I had those speakers with a Gryphon AT integrated, fabtastic combination. |
I second the Krell KAV-400xi. It earned an easy Stereophile "Class A" rating last year. It just can't be beat for less than $3K. Lots of power & detail and smooth. Highly recommended for B&W 805 > 803D. |
i drive my pair with just 30 class A tube watts to satisfaction so i feel they are fairly easy to drive. please at least try a good tube integrated such as one from the Jadis DA series or Orchestra (i am a biased Jadis owner).
scott |
Congrats on the speakers!
I've tried driving mine with a couple dozen ss and digital combos/integrateds under $5K over the last 3 years, and wasn't happy till I auditioned an Audiomat Arpege Reference.
However, Audiomat's Opera is a big step up from the Arpege and is what I've settled on. Good luck! |
-->>Adasilva - did you like the CAP-101 or the MA6900 the best? What did you think of the McIntosh vs. the Krell? <<--
I thought the Classe CAP-101 integrated did NOT have enough power for the Signature 805 speakers. I kinda liked the MA6900 however it's $5k new and $3.5k or more used.
The Krell 400xi is 200w/ch and less than $2200 new and has fully balanced XLR inputs. The the very tight bass definition did it for me. Also, I did not find the highs to be harsh (w/copper cables). The music seemed to jump out of the speakers (some people don't like this forward type of presentation). On a quiet sections of a CD the background noise is almost non-existant. I did not get that with my Classe integrated. If you already have a tube CD player it might be a good combo but only you can tell. |
Thanks for all of the responses.. comments:
Adasilva - did you like the CAP-101 or the MA6900 the best? What did you think of the McIntosh vs. the Krell?
Interested in other opinions of these w/McIntosh. I have heard the Musical Fidelity new amps, and they were great, but not with my 805's. The Bryston sounds very interesting with a built in DAC, but I havent seen many of theses around, I'll have to do some digging.. |
Sugden Masterclass or Accuphase E530.
A perfect match me thinks.
|
I have heard MF A5 with B&W 803 and they sounded very nice. Then they added Classe...and the sound went some notches up. |
Classe and B&W are sister companies and the combo of the 805 sigs and the new Classe integrated is pretty darn good, though not my cup of tea. The Classe was better than Sim Audio, YBA and Levinson separates.
Good luck. |
I agree with the Bryston B100 SST recomendation. It's a good a step up in refinement and musicality from at least two on your list that I have also owned. Any pre-conceived thought on it not being a good match for the sigs would not be from an owner as it is quite nuetral, musically involving, powerful and very open with a sweet top end. It's a great amp. |
I did have a Classe CAP101 (100w/ch) but these speakers sound better at any volume level with more power. They sound much better with 200w/ch, perhaps the 150w/ch would work OK. I was not crazy about the Classe CAP/preamp section in the CAP integrated although some may like the Classe sound. I demoed the McIntosh 6900 (200w/ch & $$) with the B&Ws. I demoed some $3k tube integrateds, no again. I have not tried the newer Musical Fidelity int-amps.
I'm currently using the Krell 400xi. It has 200w/ch, is very queit and, I think, works best with copper cables (<2200 new). Good luck. Al |
Having owned them with Musical Fidelity A308 integrated with Signature 805's, I can highly recommend this combination. Perhaps the new A5 would be just as good, if not better. I like the fact that the Classe is on the top of your list. Not sure if that means anything or not. However, since B&W owns classe, the two seem to go together quite nicely. One of my good buddies owned the new pre and power amp from classe to mate with his sig 805's. Much better than my musical fidelity, but a lot more pricey, also.
I would try either of the above way before tubes. Not sure that I can recommend Bryston to go with the Signatures. That may produce a fairly bright sound.
I agree with DRrdiamond, you have some of the best monitors around. My only advice is this: give them their fair shot, if you have to wait a while for an upgrade to an amp that will really show them off, take the wait and keep the speakers. They are unbelievable. Better, I think, than the new 805S. Although not everyone agrees with me. I've owned both, but not at the same time. |
These are great speakers. Some consider them to the best of the original Nautilus speaker line. That said, get the best that you can afford.
I would suggest solid state. (B&W usually works best with SS.)
You might consider the Krell 400xi. You will at a later date be able to upgrade your system by adding the FPB amps and using the 400xi as an excellent preamp.
Congradulations on you excellent choice of speakers!
Richard |
The full Class A Mambo, especially with the full Parts Connexion mod, is most definitely something to be reckoned with. Close to the very best sound I have ever heard. |
You should also consider the Bryston B100 SST integrated amp. It's an excellent unit with sufficient power to drive your 805's. For more info, click on the following link:
http://www.bryston.ca/b100sst_r.html |
Musical Fidelity works really well with B&W 805. I used the A308cr pre-amp and amp with my B&W Silver Signatures for a couple of years. |
