Amp/preamp combo for B&W Matrix 801's

Thanks again for the good advice...

i use them biamped.eagle 2 for the bottom and 2 mc 275 commemorative bridged for the top.
also use a maughan box and happy as a clam.
they are hard to drive with a tube amp running full range although big arc amps do the job decently well.
bass is much tighter with ss amp on the bottom however.

I have the 801s VII and use Krell FPB 250 monoblocks and Krell LRCHR preamp with the Krell crossover units with outstanding sound. The croossovers realy make a big difference in sound.

What about the Plinius line?

Thanks all, appreciate the feedback.

It is hard to give a minimum figure because of the factors mentioned in my first post. As Nick points out the impedance can go quite low, look for an amp that increases its power at low impedances. The M3 is rated at 275 watts at 8 ohms but on test it produced over 800 at 2 ohms with one channel driven. The TriVista, Kw500 and Kw550 all have even more power. These all have nuvistors [very long lived tubes from the military] in the front end. The 308 basic amp has gotten good reviews , it is similar in design without the tubes.

The Pass Labs X350.5 coupled with the Klyne Model 6LE3.5/P preamp will drive those B&W very nicely and provide a deep rich signature.

If you want to go Vintage:; Threshold S ( S300,S500 etc. )series amp and Audio Research Sp11 pre worked very well for me.......

I have the 803D mains and they do indeed like good high current power.

After going through a few combinations, I now have the Mac C2300 peamp (with different linestage tubes) and a Spectron Audio MK2 amp (class D) which provides 600 watts/channel. They also sounded good with the new Bel Canto REF1000II (also class D with 500 watts/channel).

You have to be aware of the impedance limitations of the amp your speakers can dip between 2-3 ohms although nominally rated at 8 ohms.

I tried the Classe CAM 400 mono-blocks and they were ok but the Spectron was more musical and really brought out the speaker's capabilites.

I was also looking at the Audio Research LS-26 but none were available used when I was looking for a preamp. Note that the LS-26 sounds better using the XLR inputs/ouputs.

My 2 cents.

Thanks for the suggestions. I've heard elsewhere to stay away from tubes with the 801's. I've been looking at Mcintosh's and Conrad Johnson but will also put Musical Fidelity M3 NuVista on my list...Is there a minimum watts/channel I should consider?

I vote for Mcintosh MC402 + C2300

I use to sell the first generation 801s. I wish we had the amps available then we do now. They like a lot of power, I have a Musical Fidelity M3 NuVista that would work well, as would the other big amps in their line. I would look for a high dampening factor as well as high power, I don't think that these are the best speakers for tubes. Room size is also a consideration , as well as your preferred listening level and choice of music.