Integrated Amp (Gryphon, T+A, etc) or DAC + Stereo Amp for B&W 802d3
I’d also need to factor in my longer term plan for upgrade (or not!) and ’approval’ by partner for the ’look’ of the amp.Gryphon’s look awesome in an "Art Deco" sort of way, very WAF (wife acceptance factor) friendly. It's been a while now but I think for memory the 2 x sub outs on the Diablo can not only be configured to be L&R "pre outs", but for L&R "main in" also, to turn it into a poweramp as well. Cheers George |
Hi, New here and would like to chime in. :-) The Diablo and T+A PA3100 are two of my favourite integrateds, in fact I own the T+A. I ran it with the B&W 805D3 for a few months and the synergy was pretty fine though not spectacular in any particular way. Certainly not overly bright, dry, or analytical though, the amp is too naturally warm for that. The T+A is actually known for it's liquidity and smoothness in the midrange and I would characterise it's overall sound signature as being at the other end of the spectrum from Devialet. Full and solid soundstage, wonderful transparency, a gorgeously textured mid bass, and sweets singing highs. And tons of unforced detail and dynamics. Not everyones cup of tea but certainly impressive. The Diablo 300 is an extraordinary music-making machine. I must say I now run my T+A with my Wilson Sabrinas and I very much prefer that combination than the B&W. Perhaps it's the speaker and it's interface with your room that is not jiving with you. Cheers - Jay |
Hi Jay, thanks for the feedback. Indeed T+A is extremely smooth, neutral and balanced! I liked the amp a lot. I just came back from the audition (Diablo 300 and Essence). The Diablo 300, like many have already said the 'authority' is def. one of the best ways to describe the characteristic of amp and it's warmer (Class A for first 10W) than T+A. However, the Diablo 300 can be a bit harsh for the treble and it wasn't able to tame the diamond tweeter in contrast to T+A. The room at the dealer's place is ideal so I don't think it's the problem of the interface with the room. In summary it's really down to personal preferences, either Diablo 300 or T+A PA 3100 HV. Personally I would choose T+A PA 3100 HV over Diablo 300 to pair with B&W 8 series including an important factor - the 'look' (like George said Wife Acceptance Factor). I've put a deposit on the Essence power amp. The dealer unboxed a brand new power amp for me to audition, paired with Linn streaming DAC. Without burn-in and warming up, the Essence is just on another level...it is way better than Diablo 300 and T+A PA 3100 HV in every single aspect I can think of and it was able to drive the B&W 802d3 easily (I cranked up the volume on purpose to test how the amp can drive very dynamic classical music). |
fan118 OP
👍 For getting the Gryphon Essence, it will serve you and and any future speakers you get for a long time to come. Also good work doing the ground work before buying, too many just grab things mentioned here to get by "good doers" without looking at the ability of them into the loads they will see. Cheers George |
