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Ideal amp for B&W matrix 800

Hello everyone, I am looking for a great amp for my B&W MATRIX 800 speakers (the tall ones with the angular shaped bass cabinets, not the nautilus ones!).
I have a tight budget and live in Belgium.
My cd is Accuphase 500, preamp is solid state, no tone controls magnum Mp330.
I am looking for a 3d soundstage with lots of depth and emotional music playing. I therefore think of class A amps.
Hence... older krells? Tube amps would be a bad match as the speakers each have two 12 inch woofers. They are 4Ohms, with an impedance dip to 3 ohms in 100-200 Hz region. they are 93 dB/1W sensitivity though...
I could spend about 2000 euro but would prefer around 1000-1500 so I have budget for an accuphase preamp for phono (a c-280 or so). Would appreciate your input guys!
At the moment I localised a krell KSA-100 MKii for 850 e, a Krell KSA-200 S for 1750 e, a Krell FPB for 2000 e...
Or a Pass X250 for 2400 e.... Other suggestions are very welcomen these or just the ones that I found on sale some place now... I have never heard any of these amps...
blueskywalker
blueskywalker OP
92 posts
 
@georgehifi  just found a review of the stereo version of my amps, the Rowland 625. measured output was 329 watt in 8 ohm and 590 watt in 4 ohm, (which apparently made the 6.3 amp fuse blow after few secs); dynamic power was 333w in 8 ohm, 623w in 4 ohm, 1060w  in 2 ohm and 155w in 1ohm. The reviewer loved it, as it combined the charm and tranquility of a class a SET tube design with the tight control and grunt of a muscular class A/B amp.
And thats for the stereo version...
So for my 725  monos, I guess the answer truely lies in good powercords here. Have been testing some and so far really like Audioquest Storm series. I started a thread on that a while ago.
vegasears
1,173 posts
 
Blueskywalker, I had the identical experience when I tried a Krell 200FPB.  I used the Krell with Thiel CS6's and the upper frequencies were bright.  In came a tubed pre-amp.  It helped a bit but in the long run it sent me looking for more tubes.  All that happened in the early part to this century.  Currently I have B&W 801 S3's being driven by VTL450MKII amps. 
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
I guess the answer truely lies in good powercords here

Sorry you and I are on different planets with that one.

Cheers George
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
vegasears

Your 801’s are a totally different impedance and - phase angle to the OP’s Matrix 800’s, his are far more difficult to drive, compare the graphs below 300hz, actually everywhere.
https://www.stereophile.com/images/archivesart/bwll801fig01.jpg

Cheers George
blueskywalker OP
92 posts
 
@vegasears  I have tried vtl preamps in my system and found them truly great products! I never had a tube poweramp though, as I do not like the idea of having to replace possibly costly tubes each 5000 hours or so.

@georgehifi no worries on the different planet thing regarding powercords. 10 years ago I did not have one brand or expensive cable in my system... and I enjoyed my music as well. Along the way I got to try some cables through friends or sometimes they came in a package deal when I bought a device. I kept what I heard made a difference. i have to say that results are cumulative though, so changing just one cable in a whole system, is like putting a reference preamp in a mediocre system... it’s not allowed to shine and you can’t really hear why it is supposedly a good cable or reference preamp... I was able to try a whole range of cords, and then, yep... then I understood why certain cables were good... The cumulative result goes at least as far as changing to a better source, it’s crazy
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