Which amplifier to drive B&W Nautilus 802?

I agree with Greg try many different amps, but I would definitely stick with Solid state.

1. Chord abbey Road studio uses them on their N801's
2. Krell Used KSA-250 or FPB series are plentiful
3. Mark Levinson Good deals can be had on 335 or 336.
4. Plinius 250's are out there
5. Electrocompaniet Not many of these out there but
they have an amp designed to drive B&W speakers.

I would carefully read and re-read the comments from all of the above posters. But once you get the amp you like, then concentrate on the rest of the components. Unfortunately, you cannot begin to understand what these Nautilus series speakers can do until you have top quality in the entire audio chain. I don't belive they are without flaw. But they can sound really crappy when not set up properly.

Also, if your budget is tight after the amp purchase, start to experiment with different cables to dial in the best sound for the gear you have at that time.

Let us know what amp you decided to buy.

The Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista Intergrated amp sounds fantastic with the 802s.

Bombaywalla gives some very good choices. I can simply share my experience with N803's; I had a Levinson No.383 and a BAT VK-200 powering them with ok results, at best. A switch to the Rowland Concentra II, more powerful btw, and this made a HUGE improvement in the performance. That said, I would obviously recommend JRG, but I believe the others Bombay lists also would be a good match.

I have had N802s for 4 years. I have tried several Krell amps with them. I have found, the more power to them, the better. If you can make bi-amping work, do it. If not, bi-wire them. I wish I could afford more power to them but I cannot. So, right now I run Krell fpb 300cx bi-wired.