Rotel RA-1592 MK II or something else to deliver around 200W to B&W towers around $3000?


So I just purchased a pair of B&W CDM-9NT and am now going deep down the rabbit hole trying to find an amp that’s going to let these speakers sing to their fullest. I keep coming back to Rotel as the consensus appears to be that these amps pair very well with B&Ws. I was trying to keep the budget to $1000...then $1500...now I’m looking at $3000 options...I’m not willing to go up to the McIntosh prices at the moment so I’m capping myself at $3k new or used.

I was thinking that going integrated was the best option when looking at the $1500ish options. Now maybe separates would make sense at $3000?

Goals in sound are excellent imaging and separation. Strong and tight bass is a must. Music selection is mainly very bass forward genres like hip hop & EDM. I also enjoy jazz, rock and sometimes classical as the mood strikes. A must have is digital connectivity for hi-res streaming. The room is 14x18 if that matters.

Any help is appreciated.
yukispier

Showing 1 response by james633

Well I have own some of the equipment you are looking at. 


I owned a B&W 703s and a Rotel 1072 amp. I also owned a Peach Tree Deco, and wyred4sound equipment… and McIntosh. My comments are all very general as it has been a long time and my system changed between some of these pieces. 


The B&W and Rotel combination wore my ears out. It was fine when I had it as I did not know any better. The highs had a lot of hash in them and the upper mids were peaky. Bass was fine.



The Peach Tree had poor quality and the right to left balance would change 1-1.5db from the 9 o’clock to 12 o’clock position on the volume. I returned it. I have no idea if this has been fixed now. It’s sound fine but nothing special. The tube buffer seemed to do almost nothing.
Wyred4sound is a good budget option and will drive them fine but again nothing amazing but more than good enough.
The best I have heard B&W sound is on McIntosh. It is a good combination. The Mac takes the edge out of the B&Ws. At least the ones with autoformers. Maybe look on the used market but it will push your budget for sure.



803d3 on mc611 monos with tube pre was good and the least edgy I have heard the 803d3 sound. 805d3 on the MC275 was good (tamed the highs). The 805s on the MA7200 was ok (little bright). Again all very expensive but might related to lower end B&W and lower end Mac or not, not sure. I personally own a MC462 (450 watt Mac) but never used it on my B&Ws.



I think the Musical Fidelity suggested above is a good option. An often over looked amazing bang for the buck brand.