Amplifier Requirements for B&W Floorstanders

sound10

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Hi everyone, just wondering what amplifiers are best to drive B&W floorstanders e.g. CM9's or CM10's ? Is it best to have an amplifier that has a higher rated wpc, e.g. Rotel 1570 or 1592, Musical Fidelity M5si/M6si or could you use an amplifier with a lower rated wpc, e.g. Naim or Marantz. Just to add that it seems like Naim & Marantz favour high current delivery and large toroidal transformers, rather than outright higher wpc. Finally it would be good to hear from WhatHifi members who currently have the CM9's or CM10's which amplifiers they recommend and have.

Thanks :)
 

sound10

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Hi gasolin, thanks for your reply and nice to meet you. I currently have the PM8005 with the B&W CM9 S2's and they work very well together, However I am considering upgrading to the CM10's and don't think the Marantz PM8005 will be enough.
 

sound10

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Hi CnoEvil, nice to meet you. Classe could be. Ideal spend for me on an amplifier would be around 2k. I could stretch to 3k perhaps, but that would take a very special amplifier to make me do that. Hope this helps :)
 

sound10

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Just to add I have read some mixed reviews on forums with regards to Naim/B&W combination. Some say it goes very well, but others say that it dos not. Another factor which comes into this is the current supply from a Naim amplifier. As previously mentioned, Naim integrated amplifiers don't have a high wpc rating, but instead have a rock solid power supply that is able to deliver high current when it's needed. Similar to Marantz. Would a Naim/CM10 combination work at reasonable volume levels or would I not be getting the best out of the speaker. Thanks :)
 

CnoEvil

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sound10 said:
Hi CnoEvil, nice to meet you. Classe could be. Ideal spend for me on an amplifier would be around 2k. I could stretch to 3k perhaps, but that would take a very special amplifier to make me do that. Hope this helps :)

...and it's good to meet you.

Given it's in budget, I would then recommend that you demo them with Classe.

Other brands to consider, for different presentations, might be McIntosh and Bryston (imo. tonally either side of the Classe).
 

sound10

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Hi, thanks for all your help and advice so far which is greatly appreciated. Just to add another option could be the Arcam A39 with it's new class G amplifier which should also provide more than enough power for the CM10's. Has anyone heard this amplifier, or have one. Do Arcam amplifiers go well with B&W ? Thanks :)
 

CnoEvil

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sound10 said:
Hi, thanks for all your help and advice so far which is greatly appreciated. Just to add another option could be the Arcam A39 with it's new class G amplifier which should also provide more than enough power for the CM10's. Has anyone heard this amplifier, or have one. Do Arcam amplifiers go well with B&W ? Thanks :)

I have, but not with B&W....it's a good amp though.

The A49 is a very big step up and can be found in UK for 3k ex-dem.
 

gasolin

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sound10 said:
Hi gasolin, thanks for your reply and nice to meet you. I currently have the PM8005 with the B&W CM9 S2's and they work very well together, However I am considering upgrading to the CM10's and don't think the Marantz PM8005 will be enough.

Update B&W also works well with rotel mabye even better than marantz

Mabye consider Hegel H160 and above
 

sound10

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Hi everyone, thanks for all your replies and help. I have dediced to keep my Marantz SA8005 cd player and just upgrade my amplifier to accommodate the CM10's. I have narrowed down the amplifier choice to 3 different models and they are the Rotel RA1592, Musical Fidelity M5si and the Arcam A39. Anyone of these amplifiers should be able to drive the CM10's well. The Arcam though is interesting as it uses Class G amplifier technology and has a big power reserve. Will have a demo of all 3 with the CM10's and then decide which amplifier I like best. Will keep everyone updated :)
 

lindsayt

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There have been some reasonable suggestions in this thread so far.

£3k does seem like a lot to spend on a solid state amp. If you're going to spend that much it'd be nice to have something you'll keep for life.

If you fancy something a bit different, you could try this Rowland heavyweight:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Rowland-Research-Model-5-Endverstarker-/201727185723?hash=item2ef7e0933b:g:ahAAAOSwA3dYNcGl

Or this nice looking Accuphase:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Accuphase-E-406V-High-End-Verstarker-OVP-sehr-gepflegtes-PIA-Gerat-2J-Garantie-/371887866497?hash=item56963e8281:g:qdEAAOSwjVVVynXs

VU meters on this Luxman:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Luxman-M-05-/182490877925?hash=item2a7d4dcfe5:g:~h8AAOSwxp9W6AoH

Technics pre-power:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Technics-SE-9600-SU-9600-Vor-und-Endstufe-Japan-Legend-Vintage-/132125105679?hash=item1ec3451e0f:g:ekIAAOSwzgBYxsVf

Mark Levinson:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Mark-Levinson-27-5-Endstufe-/142326858946?hash=item21235784c2:g:wFsAAOSw-0xYO17h

Or save a load of dough and get this Sony ES:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Sony-TA-F-870-ES-Vollverstarker-sehr-guter-Zustand-/282375578846?hash=item41bee564de:g:eek:2UAAOSwtfhYswWS

There's also this Yamaha:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Yamaha-B2x-Audiophile-Endstufe-Amp-Dual-Mono-WBT-High-End-Class-A-AB-TOP-/182469953478?hash=item2a7c0e87c6:g:2bIAAOSwCU1YpzaQ

There's so much choice it's hard to know where to start. I wouldn't worry too much about which particular amp to match with your B&W's. Every amplifier mentioned so far in this thread should do a good job.
 

