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Good 2 channel integrated amplifier for 702 s2 under 3k?

Hey everyone just purchased a pair of new B&W 702 s2 speakers today but am trying to decide the best way to power them for 2-3k. I would like to stay closer to 2k but can stretch to 3k if necessary. I will be using these for 50% music of all types and 50% movies. I would love to upgrade to a 5.1 at some point but I am looking at amplifiers because I don't want to sacrifice sound quality and don't have an affordable solution to this. My priorities are to get as much deep bass as possible out of them and to try and warm up the harsh high frequencies if possible. Here are some I am considering:

1. Rotel RA-1572 (2x120W) 
2. Rotel RA-1592 (2x200W) 
3. Musical Fidelity M6si (2x220W)
4. NAD M10 (2x100W)
5. NAD C 388 BluOS-2i (2x150W)
6. Arcam SR250 (2x250W)

I am open to new suggestions and have just started my search. I am also interested to know if I will really need the RA-1592 with 200W or if the cheaper version with 120W should be enough if I go with Rotel? Also, if there is a good option for an AV reciever that will sound comparable but allow me to go with 5.1. Thanks!





km1181
russ69's avatar
russ69
3,523 posts
 
"...You could save yourself some money if you go with Musical Fidelity by getting the M5si rather than the M6si..."

I totally agree. In fact I'm running Maggie .7s with an M3si and it has a lot of guts, it's as loud as I want to play. 
jjss49's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
jjss49
6,612 posts
 
op

musical fidelity amps are very well built, excellent value, excellent performance

in my experience they are voiced to play a little brighter, sharper than the others i mentioned

everyone’s taste in how bright/shimmery a system sounds varies, so m-f pieces are certainly worth a try if the trial can done easily... but i would venture to say in the case of b&w’s known for being highly sensitive to any treble brightness fed to them, it is better to stay with the ultra refined sounding amp brands i listed

good luck happy listening
mikekollar's avatar
mikekollar
42 posts
 
I owned these speakers up until 2 months ago when I went from 5k speakers to 15k speakers. I loved the 702 s2 and was sad to see them go. Would purchase again in a hearbeat if I had secondary room needs.That being said, I powered them with Emotiva pre-amp and power amp at 300 WPC which just happened to be the max power rating on the 702 s2. Loved the sound.... check it out. Hope you bought the upgraded version of the702 s2 that just came out this year....... Nice
jgoldrick's avatar
jgoldrick
138 posts
 
I had the 705 s2's.  I found that running NOS Mullards on the preamp helped quite a bit on the highs.  An integrated with a tube preamp would help tame those highs, IMHO.

jundaku
27 posts
 
B&W speakers are rather power hungry. I’ve ran them with a McIntosh mc275, 120 wpc Emotiva and Rotel amps as well as a 300wpc XPA2. The more power, the better the results producing a much fuller sound.  A Rotel RC-1572 preamp with an Emotiva XPA 2 is a great combo for those speakers. 
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