Levinson 332 amp with the B&W Signature 800?

Walkingman:

I have the ML 39,38,332 and the B&W Nautilus 802's,and consider upgrading to the B&W Signature(or Nautilus) 800's two years later. I am largely satisfied with the 802's except a little unsatisfaction with their bass.

If you have had or listened to the B&W Signature(or Nautilus) 800's,I want to learn from your experience what sound came from them. What sound came from them from the viewpoint of treble,midrange,bass,timbre,tonal balance and musicality?

Having listened to the B&W Signature 800's with the Linn Climax Solo amplifier,the Accuphase C2900 preamplifier and the Linn CD 12 Cd player,someone said that they had sounded bright from the viewpoint of timbre. For this reason they say that the B&W Signature(or Nautilus) 800's are matched better with tube amplifiers than with solid state amplifiers. Is that true?

Thanks.

I don't find the 800's inherently bright, but they COULD be if used with the wrong combination of components. I have not heard the Accuphase piece, but I know that the Linn amps have a leaner "brighter" or "livelier" timbre or balance than, say the Levinson stack would have by a fair bit. I would not use these amps with the 800's. A Levinson, on the other hand, will have a beefier, less "bright " sound overall, and therefore is a much better match. I know B&W use Krell, Levinson and Rotel for most of their evaluations when designing their stuff. Tube stuff can work OK but can also lead to a "softer" high end and a somewhat softer or flabby bass, depending on what amp is used. You'd want to try it first. I hope this helps!

I am thinking of upgrading from the B&W Matrix 801s to the B&W Nautlis or Sig 800s. I have a Mark Levinson 380S preamp and 336 power amp and use Acoustiz Zen Matix Ref II cables as well as Transparent Ultra XL and AZ Hologram II Biwire speaker cable or Audioquest Volcano. Do you think this is a good combo? Different cables maybe?

Mark7767 ; I have a smaller room so I have the ML#383 driving B&W 803N's. I have found Cardas Golden Reference to be just fantastic. A perfect match by not only my ears but several friends that know my system. One is a reviewer that loaned me Nordost Valhallas for 2 weeks. I could not justify the price difference, but for what it's worth I prefered the Cardas. I'm not saying one is better than the other, it's just what I prefered. Peace and Good Listening, Pat.

Hi!
I have the B&W Sig.800(tiger eye) and Levinson preamp 380s,336 amp.The sound is great,but I am in the process of upgrading to the Levinson 33H to use with the B&W Sig.800,cuz I believed the sound will sound much more sweet.
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