Rega Aetheos, Simaudio Moon 340i or NAD M33 for B&W 805s?


I know picking a integrated amp by it's depth is wrong BUT I'm stuck with this situation (depth of my cabinet is 16½"). I have B&W 805 D3 speakers and presently running them with my old NAD T752 amp (have a newer Denon but much too thin and bright for the 805s so I brought back my old NAD).  I mostly listen via turntable and streaming Amazon HD thru my Fire Tv, I plan on getting a BlueSound node if whatever amp I get doesn't have streaming capability.  Power wise these 3 should be just fine but with absolutely no high end shops anywhere near me I'm stuck choosing by users & reviewer's take on these 3 amps.. My main worry is getting a amp that's too bright for it would definitely be a bad match for the 805s.

I'm hoping someone here has or heard these amps with the 805 D3s and could give me their thoughts and opinions.. 

capt57

@capt57 I would look seriously at the Supernait or a Uniti Star or Nova with a major caveat that they are out-of-stock.  The absolute power rating isn't that high but it is plenty of power to drive those 805s and tonally is warmer and a brilliant match.  The only issue is that they are out-of-stock at the distributor.  The Uniti Star looks like inventory may be in soonish.  The Supernait has no estimated delivery date. 

An alternative at $6299, the AVM CS 2.3 is an all-in-one streaming unit that would definitely do the job.  AVM is tonally quite warm and a brilliant match for B&W.  This new unit has been worked on a long time to make sure that it is virtually bug free.  My guys at the distributor have been running it for a few months without issue and have been super happy with the software.  Silver and Black are in-stock and it would be a nice option for you as it has similar features to the M33 or the Uniti Star. 

If I can think of something else I will mention it here.  

@patrickdowns The Mu-So is in-stock at the distributor in three colors.  It is a nice unit.  I feel it is MUCH better than a Sonos or a Pulse but has the natural limitations of a single box.  If you can live with that, it is a good sounding option.  

@Verdonaudio I couldn’t find the depth of the AVM CS2.3 but I see it has a built in CD player, I should have added I do listen to CDs and I’m very fond of my Music Hall MMF-CD25 CD player so it would be a bit redundant. Very nice integrated though!!

I’m going to give the Naim Supernait 3 another look, it was on my original list, it had the right depth and is a class A amp but it’s 80wpc vs the others came into play.. So you’re saying the Supernait 3’s 80wpc is built to easily handle lower impedances better then the Aethos 125wpc?

Hi @capt57 you might like the Circle Labs A200. It sounds alive (and fits in your cabinet!).

 

Here's a review from a few of our very own Audiogon members: https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/circle-labs-a200-integrated-amplifier-review-it-will-appeal-to-both-t

 

And here's a brand new review in HiFi Knights that I think really captures what makes the A200 special: http://hifiknights.com/reviews/amplifiers/circle-labs-a200/

@gestalt that's one incredible amp but sadly $8995 is out of my range... I'm pretty much at the $5000 limit-ish, I did originally start at a $3000 limit though lol. 

@capt57 Topline (8 ohm) output means very little if the speaker is lower impedance.  It means more current is required and its rating and ability to handle lower impedance is far more important.  In the case of the Aethos, it needs very easy to drive speakers or it is going to over-heat according to the manufacturer.  

The Supernait is rated to 2 ohms and is designed to be paired with Focal.  They are relatively difficult speakers to drive with impedances that will bottom out below 3 ohms.  The 805 D3s will be an easy load on them.  

The difference between 80w and 125w in terms of peak output is about 2 dB.  At 80w, the B&W will output 103.4 dB at 10' and at 125w, the peak output will be 105.3 dB.  In the extremes it will make a small difference.