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B&W 805D3 - Amp recommendation (Peachtree, Parasound, Hegel or Schiit?)

Hi, I just bought a pair of B&W 805 D3 with the stand. I want to upgrade from my current Peachtree audio Decco 65, which sounds fine, but I am sure the B&W deserve better. I would like to spend around $2K for the amplification. I am OK buying used or refurbished. After reading a lot of reviews, I am considering another integrated amp, like the Peachtree Nova150 ($1800), Parasound Halo Integrated ($2500), Hegel H80 ($2000). Another possibility would be the  Schiit Audio Ragnarok ($1700) and a separated DAC maybe the Schiit Audio Gungnir.

Any recommendation?
stelo
williewonka
3,067 posts
 
I’ll throw another amp into the mix - NAIM 5i

I have the 5i (mk II) (50w) which has a passive front end - the earlier mk1 had an active pre-amp and was not as good. The new 5i also has a passive front end and is a little more powerful (60w) - not that you’ll need it

Since I purchased the amp I’ve looked at other amps, but nothing under $5k comes close to the performance of the NAIM

It responds very well to nice cables and provides a very clean, detailed , neutral and very dynamic sound.

One word of caution - these amps do not like speaker cables that have a high capacitance - they can drive them to destruction - quite literally. Having said that I have tried a few different cables and they were all under 40 pF/meter and worked very well. (this also applies to many high current solid state amps)

Have a read of this review...
https://www.whathifi.com/naim/nait-5si/review

Regards...
stelo OP
14 posts
 
Helomech: I am not against tube amps, what would you recommend? My assumption was the tube amps would be much more expensive that solid state.

Williewonka: Thanks for the recommendation on the NAIM
helomech
1,513 posts
 
Stelo,

Just like SS, some tube amps command a fortune but it's not necessary to spend a fortune for great quality and performance. 

Just a few to consider: The Raven Audio Nighthawk, Cayin A88T, Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum, Line Magnetic (various). Also, you can probably get a Prima Luna integrated or Prima Luna separates in your price range, especially if you buy used. The Raven Audio Nighthawk gets nothing but rave reviews

The Chinese brands like Cayin and Line Magnetic are very high-quality, point-to-point wired designs, but warranty service for those could be an issue. Rogue Audio has a strong warranty and excellent customer service.

Don't discount any of them due to power specs either. If your speakers truly have a 88db sensitivity, they'll work fine for most volume levels in most rooms. Your speakers have a minimum 4.6 ohm impedance (8 ohm nominal) which is also fairly benign.

I personally use the Cayin and it works flawlessly, but I bought it used for $1600 and have no warranty.
Keep in mind that the retail price on most of these is somewhat negotiable. I would never pay list price for a Rogue Audio Cronus, a reasonable price is $2250 new, $1900 used. Same goes for the SS amps.
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