Amp for B&W 607

Squall Leonhart

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I recently got the 607 speakers for a bedroom and they are the best sounding small speakers I have had. Loads of bass mixed with loads of detail.

I feel I may be able to squeeze more performance out of them. I currently use a Yamaha AS301.
Any amp recommendations that will give me even better results then the yamaha?


I am considering an amp around £600 like the Audiolab 6000a, Rega Brio or the Musical Fidelity M2si which has just had a price drop to £600.
 
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Of those 3, Rega would be my first pick, then the MF. But I'd get a used Naim Nait 5si or Arcam A29 instead.
B&W and Arcam go very well indeed.

Shameless plug for my Arcam A29 which is for sale. Transferable warranty until 10/22. PM me if interested and I'll point you to a large auction site where it is.
 

SteveH72

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I recently got the 607 speakers for a bedroom and they are the best sounding small speakers I have had. Loads of bass mixed with loads of detail.

I feel I may be able to squeeze more performance out of them. I currently use a Yamaha AS301.
Any amp recommendations that will give me even better results then the yamaha?


I am considering an amp around £600 like the Audiolab 6000a, Rega Brio or the Musical Fidelity M2si which has just had a price drop to £600.
If you're really enjoying the sound, you could question whether an upgrade is necessary at all? If you were going to upgrade, only you can decide what sounds best to your ears. All of the amps listed are very good. Sensitivity of the 607s is quite low at 84db and they dip to 4 ohms so they need some quality power to sound their best. An audition is the only solution, I'm afraid.
 
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Squall Leonhart

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If you're really enjoying the sound, you could question whether an upgrade is necessary at all? If you were going to upgrade, only you can decide what sounds best to your ears. All of the amps listed are very good. Sensitivity of the 607s is quite low at 84db and they dip to 4 ohms so they need some quality power to sound their best. An audition is the only solution, I'm afraid.

Yeah the sound is still great but I want to hear these speakers at there best




with 84db you should atleast get 2x100 watt in 8 ohm (continuous power)

I would love to but I imagine that will be very expensive. Even monster amps like the denon 2500ne only go to about 80 watts into 8 ohms.

Edit: The Yamaha as701 is 100 watts into 8ohms and its cheaper then the others I mentioned. But for some reason there is no reviews I can find even though it's easy to find reviews for the as301 and as501

Edit 2 : I found this random thread after doing a bit of googling. The transformer and capacitors are bigger then my as301 https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ts-about-the-internals-few-measurements.9459/
 
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rainsoothe

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Imo you don't "need" 100w/ch, no matter the sensitivity. Unless you wanna play at rock concert levels. For normal (loud) listening, any decently built amp will be more than sufficient. And, imo, the only Yamaha amps worth considering are AS1000 and above. They are ok, but only for jazz and classical imo. If you want something with drive, look elsewhere - Naim, Exposure, Rega, Densen, even Hegel and Arcam. I'd take any Naim integrated over Yamaha AS3000, just because they can play a tune properly. But it's all subjective, some love Yamaha's airy and soporific sound.
 

gasolin

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You just need more power to play loud with 84 db speaker, the point in having enough power is not to use it, some speakers even have less sensitivity than rated and are comment for many speakers.

Some may think 2x50watt is enough, you must remember that some of them have speakers with a sensitivity of 87 db or higher, not 84 db where some rated 85-86db as very low.
 
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Squall Leonhart

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Imo you don't "need" 100w/ch, no matter the sensitivity. Unless you wanna play at rock concert levels. For normal (loud) listening, any decently built amp will be more than sufficient. And, imo, the only Yamaha amps worth considering are AS1000 and above. They are ok, but only for jazz and classical imo. If you want something with drive, look elsewhere - Naim, Exposure, Rega, Densen, even Hegel and Arcam. I'd take any Naim integrated over Yamaha AS3000, just because they can play a tune properly. But it's all subjective, some love Yamaha's airy and soporific sound.

The Naim Supernait 3 I would get in a heartbeat if I had the money 🤤
 
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Squall Leonhart

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For my main system I have the Denon PMA1600ne with Dali Rubicon 6. What if I saved up for a better amp for the Rubicons and then connected the denon to the B&W 607? Atleast that way I will end up with better amps for both my systems.

