Amp for B&W CM9 - some advice and......am I missing Rotel?

[admin_exported]

Hi all - my first post [😀]

After auditioning a range of speakers, I found the B&W CM9s right for my ears, they are being delivered next week, with the sub and centre. I already have B&W M1 surrounds that will stay in place for now. My listening habits are 90% music and 10% HT and I have an Oppo BDP-83SE as the source for everything. The speakers will go into a room that is 10mtrs long x 3.8 mtrs wide and whilst initially they will be installed the wrong way around (on the 10mtr wall), I plan to make some changes in the next few months that will enable me to place them the "right" way.

I need an amp and was looking at something with a lot of power, especially for when I get the room setup right. My thoughts are to get an integrated amp with a home theatre bypass, but I am also open to separates. I will upgrade my AVR as well in a few months and I intend to run the fronts on the stereo amp and hook it up to the AVR pre-out.

I'm living in Sweden at the moment. In the town I live in and based on the power and HT bypass feature I am looking for, it looks like I will be able to audition the following:

Musical Fidelity M6i
Hegel H200
Lyngdorf TDAI 2200
NAD M3

I have read a lot about Rotel and B&W being a good match and I am also interested in the Rotel RC1580/RB1582 combo, but there are no dealers here. If I went for this option, I would have to buy it from Stockholm or Gothenburg and it would have to be without home auditioning.

I welcome any thoughts and experience on both my short list of amps with the CM9s and the Rotel options.

Cheers [Y]

 

[DavidNorway]

Hi catlike

i cant advise on your plans except tell you a friend bought the Hegel h200 with h10 dac and it really is a great sound.He is using System Audio Mantra 60 speakers,give it a listen.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks David.

Yeah I saw the package deal they offer with the H10 and I am intrigued. I actually auditioned the MA silver series in the store with a Hegel, not sure if it was the H100 or 200? Sounded great until the RX8s started bass booming, I think the room was the culprit and not the equipment. I look forward to trying it at home.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi there!

I spent about 6 hours in a dark room in north London listening to the B&W CM9's and PMC FB1i's.

With all sorts of music the CM9s sounded great on a Roksan Kandy K2 integrated amp.

I also had this amp set up in bypass mode from the pre outs of a Denon 2310 surround amp, which sounded awesome!

The roksan is plenty powerful for those speakers and can be by-amped later with a matching power amp if you want more.

I bought the PMCs in the end but I am thinking of getting another roksan just to run the centre speaker!

 

[Anonymous]

arnitect:

With all sorts of music the CM9s sounded great on a Roksan Kandy K2 integrated amp.

******! Another one I can't audition at home

 

[Anonymous]

catlike:

******! Another one I can't audition at home

thats a real shame

Is there a distance sale of goods act similar to uk which would allow you to buy the amp mail order and have the right to return it if you dont want it?

 

[DavidNorway]

If Sweden is like Norway its not easy to get a home demo,maybe if you buy high end then its different?

 

[Anonymous]

arnitect - I have no idea if there is an act as you have pointed out?

David - good point, I haven't asked yet. I guess I'll find out next week? If the local store doesn't let me demo at home then I question the point of them being there at all. Might as well purchase online!