Amp for B&W 685

[admin_exported]

I know it's a much asked question but am a little unclear on the best amp to match B&W 685's with. I have a large 'new' room (approx 6.5m square). I'm after a pair of bookshelf speakers to sit either side of a fireplace with a wall mounted plasma. I'm not interested in 5.1 systems so just a straight forward stereo amp & pair of speakers is what I'm after. Mostly to be used to play music streamed from hard-drive to squeezebox Duet and thru eBay purchased Arcam Black Box DAC. I also want to use the system with films and TV so good treble clarity required.
I'm pretty much settled on the B&W 685s but not sure which amp to pair with. I'm swayed towards a Roksan Kandy (budget permitting !!) based on the excellent reviews but not sure how well matched this would be with the speakers. It seems that there are alot of suggestions to get a Rotel or even Creek amp at a cheaper price and to give a better sound ? I know these things are subjective but keen to hear people's thoughts. Obviously I'll listen before I buy...

thanks

 

[pekers678]

For me, try the Cambridge Azur 640A/740A, extremely decent quality from a manufacturer who is popular at both ends of the price spectrum, Richer Sounds are really helpful. 640A got 5/5 from What Hi-Fi, and the new 740A got best buy from HiFi Choice. Book yourself in with Richer Sounds and have a listen, plus if you wanted to get into multi-room stuff in the future, both the amps are compatible and so can pretty much do anything (including controlling iPod from remote control etc....)

 

[Anonymous]

Contact B&W and ask them what they developed them with. They may say Rotel though as I believe they distribute them in the UK. I liked the 685 with Primare 31/30 Cd and amp, but it is overkill.

 

[Anonymous]

hmm - not convinced by Richer Sounds. I'm probably just being a snob but is the build quality of Cambridge got better over the years ?
Also - saw a review of the Mordant Short Mezzos on the Gadget Show and no-where else. Anyone with an idea how these compare with the B&Ws ?

 

[Anonymous]

my understanding is that Rotel and B&W are from the same stables. The Primare amp is a little out of my range. I think the Roksan Kandy price-point is about as high as I can go but even that will take some convincing to the girlfriend !!

 

[drummerman]

[quote user="df9864"]
I know it's a much asked question but am a little unclear on the best amp to match B&W 685's with. I have a large 'new' room (approx 6.5m square). I'm after a pair of bookshelf speakers to sit either side of a fireplace with a wall mounted plasma. I'm not interested in 5.1 systems so just a straight forward stereo amp & pair of speakers is what I'm after. Mostly to be used to play music streamed from hard-drive to squeezebox Duet and thru eBay purchased Arcam Black Box DAC. I also want to use the system with films and TV so good treble clarity required.
I'm pretty much settled on the B&W 685s but not sure which amp to pair with. I'm swayed towards a Roksan Kandy (budget permitting !!) based on the excellent reviews but not sure how well matched this would be with the speakers. It seems that there are alot of suggestions to get a Rotel or even Creek amp at a cheaper price and to give a better sound ? I know these things are subjective but keen to hear people's thoughts. Obviously I'll listen before I buy...

thanks

[/quote]

Although I would'nt personally recommend the B&W's you need to match them to a detailed even bright amplifier. Something along a little Rotel or Marantz probably do the job. There's to much competition around the kandy's price such as the Naim and cyrus8, both only marginally more expensive and better. They both excell with better speakers.

As always, my suggestion would be a cyrus8vs and Rega's R3. If you manage to get one ex-dem it'll be around the same price as your kandy/B&W's. IMHO there's no comparison but you might disagree.

 

[survivor]

Hi df9864. I have some 685`s and have matched them with the Pioneer A-A6-j which cost £350. I was a little concerned about the system sounding too bright but I am very pleased with the overall sound. Very smooth, clean and detailed. Good luck!

 

[JonnyD]

I have had the 685's with a rotel RA 05 for a few months now, it's a great combo! Sounds best when set near 11 o'clock on the amp. Love the sound!

