Amplifiers for B&W 804 Nautilus - Need Help

A tubed preamp and a W4S amp is my suggestion which should be within your budget.

I don't have experience with the 804N, but I do have experience with the current 804 Diamond model, and I suspect there are a lot more similarities than there are differences between the two. If the 804N is anything like the 804 Diamond, a solid state 80w/channel is not going to cut it. I can't speak to what you'd need in a tube amp, but if you go solid state, don't even consider less than 150 w/channel unless it's a really high end piece of equipment. Also, 804's are considered by some to be a bit weak in the bass department so you will be well served by an amp that is notable for its bass reproduction.

I use Musical Fidelity M6PRE/M6PRX separates with my 804 Diamonds with wonderful results. The M6PRX is 260w/channel, a far cry from 80. Classe and McIntosh are also great pairings with the B&W 800 series.

I don´t really have suggestions within that price range. I can tell you about my experience, though: I used to have a Rotel RB-1080 amp connected to CM-4 speakers, and it sounded great. I then upgraded speakers to 804S and the shortcomings of the Rotel became apparent. Don't get me wrong, I think very highly of the RB1080 for the price, but a more revealing speaker made me want to change the amp.

Interestingly enough, the 804S delivered better bass with the 2x75W tubed MC275 than with 2x200W SS Rotel...go figure! One explanation I got was the B&Ws are overdamped (which is why many say they are bass shy) and the 1000 damping factor of the Rotel was too much of a good thing. The tube amp, with it's typical low damping factor, allegedly was evening things out. I don't know if this explains what I heard, but the bass is better. And mids and trebble are just on a different order of magnitude.

Classe' seems to be the classic match for B&W's.

R0817 - How big is your room? Is it dedicated to your stereo system? How loud do you listen to music?