B&W 805 D4: which 5 channel power amp should I go with (home theater): Parasound or Rotel
Hearing Hans Zimmer score play during scenes from The Dark Knight, Inception & Interstellar is life changing. The 805 D4 works great for l/r speaker for movies. Of course I need to add a center channel which would either be the HTM81 D4 or the HTM82 D4 but I’ll save that for another discussion.
Here are the power amps I’m looking at:
Parasound:
- Halo A 51
- Halo A 52+
Rotel:
- RMB-1585
- RMB-1585MKII
I’m not able to go into an audio store to test out power amps so I would like your expert opinion on which might work better with these speakers or if you have any recommendations for 5 channel power amp then I would gladly go take a look at those online.
Thank you for your time.
@nekoaudio I’m looking at the A51 and A 52+ and the only major differences I can find is that the A51 is slightly older with 250-watt-per-channel power output at 8 ohm & the A52+ is 180 watts at 8 ohm if using 5 speakers. Also the $2k price difference if I do go with the A51. I’m just wondering if I’m in a 11x13 room and don’t plan to blast these speakers loud all the time should I just go with the A52+ or is it better to have more power and go with the A51?
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@candyisdandy the extra headroom is usually nice. The volume difference between 180W and 250W isn't much. But the A 51's current capacity is higher, and that can translate into audible improvements even a the same volume, given that the B&W speakers you are considering do not just stay at 8 ohms impedance. |
Just my two cents from your comment:
I can't imagine my Home Theater WITHOUT rear surround speakers. I even have Front Surround in-wall speakers. My setup is Left, Right, Center, Rear Surround Di-Pole mounted overhead on a duct shaft, Front In-Wall Surrounds, and a Sub. Watching action movies is amazing. I'd really recommend installing rear surrounds at minimum while you are initially setting it up. |
