Rate my system/advise

I would change the Amp/amps to McIntosh or Audio Research for a big jump in sound quality. Love the Nordost. The NAD is holding this system back. Dump the Mac bridge McIntosh makes amplifiers, the rest is eye candy.

Matt M

Unless we are able to sit in your room, the better question would be how do you rate your system?  Someone could have identical gear,in a very different room,and get very different sound.  Is there something you aren’t happy with,or just trying to fine tune? 

gonna have to hook it up..but congrats on a REF6 ! wow

You about to hear all opinion. I have BW 802d3 with MA12000 and Nordost in bedroom system it great. Wife love bounce of meter and really get her going. Agree change NAD’s for better amp you got nice system bro. My wife system like butcher block she got nice rack always good combo with isolation like spring make synergy.

Those NAD amps are your bottleneck. That would be the first thing I’d address.

mattmiller and tubebuffer, yes, I figured the NAD is somewhat of a bottleneck. I spent more than I wanted on the ARC REF 6, hoping that a good enough preamp would be enough to overcome this. I was looking at Pass Labs and Parasound monoblocks for the future, but I figured I should first prioritize audio racks and room treatment for now. I honestly have a low paying job and have no right buying this equipment, but I have been working crazy overtime to be able to buy this. I hope the NAD's will suffice for now, since those amps are quite expensive. 

rocray, I have not set this system up. I have no idea how this combination will sound. I was looking for some advice on how people will think the ARC, NAD and B&W will pair as far a power goes. That is not all I am looking for, but part of it, including room treatment and isolators. I have degrees in physics, which helps when I read the specs about this equipment, but I am still far from grasping all of it. I can understand basics, but I have years ahead of me as far as understanding how to optimize all of these components and how they all work together. 

tomic, thanks, I was pretty excited about purchasing the REF 6. I can't wait to set it up.

I am now looking at Franc audio racks. Although I will spend twice the money, it seems like this will be superior to the Butcher Block/Isoacoustics combination. 

LOL McIntosh….there are a number of brands better than NAD or McIntosh. Buy what sounds good to you not what some people here say you should buy.

btw I have a McIntosh amp in my hunting camp. Use it 4 times a year. Good place for it. 

The OP is about to learn an expensive lesson.

hahaha secretguy. I found that out very quickly. I demo'd some cheaper speakers, including Paradigm Founders series and other B&W's, expecting a cheaper system. I then demo'd the 803 D3's, just for fun. They offered me a great price, selling me the demo pair. I impulsively bought these. I then quickly realized, with speakers of this quality, each component should probably be within that same price range. I realized I fucked myself pretty quickly. I;ve been working an average of 85 hours a week for months now paying off my debts. 

A good preamp will make up for a bad preamp, but it will not make up for a not-so-great amp. Best of luck. Listen to what you have before buying more stuff, especially acoustics. 

ohlala, thank you for the response. Thats unfortunate for me, but thank you for the advice. I will definitely set it up and listen before purchasing more.

I think you maybe consider set up and listen before go hog wild on more gear. A good rack is nice but you want real power in core where most needed. Wife sister have nice rack but maid have strongest core that my advice.

Hahaha I think i get it tubebuffer. Never thought of it that way but you seem to know what you’re talking about. I love a good core.  

Kinda lite on analog.

You do not need to spend the same amount on the gear as the speakers. Get some warm sounding gear for the B&W. My warmest sounding gear is the new KRELL XD line. Which likely would sound killer with the Audio Research and B&W.

I own the model 1 lower than this model linked below. I wanted to get the one on the link but the one I got was cheaper with less power, KRELL 175XD.

Krell Duo 300 XD Stereo Amplifier Dealer Ad - US Audio Mart (MSRP is now $14K)

I have a NAD M22 V2 on the way to my house next week. When I demoed it a few years ago I found it a little warm, not the utmost in detail, but not bad. This is for some headphones.

$49 well spent to get a laser measure for set up.  Not just distance to front baffle from listening spot, also use it on sides of speakers to set toe-in and on top to set any tilt.  Way more significant than I'd have ever guessed until I fine tuned my position and geometry.  Its when you notice your speakers actually disappear. 

Too bad you're not loaded up with a bunch of stuff to sell.  LOL.  So moving forward.  Have you got the speakers positioned.  Out in front of furniture etc.  Subs would help.  Takes load off amps. Not sure if a Parasound A21+ would work warm sound.  Not high priced.  Older model is less.  But yeah. If money is tight first you have to have time listening and you will have plenty of time to figure this out.  Good luck.  You should be able to make this sound good for now.

