B&W Nautilus 802, JRDG 112



First let me say that I truly enjoy my 802s, that isn't my problem. My situation is this, I was playing Bali Run by Fourplay ( Warner Bros. 9 26656-2) through my Jeff Rowland 112, and to my disbelief, the amp clipped. (left channel) I couldn't believe it. I reset the amp, played the same piece at the same level and half way through it silence had fallen upon me once again. This time it was the right channel. My friend and I were jamming at the time with the music levels a little higher than your normal listening levels. The piece that was playing was full and lively with a bottom end that was full and robust. The 112 was warm to the touch, not hot at all so what gives. I really like the way the 112 sounds and hate to give it up. Do I need more power? Am I to believe that the 112 rated at 150 watts per channel @ 8ohms can't drive the 802s with demanding music at a volume that was on a scale of 1-10 a 6 or 7. Did anyone ever experience this with the 112?
dannyv

Showing 1 response by dan2112

With regard to the 802's impedance it's a basically a 4 ohm speaker. I have measured mine and I think DB Keele did a review of the 802 in Audio where shows the impedance as well. Basically the speakers are a fairly demanding load between 60 and 500 Hz where it averages to about 4 ohms. At it's lowest it's just under 3 (about 2.7 ohms). So if you are playing material that has a lot of these frequencies you are essentially driving a 4 ohm speaker. The 802 demands current - lots of it. With that in mind I think 112 should be able to drive them. I have an Accuphase A-50V and it's drives them very well indeed.

- Dan