Adcom Vs Rotel

I would put Classe on your list. I have paired a variety of Classe electronic components with my B&W 802 Matrix Series 3 speakers to my delight.

I have found in the past, that when I settle on an amp that is not the one I want, as soon as I buy it, the one I want pops up for sale at a real bargain!
My luck.
Take your time, research, wait on the right one, and you will be happier than buying one for now that doesn't make you as happy.

As long as we're talking Adcom and Rotel, why not discuss Parasound and NAD?

Some Adcoms are designed (or consulted with) Nelson Pass. It's my understanding, however, that John Curl is very involved with many (most?) of the Parasound designs. The Halo series gets good press everywhere and the P3 and A23 preamp and amp from the Halo line are pretty affordable.

I haven't have much experience with the latest NADs, but some refer to them as the "poor man's McIntosh" and they have certainly been racking up some great reviews in the audiophile press.

Also +1 on finding used Bryston or Classe that you can afford.

I have an Adcom 5-channel amp in my HT from their now-defunct FAT series. It's a wide bandwidth MOSFET amp and I like the way it sounds and behaves a lot. With really good speaker cables it sounds like a much more expensive rig. Adcom still makes a high current 200 wpc 2-channel wide bandwidth (3-130 KHz) MOSFET amp in the GFA-5500. These can be had new for less than a grand.

Another approach may be to get the Adcom GFA-7605, a 5x125 wpc amp. Bi-amp your speakers and let the amp's center channel go idle. It'll give you 250 total watts per speaker.

Regardless of amp choice you should probably factor in bi-wiring for this level of B&W; most reviews recommend it and it's my understanding that their complex crossovers with multiple crossover slopes do better with bi-wiring.

Save up,then get what you really want.You will never be satisfied if you don't.Wait a while,be patient,keep your eye on the classifieds the right deal for what you want will eventually come along.

So maybe you'll save up for a dream amp later when you can afford one. You can take the time to audition products from Ayre, McIntosh, Bryston, Classe, etc. and find the amp that really makes the 802's sing. In the meantime you still need a decent amp that will drive the 802's properly and keep you within budget.

If the review buzz for the Odyssey Audio Khartago is even half true, this may be the interim amp for you. Here are some reviews: TAS, Soundstage, Enjoythemusic, Goodsound.