Reijer

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... about NAD? A great amplifier with lots of power and reserve to drive the CM10. Like the C390DD or the C375BEE or an ex-dem Masters serie amplifier.
 
I highlighted over on your Marantz thread that with the B&W being higher than average sensitivity at 90dB you needn't focus on power output, unless perhaps you have an enormous space to fill. Like me, you may feel safer with a solid state amp, but I'd seriously suggest listening to a valve amp or two. Anything north of about 40watts would be fine with such sensitive speakers.

A Primaluna Dialogue would appeal to me because the importers offer great service. And it gets great reviews.
 

rainsoothe

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On the point of B&W and Naim match - it's all subjective, and a lot of Naim owners prefer a certain kind of sound, and, for instance, think B&W kill the "naimness". Some swear by Naim + Neat combo (which, for instance, I didn't like one bit). There's also lots of Naim owners that use B&W speakers and are very pleased (not talking about myself).

Also, as B&W speakers sound different among themselves, so do Naim amps (with one thing in common: they are very rhythmically apt). It's all very subjective, you should try to audition for yourself.

Again, on the same idea, I like Arcam amps, how they match with B&W speakers depends on the specific B&W and, respectively, Arcam model. For instance, I love the A19, and think it makes a good partner for the 685, but not so for first gen CM5 B&W, which I owned.

Do you already have the B&W CM speakers? Also, are you talking about first gen CM or CM s2? You should try to audition Naim Supernait 2 or a pre-power (starting from nac202-nap200, not a fan of the nap 155xs power amp). Classe is also a wonderful partner for B&W speakers, and Hegel H160 should also be on your shortlist.
 

sound10

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nopiano said:
I highlighted over on your Marantz thread that with the B&W being higher than average sensitivity at 90dB you needn't focus on power output, unless perhaps you have an enormous space to fill. Like me, you may feel safer with a solid state amp, but I'd seriously suggest listening to a valve amp or two. Anything north of about 40watts would be fine with such sensitive speakers.

A Primaluna Dialogue would appeal to me because the importers offer great service. And it gets great reviews.

Hi nopiano, thanks a lot for clearing this up for me. I really like my Marantz PM8005 with my CM9 S2's and I think the PM-14S1 SE will go very well with the CM10's. From what I have found out on the web, there are quite a few people using this combination and they really like the combination. With regards to filling a large room, that is not the case with me and I don't listen at very high volume levels. Will definitely try to have a demo of the combination and see if I like it. Will keep everyone updated :)
 

sound10

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lindsayt said:
There have been some reasonable suggestions in this thread so far.

£3k does seem like a lot to spend on a solid state amp. If you're going to spend that much it'd be nice to have something you'll keep for life.

If you fancy something a bit different, you could try this Rowland heavyweight:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Rowland-Research-Model-5-Endverstarker-/201727185...

Thanks, will defintely have a look at these various amplifiers :)

Or this nice looking Accuphase:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Accuphase-E-406V-High-End-Verstarker-OVP-sehr-gep...

VU meters on this Luxman:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Luxman-M-05-/182490877925?hash=item2a7d4dcfe5:g:~...

Technics pre-power:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Technics-SE-9600-SU-9600-Vor-und-Endstufe-Japan-L...

Mark Levinson:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Mark-Levinson-27-5-Endstufe-/142326858946?hash=it...

Or save a load of dough and get this Sony ES:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Sony-TA-F-870-ES-Vollverstarker-sehr-guter-Zustan...

There's also this Yamaha:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Yamaha-B2x-Audiophile-Endstufe-Amp-Dual-Mono-WBT-...

There's so much choice it's hard to know where to start. I wouldn't worry too much about which particular amp to match with your B&W's. Every amplifier mentioned so far in this thread should do a good job.
 

sound10

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Reijer said:
... about NAD? A great amplifier with lots of power and reserve to drive the CM10. Like the C390DD or the C375BEE or an ex-dem Masters serie amplifier.

Hi Reijer, thanks for your suggestions. Will see if I have a local NAD dealer in my area :)
 

sound10

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rainsoothe said:
On the point of B&W and Naim match - it's all subjective, and a lot of Naim owners prefer a certain kind of sound, and, for instance, think B&W kill the "naimness". Some swear by Naim + Neat combo (which, for instance, I didn't like one bit). There's also lots of Naim owners that use B&W speakers and are very pleased (not talking about myself).

Also, as B&W speakers sound different among themselves, so do Naim amps (with one thing in common: they are very rhythmically apt). It's all very subjective, you should try to audition for yourself.

Again, on the same idea, I like Arcam amps, how they match with B&W speakers depends on the specific B&W and, respectively, Arcam model. For instance, I love the A19, and think it makes a good partner for the 685, but not so for first gen CM5 B&W, which I owned.

Do you already have the B&W CM speakers? Also, are you talking about first gen CM or CM s2? You should try to audition Naim Supernait 2 or a pre-power (starting from nac202-nap200, not a fan of the nap 155xs power amp). Classe is also a wonderful partner for B&W speakers, and Hegel H160 should also be on your shortlist.

Hi rainsoothe, thanks for your suggestions. I currently have the Marantz PM8005 wiith the B&W CM9 S2';s and the matching CM woofer. I will try to have a demo of Naim, but with regards to finding a Hegel dealer, I don't think I have a local one. With regards to Classe amplifiers, they are a bit out of my price league unless I can get one second hand.
 

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