I am bi-amping my N802's in an unusual way and it works very well. I have inquired about this setup with several knowledgeable sources, including an email correspondence with B&W, who assured me that it was OK.
The left and right speaker main outputs from my Denon AVR-5800 receiver (each rated at 170 watts/8 ohms) are run to the high frequency/mid-range binding posts on the N802's.
Then a pair of Audioquest Viper interconnects from the left and right pre-outs on the back of the Denon receiver to a Denon POA-5200 stereo amplifier (each channel 120watts/8 ohms). Left and right speaker main outputs from the POA-5200 are run to the bass binding posts on the 802's. It would seem that they should be wired the other way around, with the higher power from the receiver going to the bass portion of the 802's, but I tried it that way and it sounds much better with the higher power going to the tweeter/mid-range.
I know this is a bit unconventional but the results are spectacular. The tech rep from B&W confirmed that the Nautilus series is designed to be bi-amped and they definitely sound much cleaner and dynamic than when they were bi-wired.
The N802's demand and deserve as much clean juice as you can give them to really open up and work their magic. In fact I intend to eventually replace the Denon POA-5200 amp with a more powerful amp such as a 250W Krell. It then becomes a question of what is a safe amount of power to be delivered to each portion of the 802's without the risk of frying the mid's or tweeter. I will consult with B&W on that one.
Some of you audiophile purists may scoff at using a Denon receiver and thinking of it as a source for audiophile quality sound. You might be surprised at what Denon put into that receiver to ensure an audiophile quality sound for music playback. Yes, it is basically a home theater receiver but there is internal switching to shut off all other internal circuits and run only four high-powered DAC's per stereo channel. I'll put it up against any of your separates anyday. This has been confirmed by several well respected reviewers.
Anyway, I hope this is a helpful suggestion as a possibility.
BTW, I love these these 802's. I previously owned N804's and thought they were good, which they are, but the dynamics and the strength of these 802's are incredible. The 804's are now in the rear as excellent surrounds, especially for multichannel music.
The left and right speaker main outputs from my Denon AVR-5800 receiver (each rated at 170 watts/8 ohms) are run to the high frequency/mid-range binding posts on the N802's.
Then a pair of Audioquest Viper interconnects from the left and right pre-outs on the back of the Denon receiver to a Denon POA-5200 stereo amplifier (each channel 120watts/8 ohms). Left and right speaker main outputs from the POA-5200 are run to the bass binding posts on the 802's. It would seem that they should be wired the other way around, with the higher power from the receiver going to the bass portion of the 802's, but I tried it that way and it sounds much better with the higher power going to the tweeter/mid-range.
I know this is a bit unconventional but the results are spectacular. The tech rep from B&W confirmed that the Nautilus series is designed to be bi-amped and they definitely sound much cleaner and dynamic than when they were bi-wired.
The N802's demand and deserve as much clean juice as you can give them to really open up and work their magic. In fact I intend to eventually replace the Denon POA-5200 amp with a more powerful amp such as a 250W Krell. It then becomes a question of what is a safe amount of power to be delivered to each portion of the 802's without the risk of frying the mid's or tweeter. I will consult with B&W on that one.
Some of you audiophile purists may scoff at using a Denon receiver and thinking of it as a source for audiophile quality sound. You might be surprised at what Denon put into that receiver to ensure an audiophile quality sound for music playback. Yes, it is basically a home theater receiver but there is internal switching to shut off all other internal circuits and run only four high-powered DAC's per stereo channel. I'll put it up against any of your separates anyday. This has been confirmed by several well respected reviewers.
Anyway, I hope this is a helpful suggestion as a possibility.
BTW, I love these these 802's. I previously owned N804's and thought they were good, which they are, but the dynamics and the strength of these 802's are incredible. The 804's are now in the rear as excellent surrounds, especially for multichannel music.