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Beginner Looking For Set Up Advice!

Hi all, 

I'm excited to have gotten my first pair of new speakers, the B&W 606 S2! My Dad and my Brother both have 603s and I love the sound, so I thought these would fit well in my apartment. I'm having trouble finding a stereo receiver or integrated amp to pair with the speakers. Although I understand some audiophile lingo, it can all be somewhat confusing and overwhelming so I thought I'd ask for some advice.

What would be a decent, under $1k piece to power the speakers? How much power do these need? I would want it to be able to stream music, whether through airplay or some other system (Spotify connect, etc), and also work with my TV setup including a 4k blu ray player and an Apple TV. I would consider adding a CD player or turntable later on. 

Currently I've looked at the Denon PMA 150h, Marantz PM7007, Marantz NR1200, Yamaha R-N303, and a few others. 

Thanks!
smosleh
mesch
3,479 posts
 
One thing I will add, I till use the B&W 685s, which are very similar to your speakers. I have used them with a NAD 326 at 50wpc which worked well however I like them better with the NAD 356 which at 85wpc made me more comfortable when playing loud. The Yamaha 701 I am now using is 100wpc and a good match with the 685s. Seems the 606s, like the 685s drop to slightly below 4 ohms in the bass region. I know you are in a apartment and may not need over 50wpc for your speakers however the extra grunt provided by a quality 100wpc amp might prove beneficial. What is room size? 
allenf1963
335 posts
 
PS Audio has a bundle that you may want to look at.  A PS Audio Sprout100, a pair of ELAC B6.2 speakers, and Emotiva cables, all for $999.00. 

https://www.psaudio.com/products/sprout-speakers/   
smosleh OP
9 posts
 
Hi Everyone, thanks again for the help! This has been fun and informative.  

I've narrowed down to these options, in no particular order: 
Peachtree 125 SKY $600
Yamaha S301/S501 + Bluesound Node $1k - $1,250
Marantz PM7007 $1k 

I like the idea of separates, but couple questions:
1. With the Yamaha/Node setup, the sound when playing movies/tv etc won't be as good as the other two setups as they won't be taking advantage of the Bluesound DAC, correct?
2. Would there be any major difference between the S301 & S501 for me? Apartment living room is roughly 400sqft
rfnoise
153 posts
 
Personally, I can’t recommend the Yamaha. It was my dissatisfaction with my Yamaha integrated that led to my latest foray into hi fi gear. Can’t imagine their entry level stuff is any better. As far as an external streaming solution goes, have you looked into the RPi stuff? Reviews are good and very budget friendly.

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/dummies-guide-to-pi2aes-throw-away-your-pc-or-laptop.8878/

btw... not trying to be THAT guy, but...“separates” refers to separate preamplifier/power amplifier.
braccio69
11 posts
 
Your going to be driving the tv sound through whatever 2ch set up you decide on, the streamer will have no bearing. To clarify what I mentioned earlier, IF you have a separate streaming device(Node2i) connected to an integrated such as the ones your looking at, you always have the option to use the Node dac via analog, the integrated dac via ditigal out from Node OR to put a DAC of your choice between them and utilize the integrated as an amp only. IE flexibility. I do this with a Peachtree Nova 300/Node2i system with any of the dacs I have on the shelf for a change if I choose. That’s what I meant by separate.
If any of the three choices you mentioned has an trial period, or large return window, make a choice, order, listen and if you don’t like the results send it back within the time window and try the next one.
The Yamahas are essentially the same with the 501 having better connectors and 25 wpc more than the 301
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