I agree with the idea of the s801. I got it after trying the marantz 1711 and returning it. I didn’t have the Bowers& Wilkins 705s at the time. But, having bought a pair of the original 705s, I am enjoying the combo. One YouTube reviewer told me the speakers suffer from ’typical’ Bowers& Wilkins brightness but I have never found that to be the case. In fact, I will at times boost the treble. Plus, I’m getting a very nice bass response from the speakers. More depth and punch than I would expect from these bookshelves. I tend to set the loudness dial at about 10:30. I find bypassing the controls using pure direct tends to produce a thinner sound than I like. Worth playing around with I think. Although most reviews I have read say that the amp works best in the pure direct mode. To each his own. I always think it’s a good idea to buy gear from stores that offer a good return window. Unlike some other gear I have bought, the Yamaha made it through its 30 day trial.
