Tubes for B&W 803 good?


Just toying with the idea of using a tube pre-amp and Rotel 1080 or 1090 amp for my 803's

Do tubes work well with B&W speakers? Anybody with the same set-up care to share their experiences?

And... what brands would be good for such a set-up
doodleboytoyb266

Showing 2 responses by tonyp54

Doodle... I have an ARC 100.2 ss amp driving 802 Matrix IIIs. Definitely go with a ss amp for the B&Ws to get the most out of them, but I strongly recommend a tubed preamp based on extensive auditioning. I have heard Nautilus 802s with a similar combination (Conrad Johnson pre) and the sound was great. I would get the best electronics you can on the used market if necessary to match with your speakers, I agree that the Rotel probably won't bring out the best in your speakers.
I have a solid state amp and tube pre-amp (ARC LS-15) with 802 matrix IIIs. I love what the tubes did in smoothing out the highs compared to ss pre-amps I tried. ARC pairs up pretty well with B&Ws.