Amp for B&W 802 SIII

Try bi-amping.I have a Conrad Johnson MV-75a on top and the Sonographe SA-120 on the bottom.Using a Conrad Johnson PV-6 as the preamp.Great sound and the best of both worlds,tubes and solid state.listening to some of my favorite Cd's and LPs again gives me chills.Love those B&W 820s and I have the series III.Traded a pair of Martin Logans to get these speakers and when folks put them up for sale they go fast.Good Luck

i have 801s3 with 332 levinson its very cohearant top to bottom and smooth, very good sound.have heard krell is not a good match with b&w800series3 speakers. very good sound i have heard is 23.5 levinson with 801 s3. i have also had a dealer tell me he did sell a CJmv50 for highs and 331 levinson for bass never heard it though????. mY FIRST CHOICE IS THE 23.5 GOOD LUCK

My system is very similar: , ARC LS-16 preamp, Meridian 508.24 cd with B&W Matrix 802 serIII speakers driven by an ARC VT100 mkII. I also tried Pass Aleph 2's (125W class A ss monoblocks) in this system. The ARC amp had better bass and more midrange "presence". The Pass amps had more undistorted clarity, but they sacrificed some detail, some sonic impact.

I have the 801s3's and use a Levinson 332 amp. B&W's typically need amp's that provide high current to really come alive. If you are considering SS think Levinson, Pass and Krell. I can't help you on the tube side, but there are plenty of audiogon members that can.

Try the 4B ST. The ST would give you a much better window into the mid and high when compared to the NRB. If you want, you can bi-amp with a SF 40 for mid/high, this would be a good combination. However, to bi-amp you need to have the professional version of 4B to fine-adjust the balance. Good luck.

Before you spend a penny on a new amp, you should seriously consider the North Creek Music outboard upgrade to the stock B&W crossovers. They are expensive, but worth every cent. I converted my 802's, and the difference is a revelation of how good the speaker system itself really is. B&W truly compromised the design with some second rate Xover components. By the way, I currently use a BAT VK200 power amp with Bryston BP-25 preamp, and it is verrrrry smooth yet detailed, with superb bass control.

Madosonears, does North Creek make an outboard for the 801's? How do I get in touch with these guys? You state that the upgrade was a revelation. How so? How did the sound change? Thanks Doug.

Sorry, this has gotten off topic, as so many posts do, but, to Doug: yes they make outboards for 801's, and I have heard from others that they are a spectacular improvement. For my 802's, the sound just opened up, with airy delicate highs, and the bass got deeper, tighter, and the dynamics of the entire system became much greater. It was like changing to better speaker wire and getting a bigger amp at the same time. I switched out only one speaker at a time so I (and a critical friend) could compare. We were both amazed at the difference. When both speakers were done, WOW! They have a web site, but I can't remember address. Search for North Creek Music Systems. They offer a money-back guarantee, but the site claims no one has ever asked for one. I believe it.