The Denon 1600ne is 70 watts into 8ohms which is better then the yamaha AS301 and it has the added benefit of doubling to 140 watts as inpedences drops to 4ohms which should in theory benefit the B&W 607s as it has a big impedance curve as it is 8ohms nominal but drops to 4ohms minimum.

I havent tried experimenting with connecting my denon to them yet so I will try it out soon
 
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gasolin

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For my main system I have the Denon PMA1600ne with Dali Rubicon 6. What if I saved up for a better amp for the Rubicons and then connected the denon to the B&W 607? Atleast that way I will end up with better amps for both my systems.

The Denon 1600ne is 70 watts into 8ohms which is better then the yamaha AS301 and it has the added benefit of doubling to 140 watts as inpedences drops to 4ohms which should in theory benefit the B&W 607s as it has a big impedance curve as it is 8ohms nominal but drops to 4ohms minimum.

I havent tried experimenting with connecting my denon to them yet so I will try it out soon

If you like denon why not try to look for something like a PMA 2000R or another top of the line denon amp
 
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Squall Leonhart

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If you like denon why not try to look for a something like PMA 2000R or another top of the line denon amp

I am thinking the 2500ne would be good for the Rubicons and it's on sale with £400 off. It will take me awhile to save up so I hope it remains on sale. I have a feeling they will be releasing a new model to replace it soon so hopefully this model stays in stock. If not then I will see if there is something better like maybe the Naim XS3 but I will audition that first as I never heard a naim before.

Definitely cant go for the Supernait 3 though as it's a massive price difference to the XS3

Edit:marantz pm ruby is going for a lot of money off. Damn, why must they tempt me.....

Edit 2: I have tested the denon with the 607s and it's VERY noticeably better
 
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rainsoothe

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You just need more power to play loud with 84 db speaker, the point in having enough power is not to use it, some speakers even have less sensitivity than rated and are comment for many speakers.

Some may think 2x50watt is enough, you must remember that some of them have speakers with a sensitivity of 87 db or higher, not 84 db where some rated 85-86db as very low.
I demoed a pair of ATC SCM 11 with a Unitiqute 2+Nap100 and they went louder than I could comfortably listen to in a 16sqm room before starting to show any strain. Some even power ATC or Kef ls50 with bare Unitiqute (which is 30w/ch). A Naim Nait 5si will sound more in control of these speakers than any Yamaha entry level amp will ever be able to, and so would a Rega Brio probably.

@op you have to audition Naim before committing to any purchase. You might hate it, but you need to hear what they do. I didn't know you could budget for an XS3 - if you can, you'll hardly be able to do better. Alternatives at that price point that are also very strong imo are Hegel H120 and Densen B130xs.

However, even a second hand first gen Nait XS (which should be available for something like 800 quid) will beat the crap out of the yammies. Imo, of course.
 
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Squall Leonhart

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I have decided on the Audiolab 6000a. I decided I dont want to spend anymore then £600. Plus the Audiolab has loads of digital inputs so i can connect it to Games console and Blu Ray player


Edit : Thanks for all the help everyone but I decided going for a Naim XS3 or Denon 2500ne would be to much money for me right now. Especially with all this coronovirus stuff potentially interfering with my work.

The Audiolab should be a decent enough upgrade over the AS301
 
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gasolin

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I have decided on the Audiolab 6000a. I decided I dont want to spend anymore then £600. Plus the Audiolab has loads of digital inputs so i can connect it to Games console and Blu Ray player


Edit : Thanks for all the help everyone but I decided going for a Naim XS3 or Denon 2500ne would be to much money for me right now. Especially with all this coronovirus stuff potentially interfering with my work.

The Audiolab should be a decent enough upgrade over the AS301

You can get one for just a little over £500 might wanna ask on the chat if they can sent i to where you live, in uk it costs £599 at richer sound

 
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I’ll mention this out of interest because I believe that Rotel’s RA-1062 will do the trick with the 607’s nicely. The RA-1062 was partially designed with 801’s and therefore the 607’s will be a walk in the park for 1062’s high current capability. Not to mention 607’s will also form an excellent tonal match with the RA-1062.

A good RA-1062 can be picked up on the used market around £200 - £300.
 

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