RB1080 for 803D?


My current system consists of B&W 683's driven by Rotel RB1080 amp. Considering upgrading to the 803D's. Is the rotel enough amp to drive 803D's? Any first hand experience is greatly appreciated.
foster8699

Showing 3 responses by james63

While Rjhalla is right your Rotel is more than enough to get the speakers playing great. Get the speakers... think about amps later. The speakers are 90% of the equation.

I have auditioned both the 803D and 802D on the RB 1080 back to back with Classe' CA-2200 (200 watt amp), in the same room same wires... The 1080 was more than enough to get both sets of speakers moving (I listened at 80db) and sounded pretty good (I would have been happy with the combo). The classe' brought more punch to the bass (slam). Maybe a little more openness to the midrange. I did not notice any difference in the highs (bad source?) I am 27 years old with good hearing (check every 6 months at work...).
Say you have 10 grand... You could buy $ 300 ( Bose 301s) and Mcintosh mono blocks or you could buy B&W 803D and an $800 Onkyo reciever.... Speaker make the Biggest difference.
I just think there are good "budget" amps out there (Musical Fidelity, Arcam, Rotel, etc) that bring a lot of bang for the buck. I think it is best when you start a system to buy the best speakers you can. Buy a good "budget" amp and up grade the amp when you have more money. If you do not have good speakers all benefits of the system up stream will be negated.

Anyway I find the source makes a larger impact than the amp... assuming you are not under powering you speakers...

By speakers being 90% of the equation I meant the character/tone of they system is largely controlled by the speakers.

For example.

#1 Take a Mcintosh integrated amp (MA7000, 250wpc) and a pair of Sophias vs the same Mcintosh integrated an a pair of 802D... you would have TOTALY different sounds.

#2 Now take the same pair of Sophias and change out the Mcintosh integrated for a Musical Fidelity amp (A5 250wpc). The system would sound different but it would not be as drastic as the change in system#1

So I feel my money is best spent on speakers. But respectfully to each their own.