated power with all channels driven, not just 2 channels like receivers. |
CAn you recommend some specic model numbers for the Odyssey, Emotiva, Parasound, Anthem, NAD, Rotel amps. I assume I need around 200 watts per channel. Do I need that power at two channel only or for all the channels in HT usage? |
Stay away from Adcom
http://app.audiogon.com/listings/solid-state-hafler-p3000-power-amp-2013-04-04-amplifiers-19403
http://app.audiogon.com/listings/solid-state-parasound-2125-great-condition-x-4-2013-04-14-amplifiers-75165-waxahachie-tx
http://app.audiogon.com/listings/solid-state-bryston-3b-amp-2013-03-25-amplifiers-17356
http://app.audiogon.com/listings/solid-state-acurus-200-x-3-modified-3-channel-200-watt-ch-amp-2013-04-05-amplifiers-27262-high-point-nc |
You probably don't even need 200 wpc but since we don't know how big your room is, we'll start here and work our way down.
Since you originally mentioned three channel amps, I will limit the discussion here. Some 3 channel amps to consider are:
Parasound A31, 250 wpc, $3000
Anthem MCA-30, 180 wpc, $2100
Odyssey Stratos HT-3, 150 wpc, $1550
Emotiva XPA-3, 200 wpc, $700
Any of the above will more than get the job done with your CM9's. Its just a matter of how much or how little you want to spend and the level of quality you want. Finally, with a 3 channel amp handling the critical front three speakers, this will leave your Yamaha RX1020 to act as the preamp/processor and also power your surrounds for HT usage. The Yamaha will be more than up to the task just handling surround information. Hope this helps - happy listening! |
Room size is 18'x 26' with 14' vaulted ceilings, lots of glass front and back, wood floors and half of one long side wall opens to kitchen. |
Thats a big room Bill. With a lot of highly reflective surfaces too.
If it was me, I would get the Parasound A31 at 250 wpc to drive the CM9's and Center. 3K and your done. Comes in Silver or Black. Keep your Yamaha RX1020 as your processor and also use it to drive the surrounds.
Then consider some room treatments or your going to have one very bright sounding system. And the amplifier you choose won't have anything to do with it. Good luck. |
What will be your mix of home theater/music? If your top priority is two channel music quality, you might want to consider a used McCormack power amp, possibly a DNA 1. Rated at 150wpc into 8ohms, but delivers a lot of current. I believe is also good down to 2 ohms.
This one would be really sweet, but is modified and may be more than you want to spend:
http://app.audiogon.com/listings/solid-state-mccormack-dna-1-deluxe-smc-gold-revision-2013-04-22-amplifiers-27617-raleigh-nc
Should you want more power for the center channel, you could always pick up an amp for that. |
For that kind of money, I prefer 3 monoblock amps, maybe Emotiva XPA-1 like mines or Wyred for Sound SX500 or SX1000. If you don't want to spend that much, the Emotiva XPA-3 is a great amp for HT. |
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hello bill, I just brought the rxa830 and it sings with energy rc-30s!!!!!! |
I have a Yamaha RX-V1073 (The Australian A1020 equivalent I'm led to believe) and have B&W 685's at the front, 686's to the rear and the HTM62 in the centre with no sub attached. They are connected with Audioquest Flx-Slip14/4. The front pair are Bi-amped and the remaining 3 speakers just have the cable doubled up.
I can honestly say I am not impressed with the sound. There is a lack of urgency in it's delivery and whilst the mid and high range clarity is reasonable I find the bass to be weak and uncontrolled. I used to drive the same set up with a Sony STR-DB930 which, believe it or not did a much better job. While the detail wasn't there in the same way, the delivery was considerably more exciting. Are there any tweaks I can make to my current setup that don't involve throwing too much money at it which will make a difference? |
