2. amps-preamps
  3. 1233703168

What amp for B&W 804?

I presently have Mcintosh MC7270 with a Prima Luna Prologue 3 pre amp. I traded my prima luna amp for the Mac thinking I was taking a step up. Not so. My present system sounds strident and thin in the mid range. It doesn't have the rich sonics that i expected. I have been told by an audiophile (I'm a amateur) that the Mac is not the amp for the B&W's. My question: What amp does fit the B&W's? Say in a price range of $3 to $4 thousand. I am not anxious to spend money, but I sorely want a stereo system that is a plessute to listen to. The Prima was good but not great. Jnorth
jacknorth1178

Showing 1 response by glenalan

glenalan
65 posts
 
Being a past owner of B&W804's I can say that they are quite transparent and sound remarkably better with good quality electronics (not necessarily expensive ones) with at least 100 watts. I wouldn't classify the 804s as a rich sounding speaker but rather neutral, lean, and clean sounding. In comparison the 803s with its larger cabinet is warmer and more full body sounding.

I've used Jeff Rowland 201 (250w), Rotel RB1090 (380w) and even the Leben CS600 (Tube Integrated 32watts). Both the JR and Rotel amps provided very good bass definition and control with the JR amp sounding more refined overall. The Leben with its lower power sounded surprisingly good particularly in the mids and highs albeit less bass impact.
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