Which amp should I use for my B&W Nautilus 805?

Vikvilkhu,
Do you regard 'revealing' as a bad feature for these speakers?

Thanks.
I would have to try Cary.
About Classe, is Cap 101 and 151 very different in sound?
Also, I am a little bit worried about the lower rating in audio review.com.
Thanks guys!

Well what you might consider revealing I might consider ruthlessly bright. If you were asking for my opinion on the tonal balance of the Nautilu sspeaker you have I woudl say it is a bot bright. *I* would prefer to match it with a smoother sounding integrated. Classe is pretty smiooth, but the Classe power amp was so smooth to be tasteless and kind of bland. I prefered the Rega integrated amp to it as long as you have a small room. Rega gear in general is well priced and since I feel your speakers like some juice maybe the Exxon monoblocks would be a good idea. I think you may need to go and do some audtioning. There is only so much info you can gather from these boards.
All the best,
Vik

Really depending on what kind of music you generally listen to. For pop/rock, A300 may be a better choice (especially for the money). For jazz/classical, Classe would be best. My buddy used to drive his N805 with the Classe CAP 151 with great results, until he upgraded to a Cary preamp/AR tube amp combo. If you want a lush and warm tube-like amp to balance the slightly bright N805, Classe would be a great choice. No comment on the Arcam since I've never auditioned it, but heard good things about it too.

For your price range, you can consider the following used integrated:
Solid State
- Musical Fidelity A300
- Musical Fidelity A3.2
- Classe CAP 151
- Creek 5350
- Primare I20

Then again, you may want to look into tube integrated too. I was on the same boat a couple months ago looking for a solid state integrated, but ended up getting a tube one. Check out the following:
- Conrad Johnson CAV-50
- Jolida 502B
- Manley Stingray
- VAC Avatar (slightly more expensive)

Happy Auditioning...

Steve

Great input Steve. I was just shopping for something to drive my 805's and our advice confirms my suspicions.

I'm on the road back to TUBE world again (not particularly fond of the ss stuff -- it's just not for my ears.

Jim.