Revel Ultima Salon 2's vs B&W 802d's

Nab2,

I own some Keb 'Mo but all the other you listed are new to me. I did demo all the music you listed in itunes.

I think with your taste in music both of the speakers you have chosen will sound very nice. I think the balance of the revels will allow you to pick apart the music better and find the details in the music you like (with better timbre too). I have always thought B&Ws are a bit of a rocker brand (strong bass, strong highs, forward mids) where the revels seem to run a center line and seem to get out of their own way better.

Enjoy the music

OK, I also own the B&W 802d's and the three most important points to getting the best from them are: 1. The amp, 2. The amp, and 3. The amp.

So which amps have you tried and which do you suggest? I currently have a couple on hand: CJ 2500A and Bryston 4bSST2 - which would be better?

Either one bad for the 802ds?

What's the central issue(s) for good vs bad amp for the 802's?

The 802 impedance is all over the place and needs an amp that can handle the swings even though they are 90db efficient. Lots of speakers are like this though. Basically they need lots of current and with lots of current comes lots of power. It goes back to Ohm's Law (I=V/R) as the resistance drops the current goes up (voltage is constant in the home). Of course this is a very simple explanation and the capacitors in the crossovers will complicate things. There are lots of designers on audiogon that could explain it better... electrical was never my strong suit in school.

"I estimated the B&W 802D's voltage sensitivity as 89dB(B)/2.83V/m, within experimental error of the specified 90dB figure and usefully higher than the average of the more than 500 speakers I have measured in the past 16 years. The B&W's impedance plot (fig.1) reveals the speaker to be moderately difficult to drive, with a magnitude that drops to 3 ohms throughout the upper bass and an awkward combination of 4 ohms and –50° electrical phase angle at 60Hz. In addition, the very high peak between 2 and 3kHz, resulting from the tweeter/midrange crossover, will give a somewhat forward tonal balance with amplifiers having a significant source impedance; say, tube models."

look at the first graph.
http://www.stereophile.com/content/bw-802d-loudspeaker-measurements

Thanks for the feedback, but I still have a question(s) unanswered. I may have to start a new thread, perhaps in the amp section. The question is whether the CJ or Bryston is better with one or the other of the sets of speakers.
Related to that is whether I need to upgrade amps (without spending a minor fortune (Mark L. monoblock 53's).

I'm also trying to figure out how to match amps to speakers without having to listen to them all! You say amplification is crucial (I'd agree) and you say one needs an amp that can handle the swings in impedance, but you don't say how one determines whether an amp can handle it or whether the CJ 2500A or Bryston 4B SST2 are adquate (though I think they are). I'm also open to suggested readings guys.

PS Specs only tell so much.

Thanks again.