Need receiver to match b&w speakers

 

Bronze Member
Username: Jethro

Lansing, Mi

Post Number: 15
Registered: Jan-06
Best $800 receiver to match my speakers for HT
b&w 603 front 601 rears lcr6 center asw675 sub
need a receiver for 85% home theater. Have been looking at denon, yamaha, marantz. my budget is around $800 US. Don't care so much about bells and whistles, so just which receiver will sound best when i put a dvd in there is what is important. thank you in advance. i read everyones posts and have a huge respect for all on this forum, im a ecoustics forum reading junkie in need of some advice.
 

Gold Member
Username: Edster922

Abubala, Ababala The Occupation

Post Number: 3663
Registered: Mar-05
85% home theater = you'll be fine with a $400 AVR such as a Yamaha 657 or a $250 Panasonic sa-xr55, esp. since you are discerning enough to not fall for the bells and whistles trap.

On the other hand some people find B&W speakers on the bright side so a warm Marantz would be a nice balance, look at the Marantz 5500/5600 from accessories4less.com or hifi.com
 

Gold Member
Username: Frank_abela

Berkshire UK

Post Number: 1207
Registered: Sep-04
I'd recommend something with a bit more grip and control than Eddie. I would look at the new Denon AVR2807 if I were you. Lots of grip and control.

Regards,
Frank.
 

Silver Member
Username: My_rantz

Australia

Post Number: 313
Registered: Nov-05
Marantz works okay with B&W600 series as I'm sure many others will, but with their impedence swing the B&W's thrive on decent power. When I changed my main 602S3's from my Marantz Sr-7300 to the NAD C272 power amp, it was like they had begun eating energy bars. Beats me why some people would find B&W's bright.

 

guest poster
Unregistered guest
Kind of hard to consider the Denon 2807 since it is not even out yet. As to "grip and control" I'm not sure what you mean by that Frank.
I never considered the B&W to be a particularly bright brand either and generally Denon and B&W should be a good combination as would the neutral sounding Marantz 7500 for example.
Frank,
If you have seen the Denon 2807 how about a quick review.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Eld

Texas

Post Number: 63
Registered: Dec-05
B&W 600 are definitely not bright.

But have you guys listen to the 700 or 800 series?
Just wondering, because I definitely think they are bright. :-)
 

Gold Member
Username: Edster922

Abubala, Ababala The Occupation

Post Number: 3666
Registered: Mar-05
oops I forgot that the 603 is a 4 ohm, TMM design. For some reason I though it was 8 ohms and TM like the 602.

This would probably rule out the Panny, though some users report that it does 4 ohm speakers just fine; emphasis on SOME.

I'd revise my rec to an HK 635, $670 shipped from onecall.com
 

Bronze Member
Username: Dfantom32

Irvine, CA USA

Post Number: 27
Registered: Feb-06
Edster,

Is it 4 ohm? How come on the tech specification saying its normal impedance is 8 ohms(min 3 ohms) unless im looking in a wrong specs...hehehe :-)
 

Gold Member
Username: Edster922

Abubala, Ababala The Occupation

Post Number: 3668
Registered: Mar-05
I went by this:

http://www.bwspeakers.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/products.models/Label/Model%20DM6 03%20S3

dunno which version the OP has.
 

Silver Member
Username: My_rantz

Australia

Post Number: 315
Registered: Nov-05
Adrian Carreon is correct:

http://www.bwspeakers.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/products.models/label/Model%20DM6 03%20S3
 

Bronze Member
Username: Jethro

Lansing, Mi

Post Number: 16
Registered: Jan-06
thanks for the feedback, will definitely give the marantz and denon models specified a close listen with similar speakers, too bad my dealer doesn't sell the hk or yamaha T_T
 

Bronze Member
Username: Jethro

Lansing, Mi

Post Number: 17
Registered: Jan-06
would have to look up the ohm thing, but the fronts are 603 series 3. thanks again ;;
 

Gold Member
Username: Frank_abela

Berkshire UK

Post Number: 1218
Registered: Sep-04
guest poster

The latest Denons (3805, all the 06's and the new 2807) seem to be able to grab a hold of speakers with far more authority than their earlier efforts which weren't particularly good in my view. This is why the latest Denons cope much better with 4-ohm loads than their older counterparts.

The B&W 600 series is not bright but it is a bit lazy and needs an amp with really good control into awkward loads for them to sound any good at all. The 603 is particularly prone to boomy bass thanks to its extra drive unit and more complicated crossover. It's difficult to get refinement out of the 603 because of this and it often ends up sounding like a 'geezer speaker' because the amp used to drive it can't really control it properly.

I admit I haven't played with the 2807 yet, but the advance notices which don't get onto the street have been very interesting indeed. This amp is going to catch a few manufacturers on the hop - and it is just around the corner, so worth waiting for in my view.

Elderion, none of the B&Ws, except perhaps the 300 series, are bright. However, if you try to mix them with inferior electronics, they will shriek at you, particularly the 700 and 800 series.

Regards,
Frank.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Eld

Texas

Post Number: 70
Registered: Dec-05
Frank,

I listened to the 600, 700 and 800 on Krells and only the 700 and 800 shrieked :-) They are nice but after 10 minutes is all I can take before my ears gave up. I sat in there for over 3 hours comparing them with Dynaudio on the same system, no contest IMO. Admittedly the Krells are bright and I didn't listen to 700 and 800 on any other system but Krells.

Just my experience, but I agree with most people who think they are bright.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Jethro

Lansing, Mi

Post Number: 24
Registered: Jan-06
the 603 s3 is a 8 ohm i looked it up. so im not worried about that. as far as bright? i'm not an audiophile but i assume bright = harsh.. not sure here. i don't really consider my speakers to be harsh if thats what u mean by being bright cause i can listen to em all day long w/o fatigue but rather intrigue. i just need a receiver and my trigger finger is itching. i appreciate all the help and suggestions and you all pointed me in the right direction and i thank you all 100 times over for the help. But, now i believe i just have to listen. You have shown me the light, now i must decide for myself what to spend my hard earned money on :P
thank you very much

later
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