Levinson 332 amp with the B&W Signature 800?

I have owned all of the above equipment you've mentioned and yes, the 332 OR the 335 will easily power the B&W 800's to fairly loud levels without too much trouble. A better question would be which would sound better. The 800's, being as good as they are, will sound significantly better with the newer 380pre and 335 combo. The 800's are one of those speakers that will show up any weakness in the source or any of the equipment or cables in front of them! So, get the newest Levinson you can afford and the best cables (I prefer Transparent Audio cables) to go with them.

Walkingman:

I have the ML 39,38,332 and the B&W Nautilus 802's,and consider upgrading to the B&W Signature(or Nautilus) 800's two years later. I am largely satisfied with the 802's except a little unsatisfaction with their bass.

If you have had or listened to the B&W Signature(or Nautilus) 800's,I want to learn from your experience what sound came from them. What sound came from them from the viewpoint of treble,midrange,bass,timbre,tonal balance and musicality?

Having listened to the B&W Signature 800's with the Linn Climax Solo amplifier,the Accuphase C2900 preamplifier and the Linn CD 12 Cd player,someone said that they had sounded bright from the viewpoint of timbre. For this reason they say that the B&W Signature(or Nautilus) 800's are matched better with tube amplifiers than with solid state amplifiers. Is that true?

Thanks.

I don't find the 800's inherently bright, but they COULD be if used with the wrong combination of components. I have not heard the Accuphase piece, but I know that the Linn amps have a leaner "brighter" or "livelier" timbre or balance than, say the Levinson stack would have by a fair bit. I would not use these amps with the 800's. A Levinson, on the other hand, will have a beefier, less "bright " sound overall, and therefore is a much better match. I know B&W use Krell, Levinson and Rotel for most of their evaluations when designing their stuff. Tube stuff can work OK but can also lead to a "softer" high end and a somewhat softer or flabby bass, depending on what amp is used. You'd want to try it first. I hope this helps!

I am thinking of upgrading from the B&W Matrix 801s to the B&W Nautlis or Sig 800s. I have a Mark Levinson 380S preamp and 336 power amp and use Acoustiz Zen Matix Ref II cables as well as Transparent Ultra XL and AZ Hologram II Biwire speaker cable or Audioquest Volcano. Do you think this is a good combo? Different cables maybe?