Anthony: specify your exact model numbers. If you're asking about hooking up B&W speakers to B&W recievers/amplifiers, please state that. Your question was just too vague. Here's a question formatted well for this forum:
"I have a B&W 703 speakers and am looking for a good receiver for them. Are there any recommendations? I listen to music 80% of the time and home theater 20% of the time. "
I think you may have said, above, "What is a good speaker for these speakers" when you meant what is a good receiver for these speakers.
danctrall
Unregistered guest
Posted on
What I was trying to say was what reciever best matches up with these speakers..
danctrall: that's a better question. Sorry for all the poking fun at the question. (Sorry Anthony for responding to you when I meant danctrall).
In any event, that's a really nice pair of speakers. They are in a different category than alot of speakers addressed here, which tend to be more home theater.
My gut instinct is to use a power amp with these. These speakers demand attention and power is one thing you'll need to feed them. If I "had" to use a receiver -- instead of separates -- to power them, I'd be looking at 100W/channel of REAL POWER. This means the H/K 7200/7300, the NAD T763/T773, B&K 505/507 (more expensive of these), and the Rotel RSX-1056 (but not quite 100W). The nice thing about the H/K, is that it would really tame those B&Ws and the Rotel is certainly the nicest.
In the perfect world, I'd power these with an integrated amplifier. That means NAD, Rotel, and I'd even look at Parasound. You're going to need to audition those B&Ws with the several receivers to find the perfect match for you.
I agree with geekboy entirely. Very nice choice indeed. I auditioned the "cheaper" of the 800 & 700 series (804/805/703/704) before settling for the budget 600 series.
If you plan to stick with 2ch stereo I would seriously consider a decent power or integrated amp with lots of clean power. Although I think the B&Ws are somewhat more efficient that other brands I've tried.
FYI I tested them with a Denon 2803 and Marantz 7300ose (which I eventually purchased). Just for fun though.
The 6.1 ch Marantz did drive them decently but I would probably pick something better if I went with the 800 or 700 series. Probably one of the units (or their predecessors) geekboy mentioned above.
dcantrall, I've auditioned the 600 (DM603) series with both Rotel and Marantz (SR5400) receivers. Very impressive combinations both. I'm sure the 703s with a Rotel amp will bring a smile to your face. If you do a search on this forum, you'll find that a lot of people use NAD amps to drive B&Ws and are extremely satisfied. But finally, you'll have to trust your ears and be guided by your wallet.
i agree with geekboy, mostly, but if you're only using your speakers for 2-channel stereo, you don't need to bust the bank to buy the HK7300 if you're considering that brand.
They make 2 very nice stereo receivers (of which I have one) and the 3480 has 120 wpc which is plenty for your application.
Brad: agreed. Usually, when I read a poster's post and they don't mention any "home theater" application, I make the suggestion to stereo (only) receivers. Good catch. Yes, The H/K stereo line is very nice.
dcantrall
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Thanks for all the help guys.. I will look into your suggestions.
Turn it up!
Unregistered guest
Posted on
I have a pair of B&W DM640s that I drive with a Carver TFM-25 (225 watts/channel) and a Carver CT-17 preamp/tuner. While you probably don't NEED that much power, it sure sounds nice, and I like knowing I have the headroom and ability to really crank it when I want to. This is a system I bought about 12 years ago, so I'm not sure what Carver currently offers. I believe I spent about $1100 for the amp and preamp/tuner at the time.
