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How much power is enough for B&W Nautilus 804's?

Hello all ... from a recommendation in an earlier post, I went with bi-amping my Nautilus 804's (120 wpc Bryston 3B-ST on tweeters, 250 wpc Bryston 4B-ST on woofers). Per that post, plenty of power on the low end does wonders. It does sound great, but still find the bass not all that (bass player since I was 12 - a few yrs ago). In your opinions, would there be anything to gain by adding another 4B-ST to the mix on the low end? In bridged mode, each pumps 800 wpc into 8 ohms. Would I be doing anything other than putting my 804's into harm's way?

Your advice appreciated. Ed
ekurilla
almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Hi Ed,

I'm pretty certain that the output impedance of the Bryston preamp is low enough to be suitable for use with y-adapters, given the input impedances of your (and nearly all other) amps.

I would rule out course of action no. 3 in your list, though. Adding an electronic crossover would eliminate two of the potential issues I listed in my post (the last two), but would not make much if any difference with respect to the first. The somewhat limited current capability of the amp, as addressed in Bombaywalla's post, will assume increased significance in bridged mode as a result of the halved load impedance seen by the amp in that mode.

Good luck in your quest! Regards,
-- Al
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
3) makes no sense without 3a)remove built-in crossover.
lloydelee21
1,202 posts
 
i would go for 1 or 2. Personally, try 2 first...because my guess is that in the short run...properly set up you'll get loads of bass...and potentially in the long run, you'll change 804s for something (even if its 10 yrs from now)...but i would not be surprised if you kept the sub in any event. I still use mine, and i've got some pretty big speakers today...but i set the sub at below 41hz. Just my two cents. good luck!
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