best budget amp/preamp for B&W 805 D3s

The Schiit Freya and a pair of their Vidars would do the trick.

petar3 OP
I have only $1k budget for a new integrated amp.

As I mentioned above, is in your price range new. And you can send it back after a good week of listening if not happy.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/best-budget-amp-preamp-for-b-w-805-d3s/post?postid=1934241#19...

Cheers George

You may try Schitt Freya pre and Crown Xls 2502 to drive your speaker.

I drove power hungry Raal Sr1a headphone by Crown Xls 2502 with good result.

It sounds very fast and exciting without hot edge.

But Freya will give some warmth to the sound.

You can also tune the sound by tube rolling in Freya.

RCA gray bottle 6sn7 will give warmer sound while Sylvania GTB made in 1950's give more neutral sound.

Even with the cost of Nos tubes, total will be around 2k$.

thanks!

Still, $3k is a big jump over $1k, and I doubt you’ll get an H390 for near that — maybe an H360.  But I do think the Hegel is a good idea for your 805s, and a used H300 can be had for around $1500 and will also sound fantastic.  Best of luck. 

Try a used PS Audio S300.

no. but used are half 6k. and deciding on an integral amp simplifies my process. when you are new at this, options are just overwhelming. thanks again. 

I have only $1k budget for a new integrated amp.

Uh, the spec you left out re: the H390 is that it retails for $6k.  Has your budget changed that significantly?

petar3 OP
best budget amp/preamp for B&W 805 D3s

Stereophile:
"The B&W’s voltage sensitivity is specified as 88dB/2.83V/m; my estimate was slightly higher than this, at 88.4dB(B).
The nominal impedance is 8 ohms; the solid trace in fig.1 reveals that the magnitude drops below 8 ohms between 100 and 750Hz and above 8kHz, with minima of 4.6 ohms at 180Hz and 22kHz.
The electrical phase angle (fig.1, dotted trace) is occasionally extreme, with combinations of 6 ohms and –35° at 118Hz and 8.2kHz.
Tube amplifiers will probably work best with this speaker when used from their 4 ohm output-transformer taps."

I would for budget amps look at the Schiit Aegir Class-A if you don’t listen at really loud levels, or the Schiit Vidar if you do.
And mate it up with a $49 Schiit Sys Passive or Freya preamp for extra$$$

https://www.schiit.com/products/aegir

https://www.schiit.com/products/vidar

https://www.schiit.com/products/sys

Cheers George

thanks for your post, westcoastaudiophile, I am looking at Hegel H390 integrated. here are its specifications. If I understand your post correctly, it seems that this integrated amp meets the requirement. 
Technical Specifications

Power output: 2 x 250 W into 8 Ω, Dual Mono
Minimum load: 2 Ω
Analog Inputs: 1 x balanced (XLR), 2 x unbalanced (RCA)
Digital Outputs: 1 x coaxial (BNC)
Digital Inputs: 1 x coaxial (BNC), 1 x coaxial (RCA), 3 x optical, 1 x USB, 1 x Network
Line level Output: 1 x unbalanced fixed (RCA), 1 x unbalanced variable (RCA)
MQA supported inputs: USB, BNC, Optical and Coaxial
Frequency response: 5 Hz - 180 kHz
Signal-to-noise ratio: More than 100 dB
Crosstalk: Less than -100 dB
Distortion: Less than 0.005% @ 50 W/8 Ω/1 kHz
Intermodulation: Less than 0.01% (19 kHz + 20 kHz)
Damping factor: More than 4000 (main power output stage)
Dimensions incl feet: 14,5 cm x 43 cm x 44 cm (HxWxD), 20 kg unit weight
Dimensions (US): 5.71" x 16.93" x 17.32" (HxWxD), 44 lbs unit weight
Special features: Set Startup volume | Set max volume | Software upgradable | Configure all inputs as fixed level inputs | IP control

For quality sound, B&Ws need to be driven by very low output impedance (aka high damping factor), and high max output current amplifier (> 50A), which rarely can be found in integrates ($$). Less costly option could be an appropriate Power Amp, and then finding better preamp. Class A, with minimal load of 2 Ohms is a good start to look for amp4bws. It could be A-70 Accuphase, or Pass alike. 

I do not know how you will get a quality integrated for $1000 which will nicely drive your B & Ws.  B & Ws require quality amplification and are finicky with electronics to boot.  A budget expansion is required in my opinion.  Good luck!

There’s a NuPrime IDA-16 available here now for $1195, and if you’re after clarity and detail — along with a lot of other positive attributes — you should be very happy.  And 200Wpc should help your 805s wake up and get rid of any congestion at higher volume levels. It’s also got a very good internal DAC that may well be better than your Modi, and if so you can sell it and offset some of the cost. If I was you I’d jump on this ASAP.

many thanks to everyone who responded. i don't normally talk about sound. perhaps, clarity and detail. i listen to new classical music, jazz, some world stuff.

What sound characteristics are most important to you?

Great speakers.
get as much power as u can.

 300+ RMS minimum.

you will need it for crescendos, ending blast.
just to make sure there is no clipping.

 All these mini 5W and 120W amps are a waste.

it will sound fine, sure, but more is always better.

ive not had less than 300W rms in years.

 The ease of the amps, adds air, and a spaciousness when listening.

  My lowest watt amps are 370W rms at 4 ohm.

 Don’t short change yourself.

It's not going to be possible to get a good integrated or a preamp/amp combo for $1k that will satisfy your needs.  If you really want something now, TMR Audio (on audiogon) has a used Classe Sigma Amp2 for $1084.  Then just use the pre-outs on your Rotel to connect to the amp.  The Classe Sigma is Class D 200 watts per channel into 8 ohms, which is a significant increase from your Rotel.  It's also incredibly clean sounding and will not have any of that congestion when you turn up the volume.  You can then upgrade to a better preamp sometime in the future when you have the budget.

If you want to wait and save up to get a better integrated, it's like going to be $2-3k plus.  Some ideas are below:

Kinki Studio EX-M1
Hegel H160 or higher
Classe Sigma 2200i integrated amp
Luxman

There could be others, but those are ones that come to mind for a good match to B&W D3.

"Should I wait until I have more $$$ to buy?"
Yes!