Amplifiers for B&W 803D/802D

Some of the best sound I have ever heard was B&W 802D with McIntosh MC402. Fantastic! Classe is good too - fairly similar to McIntosh really. The best choice between the two will probably have more to do with looks because they look way more different than they sound. As for me, I am not a fan of the blue TFT displays...

Arthur

FWIW, B&W also owns Rotel.

I have heard both the 802D and 803D with a C46pre and MC402 power combo, and IT WAS OUTSTANDING WITH BOTH!! IMO I would opt for the 803D's and spend the extra cash on the music! I didn't hear that much difference between the 802's and 803's. I also heard the 803D's with the McIntosh MA6900 integrated (200W) and it was pretty impressive as well, but I still would have bought the 402. For me the only difference between 802's and 803's was asthetics. As far as long term investemt and reliability I can't speak for Classe, but my father has had McIntosh gear for 30+ years and it works as good as the day he bought it; and that along with the sound quality is why I am buying it!
Happy Listening.

I have owned Classe and McIntosh with B&W 802D speakers.

I owned a Classe CA2200 amp and CP500 preamp and had it paired with Signature 805 speakers and really enjoyed this system, it was fun. (Unlike Arthur, I really liked the touch screens, a lot.) I heard the 803D speakers at my local stereo shop and it had moments of magic, which led me to purchase the 802D's. Unfortunately I could never capture that magic at my house with the 802D's.

This led me to sell the Classe gear and purchase a Musical Fidelity kW500 integrated amp, which I felt did a better job. I later purchased a McIntosh MA2275 integrated amp which obviously didn't have near the power, but this was a very nice piece, and better sonically. Lastly I purchased the McIntosh MC402 and C46 combination, which I feel was better than the Classe, per your question.

All this said and as mentioned, I never could get the 802D's to sound at a level I felt they should. If you decide to get 802D's, I'd suggest the mono-blocks, whether it be Mac or Classe.

Having heard the 802D's side-by-side with Wilson Sophia II's, at a dealer, I would recommend the Sophia's, although they are slightly more.

Thanks for the responses. Ltecyclist: I also didn't hear a lot of difference between 802D and 803D but they were being powered by 5 x 200W Rotel amplifier so I don't know if they would sound better with a higher power mono setup.