 

[Anonymous]

Hi. I think NADs c355BEE would be an excellent pairing with the 685's. i think they're roughly the same price as the B+W's too. The Audiolab 8000s integrated would be a good choice too and you can get one for around £420 @ superfi. Good luck and happy hunting. Let us know how you get on!!

 

[drummerman]

[quote user="JonnyD"]I have had the 685's with a rotel RA 05 for a few months now, it's a great combo! Sounds best when set near 11 o'clock on the amp. Love the sound!
[/quote]

... and I bet the neighbours love you

 

[batonwielder]

I've auditioned the B&W quite extensively, and thought it sounded wonderful with Rotel. I'm not a big fan of Roksan Kandy. Their rather high power rating doesn't really translate into quality sound.

 

[d_a_n1979]

Crikey... Not been on here for a while...

Anyways...

If you like buying off eBay then i'd say take a look at a decent Arcam amp and possibly the matching power amp as well. The Arcam Alpha 9 or 19 integrated would be very good and well matched with the Black Box. If your budget allows, look at the matching power amp as well.

Arcam and B&W speakers go VERY well together; more so with the 685's as they take a bit of driving to get the best out of them.

Both the Arcam Alpha 9 or 10 set-up will give you plenty of well controlled, deep bass, smooth midrange and smooth and sweet treble, not too forward at all.

Another good thing would be to buy some very good mass-loadable speaker stands for the B&W 685's. My mate has them and we found that with the Atacama SE24 stands that he has that 6kg of Atabites in each stand gives the best sound with his Arcam Alpha 10 integrated and power amp matched with an Arcam CD92 CDP.

 

[Thaiman]

[quote user="df9864"]Mostly to be used to play music streamed from hard-drive to squeezebox Duet
and thru eBay purchased Arcam Black Box DAC.[/quote]

Then I wouldn't worry too much about High resolution amp. Rotel seem to be a very good match with the bowers stuff that is why people advise you to go down that route....me included.

 

[JonnyD]

[quote user="drummerman"]

[quote user="JonnyD"]I have had the 685's with a rotel RA 05 for a few months now, it's a great combo! Sounds best when set near 11 o'clock on the amp. Love the sound!
[/quote]

... and I bet the neighbours love you

[/quote] Luckily for me, I'm the only one in my apartment block most of the time. Where I live in switzerland, the neighbours are normally only here for holidays...so I can enjoy it without worrying!
Any decisions from OP?

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the responses. Will obviously audition some amps but can't help thinking that the Rotel might win out - seems to offer real value and a natural pairing with the speakers. Not sure I can justify going top end Arcam / Cyrus, etc but obviously if I get carried away I might yet end up there (tho the speakers will be literally sat on bookshelves - not stands - and the room doesnt have the best acoustics - it's big, wooden floors with minimal soft furnishings).

FYI - I used to own a NAD amplifier and found it a little bland (tho it was some time ago). Also, I find the more 'commercial' brands (Pioneer, etc) a little unengaging - not sure the word, but the sound tho very clear and detailed just doesnt grab me - is the right term for this 'bright' ?? A little like CDs used to sound vs a good ol' record player if you know what i mean...

 

[Anonymous]

Hi

I'm new to this forum, and really new to all this.

Just so happened i auditioned the 685s today. I currently have the Rotel 1072 CDP and the Rotel 1062 Int amp, and was looking for a pair of speakers to go with these. My current Wharfedales diamond 8.2 seem to lack something... it just sounds so "dead". Sorry, like i said i am new to this, so not sure what is the proper term.

Anyway, went to teh dealer, but he only had a Rotel RA04. It really showed up what my current speakers are missing, the bass was tight, and well, it sounded like how i like my music to sound.

I have 2 questions though and hope somebody can help me. Firstly, are the1062 a suitable fit for the 685s. Anybody tried it before? And secondly, the dealer asked me what kind of music i like, and the truth is i listed to a diverse range, classical, pop, rock etc etc. And he told me that the B&Ws are generally great for bass and that some people find the vocals a bit muffled as say compared to a mission or a quad. Anybody has any opinion on that?

Thanks, really looking forward to learning more.