Best Integrated Amplifier for B&W 685

I've looked into both the Rotel and the Marantz amps. I was advised against pairing the B&W with the Marantz due the combination producing music that is "very bright, and wearing on the ears." Granted, I tried out a Marantz Receiver (not integrated) at Magnolia with the B&W 685's and I enjoyed the result.

I have heard that Rotel is a great choice, especially as they come from the same manufacturer if I've read correctly. But I have yet to find a place to demo a unit.

One other receiver that has come to my attention is the HK 3490. I found it online for $280 making it close to half the price of most of these (and only a third of the price of others). It also has a phone pre amp and a built in DAC. Will the Outlaw, Rotel, or Marantz produce sound that is significantly superior to it? I like that fact that it is a tad easier on the wallet, and if I weren't to like it, I could upgrade down the line. The money saved would likely go toward funding a basic turntable as well, such as the Debut Carbon or Rega RP1. I know asking questions such as "is the upgrade worth it?" are highly subjective and it comes down to the individual listener's preferences, but I don't have a "trained" ear yet, and as such, I am leaning toward starting with the HK 3490 and moving up the ladder toward a Rotel, or something of that caliber, down the line.

If you heard the 685's with a Marantz receiver at Magnolia, wait until you hear them with the PM8004 I recommended. I would not describe this amp as bright. Again, this integrated amp is a different class of Marantz - built in their reference factory in Japan. Do not confuse it with the PM5004 or PM6004 that are made in China. I suggest you speak to someone at your Magnolia and listen a 8004. If they do not have one, have them call around to other Magnolias as they are being offered in my area at insane prices.

The HK is a capable receiver but not in the same league as the Marantz PM8004.

Thanks for the advice. I'll see if Magnolia has them for demo. I will have to keep my eye out for a used unit though regardless, as $1000 for an amp is a bit beyond my range at the moment.

The PM6004 is a very nice amp, and made in Japan. As far as the power goes, I've read countless times on these threads how every frickin speaker needs gobs of power to sound good. I've never found b&w bookshelves including 601 602 cm5's etc that difficult to drive, unless you are using a home theater receiver where the specs can be misleading. The Rotel RA-1062 or RA-1520 are rated at 60 watts, the Simaudio I have is "only" 50 watts, a tube amp I have is 30 watts, yet all of them drive those speakers to ear bleeding levels. Unless you are listening to them in a huge room, they'll get plenty loud without much issue, only concern would be if you were planning on upgrading later to a harder to drive speaker set.

Question for Paraneer -
I am in Japan (100V country), and moving to Singapore (220V country) soon. Want to get the PM8004 you recommend for B&W (mine will most likely be CM8).

Does the buying of step down transformer introduce noise into the sound.
Or am I better off getting the 220 V amp in Singapore.

Japan does make some of the best transformers (their power supplies are great) and the price I am getting on PM 8004 new is very good.

Thanks for any guidance.

-Krishin