Parasound JC 1 or Musical Fidelity KW 550?

Not to answer your question but, I have the B&W N802's. I replaced a MF A308 pwr amp with a much smaller rated (110 wpc vs 250 wpc) Marantz SM11. I loved the difference so much, I bought a second Marantz and I am using them as mono blocks. Don't know why people complain about the N802's being bright. Mine sound just right and I love listening.

Just my $.02.

Paul

Elly, unless someone has tried both amps with the N802s, this is nothing but a popularity poll. Even then, that individual's taste may be different than yours.

I've owned large, 3-way, five driver, floor standing speaker for years and have tried many top rated SS and tube amps with them. By far the best in my system has been the JC-1s. In fact a friend came by to hear them right after attending the CES. His comment was that while some systems he heard in Las Vegas surpassed my system in specific areas, nothing, even in the $30-50K range, was better overall.

What does this mean to you? Only that you must try any amp you are considering in your own system. And what if you don't have a local dealer? My best advice is to buy used and conduct your own home audition. If you are disappointed in any way, you may then resell them and try another.

Response to Mribob
I had a dealer demo an a/b comparison for me of the Parasound vs the MBL 8011's...it wasn't close; the mbl's were much tighter; cleaner; smoother; and richer than the Parasound...and run a lot cooler...was not impressed with the Parasound...this was on same cables and speakers; we just switched out at same listening session the different amps; on same music source...it was very revealing...and they are similiar in price...just my two cents.

The MBLs are $7150 PER Mono-block, so they are 2x the price.

Another vote for the JC1's, I found them to be very good and mate very well with the SF line 2SE+ I had...

I have to agree w/Peter about the JC1 and lack of magic,found then to be flat and uninvolving .Ive heard of several users with build issues,plus they get hot as hell..I would recommend a larger Pass X.5 or the Mac 501 monos just to name a couple to drive those sometimes bright 802 speakers