Is the Marantz PM8006 powerful enough to power my B&W 802 Matrix Series 3?


Is the Marantz PM8006 powerful enough to power my B&W 802 Matrix Series 3? Any other recommendations? I am looking at Roksan Caspian M2 and Yamaha s2100.

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I agree with the idea of the s801. I got it after trying the marantz 1711 and returning it. I didn’t have the Bowers& Wilkins 705s at the time. But, having bought a pair of the original 705s, I am enjoying the combo. One YouTube reviewer told me the speakers suffer from ’typical’ Bowers& Wilkins brightness but I have never found that to be the case. In fact, I will at times boost the treble. Plus, I’m getting a very nice bass response from the speakers. More depth and punch than I would expect from these bookshelves. I tend to set the loudness dial at about 10:30. I find bypassing the controls using pure direct tends to produce a thinner sound than I like. Worth playing around with I think. Although most reviews I have read say that the amp works best in the pure direct mode. To each his own. I always think it’s a good idea to buy gear from stores that offer a good return window. Unlike some other gear I have bought, the Yamaha made it through its 30 day trial.

As a former owner of a Marantz PM8005; I can say its one IA that I wish I would have kept for secondary use in another room or location.  You can bi-wire the PM8006 if it suits your taste, and even output to two subs (pre-out) if that's in your interest, but probably not necessary with the B&W 803s.

I had mine paired to B&W 603 S2s and used an Ortofon 2M Black to the PM8005 MM phono stage.  My primary gripe was that combination was on the bright side.  I think the tweeters in the 603s and 803s are very similar.  The detailed sound stage and bass response were very good.  Then one day I swapped in a pair small Dynaudios and stopped using the B&Ws for two channel audio.  

I've since moved the 603 S2s to a 5.2 AV system in the family room. They're big, but an excellent fit for AV use. I sold the Marantz and moved on to a McIntosh 352 IA (not a fair comparison on price alone).  BTW, the Marantz had good resale value.

Looking back there's so many really good options in the PM8006 IA space, but the Marantz PM series is worthy for the build quality, very good MM phono stage and high end connections.  As usual, it really depends on your taste, how and where you consume the music or sound and the room you use it in.