ARC with B&W 801's?

I owned the 801 Series II for many years and not until I spent a small fortune on a powerful Goldmund solid state amp did I tame the boomy, tubby almost overpowering bass on the 801's. Previously I had been using an ARC D-300 solid state amp, preceded by a British Fidelity monster heat-producing class A solid state amp. I haven't heard the M100's w/them but during the period I owned my 801's, two other audio pals who also owned them gave up on tubes and hooked them up to mega solid state. I think that's the accepted doctrine on the 801's, but you can always go against convention and try your M100's.

The Matrix series is NOT a good match for tube amps. The crossover desing requires lots of current and they do sound at their best with a high power SS amp, like Krell. I own the matrix 803s and use the Pass X-250 that really makes them sing.

I agree that the 801 II or III's sound best with solid state. I ran my 801 III's with a Krell KSA-250 and it controlled the bass superbly. The 801 is only 87 db per watt of input, so the solid state is superb. Pass, Krell or Levinson would suffice. Good luck.

Thanks so much for the input. I had a feeling that since I hadn't seen B&W 801's matched with tubes, there had to be an overarching reason. I have heard them with a few different amps but they have always been big solid state numbers like a Levinson or a Krell. I suppose the follow-up question would be, does anyone know of a well priced speaker that runs well with ARC tube amps? I have a pair of Response 2 speakers by Proac that I enjoy a great deal. I was just wondering if there was a speaker out there that had the same musicality as the Proacs but with a little more bass? All help is appreciated. Thanks

I use Genesis 500's w/my ARC VT100 MK III. Tons of bass, well defined (but the speakers have their own amp for the woofers!), glorious mids and highs. I have seen them for sale used at killer prices, less than a third of their retail.

Wailbait: you have very good power amps so don't waste them!

Before buying a used Matrix 801s, I'd urge you to audition the B&W Signature 805s. They should be perfect for your amps and much better quality except for the lowest fundamental bass resp. You can always add a good subwoofer in the future to achieve the "true full range" system.

I started a new thread elsewhere "B&W: Signature 800 vs Nautilus 805 vs Matrix 805" that you might e interested.

I sold my B&W's and bought Watt/PUppies(and since MAXX's). The 6's or 7 would work well with your ARC since they are very efficient. Very dynamic soundstage, great imaging and detail and the only speaker I have ever auditioned that sounds good at low volumes. Wilson knows crossovers!

I have a pair of 801 S2's powered by a BAT VK-60 & VK-5i. There has been some XOVER and wiring work done to them, but, they sound GREAT! My other speaker configs are Sota Panorama 4's with BEM's, Spica TC-60's and Biro L/1 w/sub.
These speakers are not in the same league as the 801's but the Biro's with the sub are REAL close.