Amp recommendations for B&W 685

[daveredfern]

Hello all,

I am looking to purchase my first decent speakers and amp. I don't have the massive budget that lots have but looking for something aruond £1k.

I have owned the B&W P5 and B&W C5 for quite a while now and love the smooth, warm sound they produce.

The new 685's have just come out and look ideal first speakers. They're going to used in a living room for music (Jazz for me and indie rock for my girlfriend) and maybe TV too.

I don't know if these are the best options but after owning previous Bowers and Wilkins products I love their sound, build quality and customer support.

I am slightly confused on amp recommendations. I have been looking around but unsure what to go for. As I said I have a £1k budget, the speakers are around £400.

I have been looking on other forum posts and people seem to like the NAD amps. I think rotel are some how affiliated with B&W also. The speakers recommend between 25W and 100W amps.

My unexperienced eye has been looking at the following:

- NAD C316 BEE Amplifier

- Nad C326BEE

- NAD D 3020 (this one looks interesting but not sure about power)

- Rotel RA-10

- Rotel RA-04SE

Some of these look perfect. Remote control would be very helpful.

Does anyone recommend anything in addition to an amp too?

Many thanks for all your kind help.

Dave.

 

[matthewpiano]

Obviously I haven't heard the new B&W 685 S2 yet (which are £500 by the way), but I have previously owned a pair of 685s. Rotel is always a good match with B&W so the RA10 should be fine though I'd recommend an audition if you can.

It would also be worth getting to hear at least a couple of other speaker options before you spend your money. The Dynaudio DM2/6 are currently on offer at £399 (reduced from £525) and IMO these leave the original 685s for dust with one of the most superbly smooth yet insightful tweeters I've ever heard in a remotely affordable speaker.

There are plenty of other options to try such as the excellent Q Acoustics Concept 20, the Dali Zensor 3, Focal 705s, KEF Q300 (which I didn't get on with but have some really good qualities)...... Really, get out and audition a few different options so that you can be sure you are buying right the first time.

Amp wise, depending on the speakers you go for, I'd suggest trying to listen to the Exposure 1010 and the Creek 50a in addition to the Rotels.

 

[Al ears]

It may be stetching your budget a bit but I would add the Creek Evolution 50A to your list it can be found for £675 in some places.

Do you already have speaker stands / cables or do these ave to be factored into your budget?

If the Creek is too expensive you could do a lot worse than the Rotel RA10 that has been suggested by mathewpiano.

 

[plastic penguin]

Or Roksan is usually a good match with B&W.

 

[Deliriumbassist]

Rotel are the obvious choice, due to B&W's ties with them.

it's a shame that the CM series have had (another) price hike- I bought a pair of CM1s to go with a Cyrus 6a in January during the sales, at £450 they were at great value, and IMO kicked the Concept 20s into touch. Might be worth a look at them if you can extend the budget a tad. The original 600 series equivalents were always a bit more bass heavy than the CMs, but the CMs handling of the bass frequencies, and detail across the spectrum, I felt was much better.

 

[daveredfern]

Thanks for all your replies!

I found the CM-1 for £399 for ex demos on one site. Seems a good deal.

After some mentioned some alternatives I started looking at the q acoustic concept 20 and they look nice.

Richer sounds are selling them with a MARANTZ MCR510 for £500 after price match.

Anyone know if this is a good combo? I know the MCR510 is more of an all rounder but looks ideal for my needs.

Will go listen at the weekend!

Many thanks,

Dave.

 

[eazyryder]

I too fell in love with bowers and wilkins speakers many years ago, and love the sound of the 685s, i love jazz, rock, electronic, classical, ect music.

With you and your girlfriends musical tastes and your budget i would go for the B&W 685 sS2 and match them with a naim nait 5i (italic

You can pick up a great deal at the moment on a second hand or ex demo NAIT 5i from a well known bid site for around £500 pound or less.

 

[manicm]

Thanks for all your replies!

I found the CM-1 for £399 for ex demos on one site. Seems a good deal.

After some mentioned some alternatives I started looking at the q acoustic concept 20 and they look nice.

Richer sounds are selling them with a MARANTZ MCR510 for £500 after price match.

Anyone know if this is a good combo? I know the MCR510 is more of an all rounder but looks ideal for my needs.

Will go listen at the weekend!

Many thanks,

Dave.

I think the CM1 and the MCR510 may be too much for each other - both smooth sounding components. But of-course audition the pair and you may like. Or audition the new 686 S2 as well - it's the same size as the CM1, and may well sound better too.