B&W 802 d4 with Tube Amplifier

mc901 monos

Russ, great feedback thanks!

Again, if anyone has had personal experiences with driving b&w 800 series speakers with tube amps I’d love to hear and discuss your thoughts!  

I sold a client the 802D2 and Ref75 and it was a fantastic combo. He had a decent sized dedicated room (approx 15 x 20) so volume wasn’t an issue. I think in a big room the amp may struggle a bit but I know the D4 is more efficient than the D2 versions so give it a try.

As usual for me, I gave an over simplified answer. There is so much unknown. Your music preferences, your loudness levels, your room, etc. If you like a loudspeaker system, you might have to try some things to make it work its best, sometimes that gets expensive. What works for one person might not work for you. The ARC is a good piece and the 802s are a good system. With the right preamp you have a good chance of success. Totally worth a try and a long evaluation.  

I can speak as to the difficulty of driving the 802 series. The ARC will drive them but not drive them properly. The diamond series are power pigs, and it takes a lot of juice to drive them. I love B&Ws, but solid state is the way to go with them.