Upgraded amp for B&W 802d3


Hello, 
I am currently running my B&W 802d3 speakers with a Classe 2300 amp and  have been happy, but was thinking of going to the next level with higher wattage mono amps.    B&W speakers need power to sound their best., and many on this forum state they love McIntosh with B&W’s and speak highly of the MC 611.  Many say the amp has a warm and laid back signature which offsets the hot diamond tweeter.. Others say they prefer the Bryston 7b3 as they are more detailed and have a more “energized” signature as compared to McIntosh. Has anyone with B&W speakers that at one time used a Classe amp moved up to one of these amps?  If so , what improvement did you notice, if any?   I have a McIntosh dealer locally but the nearest Bryson dealer is 3 hours away and can’t compare them side by side.
128x128bwguy
So with going with an amp with high current as opposed to watts, would this mean an amp with m high class A output?  
Yeah, at 91dB you don’t need a ton of watts, but impedance is below 4Ohms from the upper bass through the midrange and dips to 3Ohms in both the upper bass and mids (as per Stereophile measurements).  So an amp with a beefy power supply and that is comfortable driving that load is pretty much a requirement for these speakers, which is why I was thinking a Class-A amp.  Many Class A/B amps are also fine with this (i.e. Bryston), but I think the refined yet detailed treble and natural tonal properties of better Class-A amps would pair particularly well with a speaker like the 802 d3.  But that’s me. 

I mentioned Pass because they’re great amps and people are familiar with them, and specifically I was thinking of the XA60.8.  If it was me, I’d get a Clayton Audio S100 that’s also an exceptional Class-A amp but about $5000 cheaper and has a low-bias switch so you can leave it warmed up without heating the house or blowing up your electric bill.  There’s an Enjoy the Music review that gives an idea of the amp’s sound, and you can read other Clayton reviews as the sonic signature is fairly consistent throughout the line. 

Incidentally, I worked for Magnolia and heard your speakers with McIntosh and thought those amps made the 802s sound relatively dull and lifeless, which they obviously are not — just my opinion FWIW.  And I actually don’t think the d3 tweeters are all that hot (especially if your ears are below the tweeter’s axis) but rather very cleanly detailed, which I think pairs well with amps like Clayton and Pass.  Anyway, hope this helps in some way, and best of luck in your search. 
The impedance only goes down to 3. They are not super hard to drive but get an amp with a beefy power supply. For example some 100 watt amps weigh 70 pds, there's a reason, a big power supply, big output transformers or big toroidal transformer. My Luxman 590axii puts out 30 watts pure class A and goes to roughly 95 watts in class AB but my Primaluna EVO 400 has much tighter and deeper bass, it also is heavier than the Luxman which weighs 62 pds. That weight is not just rocks or a bigger heatsink.
Thanks everyone for sharing your vast knowledge.  I did not realize class A amps made so much difference.  I will look into all the amps suggested.
OP, I went the other way.  I have older B&W 801Series 3 speaker and I was driving them with VTL 300 Deluxe mono blocks.  I wanted to get away from tube amps.  I tried Classe CAM 350 mono block for 3 months. Really nice amps and a good friend loves them.  If you have a friend with High Powered Tube amps, give them a try.  Should take the edge off and with those sub's you have, you should have a warm presentation with deep solid bass.  Then again the MC611 with the C2700 pre would be sweet.