Amplifier Recommendation for B&W Nautilis 804

Jeff,
I agree with Bombaywalla on Pass Labs amps. I had N802's and drove them with a Pass X250. It was a great match. I also had N804's prior to getting the N802's. I drove the N804's with a Krell FPB200 and a McCormack DNA2. I was never disappointed in the bass of these amps with the N804's, but the Pass X250/N802 combo was very special from top to bottom.

How 'bout just buying a new house with better acoustics? Cheaper than upgrades..? ;-)

A common complaint about the B&W 804 Nautilus is their lack of weight.

A solution to this is to have them sit on granites stands made by HNE. They cost around US$500 here in the UK but they make a huge difference to bass weight and overall integration of bass with the mids. Without the stands, I find the 804s lacking bass weight and its bass timing somewhat odd. I certainly think that these stands are essential for the 804Ns to sound good.

Compared to the N803, the N804's bass is loose and flabby. It's a problem inherent in the speaker -- even when it *is* properly amplified.
Before spending a lot of money on accessories, I would trade up to the N803's, which will always have more weight and more satisfying bass. Or, I would take a look at some Sonus Faber Grand Piano Homes, which,
IMO, sound better than N804's, cost a little less, and are a lot more efficient -- meaning -- it won't be nearly so hard to drive them.

I agree w/ many posters above. Get a good amp and put the speakers on spikes. Try checking out the Soundcare superspikes. These added more base response to my B&W CDM9's then the Odyssey Stratos amp did (150 w/ch). Plus adding a decent OFC speaker wire will help quite abit as well. I second the Krell recommendation above. This addition to my system added quite a bit of base control.
I got my superspikes at Spearitsound in Boston.

www.soundcare.no