Santabarbara, thanks for the info and providing the link. I'll look more into Krell. I was looking into some Pass Labs amps or to save money, buying an older pair of ARC Ref 210 or VTM200. Do you think these older models will hold up, or should I really look for newer? 

Akgwhiz and daledeee, thanks for the advice. I'll definitely wait and take time for measurements and all that before purchasing any items for room treatment.  

This sounds a lot like putting the cart before the horse. Set it up, listen to what you have now and go from there. Right now you are driving blind. With the cart in front of your horse. Hard to get anywhere that way.

Baylinor, ya I will I guess keep it as is and then try to have some money saved up. I will be moving soon, and don't want it set up at my current residence for a few reasons. But when I move, I won't have as much disposable income, which is why I've been using this time to buy everything while I have a better opportunity to do so. 

@zpatenaude37  congrats on the purchases, and I am sure you will have up something you love & with some fun ideas to try over time - seems like you’ve got a great “backbone” to work with

If it were me, I would ditch the McIntosh & buy any number of modestly priced streamers - BluSound etc.  McIntosh good for pre-amps & amps, rest not really their game. If it were me, I’d want something Roon-ready - Roon is pretty amazing

Again, if it were me, and working in a real-world budget, I would rather have one good stereo amp than a pair of monoblocks - my view is that you get more for your money. But monoblocks are admitedly cool. “Cool” is an audiophile term. Give the whole thing a listen and see what you think!

I wouldn’t spend any more serious money until you’ve had a chance to live with the system for a bit and then swap different amps in and out to see where you hear differences (borrow from a friend, or buy things with good return policies)

Congratulations again, I’m sure you will love the rig where you have started, and you can focus on the streamer, and whether or not you want different amps, over time.  Most of all, keep it simple - make changes sloooowly. You will never regret not spending money…

Have a great day!

@zpatenaude37  - btw, once you have it up and running, come back and tell us what you think! Would be fun to hear your reaction and thoughts

Those B&Ws err on the side towards bright/edgy especially on treble unless matched with warmer more forgiving amp. The Parasound mentioned or a McCormack would be good on a budget...Pass later at higher price perhaps. 

I'd rather you do DIY rack or even temporarily even cinder blocks etc in the short-term vs. keeping the NAD and buying a fancy rack.

For the room treatments, absorption or diffusion at first reflection point will be most impactful to taming those tweeters!

Cheers,

Spencer

@jonwatches1 thanks so much for the encouragement and advice. I will give updates in the future. Maybe I can find a trade-in with cash for the mcintosh to get a mark levinson 5101 in the future. Seems like a decent price. 

@sbank do you think if I can find a good price on a 10-15 year old Pass Labs pair, that would be a good deal? I'll still probably wait it out at this point, but maybe stay posted on the market for good deals.  

Look at a good McIntosh or audio research amp. This will make a huge difference.

other than that looks like your on the right track. Love nordost cables too. 

Your NADs are a 15 year old design, and if used, may need a going through.

I suggest a modern class D or Purifi amp. Disregard the old reviews and audio snobs. They have come a long way.

@zpatenaude37, my apologies for my lack of reading comprehension.  Total swing and a miss on my part.

There is a reason you always see B&W speakers with McIntosh or Classe amps. I have also found that Nordost cables are a little on the cool side. Adding more cool sounding gear with the B&W’s might not be the sound you want

You are on the right track with Parasound. A pre-owned pair of JC1s would make a significant difference to your system. As others have suggested, I would address the power amps before doing anything else. The 803's need both power and refinement and the Parasound's have both. Pass do as well and would be my preferred choice at retail prices. But as you are on a budget, I would look at the pre + series Parasouds pre owned if you can find them. Classe power amps are also a good match. If you are looking at buying new, the Rotel Michis work very well - but they are a little more biased towards power than refinement.

@sbank do you think if I can find a good price on a 10-15 year old Pass Labs pair, that would be a good deal? I'll still probably wait it out at this point, but maybe stay posted on the market for good deals.  

Yes.

I also like the Classe suggestion. They are another Canadian company that gives great value relative to their cost. Used ss amps from them could be a great option for you. Cheers,

Spencer

I predict that you will be totally blown away by this system and will not be heard from again for many months. Enjoy!

Thank you guys so much for your responses. 

@denverfred , haha ya I hope so. That's the plan.

I do have some money in savings that I didn't want to spend, but I'll see how impulsive I am. There is an audio store in my state that carries Classe, Parasound and B&W 800D3 series speakers, and they currently have 2 open box Parasound JC1+ amps for hopefully a good price. They don't carry Audio Research, but I am going to call for a demo and bring my REF6. I might compare the JC1+ and the Classe Delta Mono's if they have them. I wish they carried Audio Research, so I could compare to the REF 80s 2-channel amp.