Need Amp for BE-718, any suggestions?

Semi, being a dealer for Usher, Plinius, and Bel Canto, I actually find Bel Canto to be warmer than Plinius. So, if the Plinius and BE-718's are a little too warm then Bel Canto will only make it warmer. In my room (which is a little more brightly balanced), a Plinius M-8 preamp and SA-201 power amp was a little bright with the BE-718's. Swapping to a Bel Canto PRe2 and REF1000 monos warmed up the sound to where it worked for me in my room. Likewise in a different system that was too warm and laid back with the Bel Canto, the Plinius combo worked extremely well.

Raks, the BE-718's can take a lot of power, so you don't have to worry about an amp with too much power. In my opinion, there is really no such thing. Use your ears. If you start to hear the sound breaking up a bit from overdriving the speakers, just turn the volume down. You're always safer having too much power than too little. I have driven the BE-718's a lot with Bel Canto REF1000 monos which put out 500W into 8 ohms. I've cranked up this combination considerably at times and have had no issues whatsoever. In the past I've even cranked up the REF1000's with Focal Micro Utopia BE's which are only rated for 100 watts and it was not a problem at all. There were times with the Micro's that I could hear them reaching their limits and turned it down. So, don't worry about having lots of power.

I am pairing them with Plinius 9200 now. It's smooth, grain free, but a little too warm for my taste. BE718 is tuned with a little warmth, so using an amp with more neutral character will be my preference. Bel Canto, NuForce, Sim audio, and Krell come to mind.

Veloxant… I listen to everything… I especially love acoustic guitar like Eric Clapton / Unplugged, solo cello, chamber music, and female vocals like Emmylou Harris, Shelby Lynn, to Janis Ian… I’m dating myself here.

I personally judge a speaker by how real acoustic guitar music sounds, since I know how loud an acoustic guitar is, and how a pretty good acoustic guitar sounds.

My room is pretty big (about 17” x 20”) and my speakers are on the long wall. The BE718’s have the “snap” that I like, a big soundstage, and they don’t wear me out like some of my other speakers did.

I’ve read comments that the Theta Intrepid amp is underrated, so I may have a really good amp and not even realize it (even with it being a five channel). My pre-amp is a Theta Casanova Pre-Pro, and my CD/DVD is a Theta Compli. Speaker Cables and IC’s are Kubala Sousa Fascination, and PC’s are all Black Sand. When I read the BE718’s like power, that’s all I needed start wondering what a more powerful amp would do for me. My problem is I don’t understand the technical stuff enough to know if a 300 watt amp would be too much for the BE718’s when they’re only rated for up to 200 watts.

Raks,

It really depends on what kind of listening you do, how big your room is, and/or if you are going to listen to the "original" volume levels of the recording. How does your Theta fare with the ushers?

-r

I’ve been hoping that someone would ask this question since I got my Usher BE718’s. I’m currently driving mine with a multi-channel Theta Intrepid (100 Watts), and they sound amazing. All the reviews say the BE718’s “crave power”. I’ve been thinking about buying an amp that puts out 300 Watts, but I don't know if its safe to drive the BE718’s with that much power. Does anyone have advice?

i finally paired the be-718 with bel canto ref1000 and they truly sing!!! what a wonderful speakers...

here's what i got for my digital stuff:

Mac Mini for digital transport
Bel Canto DAC3
Bel Canto Ref1000
Nordost speaker cables and xlr interconnects
Core Model B speaker stands

Now my next project will be an analog setup starting next week!!!

thanks for the response.

since i'm a bit geeky guy and use computer a lot, i paired it with my bel canto s300 and it sounds amazing...for some reason my be-718 likes the s300 than the anthem a2, go figure...i'll update more once it's broken in...

If you're breaking in your BE-718, it's no telling yet whether your amp will match well with them. Wait at least 500 hours before you draw any conclusions. But they love power as Tweak1 said, the more the better.

I have 6311s & owned 6371s. They like power. Consider Wyred4Sound and definitely biwire them. For that definitely check out Clear Day solid core cables. I swear by his silver shotgun. Still under $400. He advertises here, or email vonwaffen@juno.com