your room and listneing levels should give you an idea on your power needs.... However, generally speaking, having BW about, think of power, as your friend. your best friend.
Certainly speakers need power. BW speakers do well with a lot of it, I've had 5 sets.
I don't feel it necessary to stay 'same - same' with processor & amp either. With speakers, that approach works indeed, across the front 3, with rears & surrounds, mattering much less.
Assuming here you have a processor - AV multi ch preamp, or receiver on hand and further, it has main pre outputs, DEFINITELY adding an amp is IME a necessity with BW.
As to how many channels? you pick. Flavor? Again, that's on you too. Figure EVERY ch in the amp will drive one speaker and the proc will drive the powered sub. Simple.
I'd look for a smooth top end in whichever amp first. Secondly, 200 wpc or so, or in that area. I'd bet the ATI 2505, or one of the newer 1805, or 2005, ATI amps would be a good match.
Another thought too is your note on using your existing gear/space for 2 ch. audio. Perhaps TWO amps would be a better approach. One for center surrounds and rears and one for the main 803s. This would be my choice at some point if not initially. Naturally, for a more cohesive sound field, the optimum fix is same speakers all around, and the same flavor power all about too. ?? Well, it is a goal, but not always done 100%. Truth be told you can do pretty well with some compromises to that theme too.
Try also to minimize other diffs too if a pair of amps is sought out... like interconnects and power cables & speaker wires.
I went your route somewhat but in reverse. Adding a two ch amp first. Then, felt for myself, a multi ch amp would be best and as above, more congruent given my speaks are closely mated all around. My current 5 ch amp however will only drive 3 ch of my system, L, C, & R, WITH the initial SS amp driving my rears in a 5.1 affair.
Why? Two reasons... it has a better sonic thumbprint than the Odyssey Stratos Plus +, and it allows for more coherence in the important area. A third aspect is that with many multi ch amps, and mine in particular, using less of the ch at one time allows for a higher power output across fewer channels.
What about the other two ch of the 5 ch amp? I really am not sure how I'll use them.
Good luck.
Certainly speakers need power. BW speakers do well with a lot of it, I've had 5 sets.
I don't feel it necessary to stay 'same - same' with processor & amp either. With speakers, that approach works indeed, across the front 3, with rears & surrounds, mattering much less.
Assuming here you have a processor - AV multi ch preamp, or receiver on hand and further, it has main pre outputs, DEFINITELY adding an amp is IME a necessity with BW.
As to how many channels? you pick. Flavor? Again, that's on you too. Figure EVERY ch in the amp will drive one speaker and the proc will drive the powered sub. Simple.
I'd look for a smooth top end in whichever amp first. Secondly, 200 wpc or so, or in that area. I'd bet the ATI 2505, or one of the newer 1805, or 2005, ATI amps would be a good match.
Another thought too is your note on using your existing gear/space for 2 ch. audio. Perhaps TWO amps would be a better approach. One for center surrounds and rears and one for the main 803s. This would be my choice at some point if not initially. Naturally, for a more cohesive sound field, the optimum fix is same speakers all around, and the same flavor power all about too. ?? Well, it is a goal, but not always done 100%. Truth be told you can do pretty well with some compromises to that theme too.
Try also to minimize other diffs too if a pair of amps is sought out... like interconnects and power cables & speaker wires.
I went your route somewhat but in reverse. Adding a two ch amp first. Then, felt for myself, a multi ch amp would be best and as above, more congruent given my speaks are closely mated all around. My current 5 ch amp however will only drive 3 ch of my system, L, C, & R, WITH the initial SS amp driving my rears in a 5.1 affair.
Why? Two reasons... it has a better sonic thumbprint than the Odyssey Stratos Plus +, and it allows for more coherence in the important area. A third aspect is that with many multi ch amps, and mine in particular, using less of the ch at one time allows for a higher power output across fewer channels.
What about the other two ch of the 5 ch amp? I really am not sure how I'll use them.
Good luck.