B&W 684 with RA-04 amp

[admin_exported]

I currently have a Rotel RA-04 driving a pair of B&W 685s. The amp (to my ears) does a very good job of driving them, with the bass being particularly punchy and tight. I don't seem to have to push the amp hard at all, to get the sound I enjoy.

I'm very tempted to upgrade to the more "full bodied" sound of the 684's. I've heard them playing in a demo room, but they were connected to a RA-06, which obviously has a bit more drive than the RA-04.

Having had a read around about whether my amp would drive them properly, I've found mixed responses.

I spoke to a guy in SuperFi, and he said the combination would be terrible, that would produce awful muddy bass and I'd be popping fuses in the amp, eventually killing it. On the other hand, I've been told it will do a fine job, as the RA-04 has suprisingly strong current delivery for it's rating.

Obviously, I don't want to be causing harm to the amp, or buying something that is going to struggle to produce high quality sound. I realise the 684s won't be singing at their best with a 40 WPC amp, but volume wise I've never had to take it past 11 o'clock to get substantial volumes. A power amp could also be a future upgrade funds permitting.

So, I'm asking for a bit of advice really - should I even bother going to demo this combination if it's going to push the amp too hard, or should I wait until a more powerful amp is in place before even thinking about it?

 

[Anonymous]

You could add a RB-03 or RB-06 power amp, which come up from time to time on ebay. You can also get one new for 2-300 pounds

I really like my RA-04 too, adding matching power amp is meant to improve the sound, whilst keeping the same tonality.

That said a new heftier amp would do the trick too...

 

[the record spot]

Must admit Chris, I've always had a liking for Rotel gear, although never having owned any over the years! I like their style, no big marketing splashes, just solid gear that delivers time and again. The fact you can add a power amp in time is a big plus in the RA-04's favour. Is it worth checking with B&W to see what they reckon?

If it can handle it, and it partners the bigger speaker well and you like the sound, why not?

 

[Anonymous]

In part it will come down to taste. The more you push the amp the more likely it is to be limited in headroom with a resultant loss of bass control. Generally this sound might be very acceptable to you. The big B&Ws are quite bass heavy at the best of times so I know where I'd be heading, straight for a power amp first. Have you considered adding an active sub for more bass?

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies, some good points made there.

The Rotel gear is excellent. As you mention, Rotel seem to put all their efforts into the internals, rather than appearance and heavy marketing. The resulting amps are relatively basic looking, but are certainly solid performers. Sonically, they are exactly to my taste, so if I was to upgrade the amp side, I'd probably go down the RB-03 route.

Would you think the RA-04 with a RB-03 combination would actually better the RA-06 sonically?

I've considered a sub, but from reading about, I hear they are extremely troublesome to integrate into your current setup, so I'll probably leave that out.

I guess I'll contact B&W to see what they recommend.

 

[plastic penguin]

igglebert:In part it will come down to taste. The more you push the amp the more likely it is to be limited in headroom with a resultant loss of bass control. Generally this sound might be very acceptable to you. The big B&Ws are quite bass heavy at the best of times so I know where I'd be heading, straight for a power amp first. Have you considered adding an active sub for more bass?

I understand your reasoning - I know from personal experience, when I connected my RS6's to the A65+, the sound opened up beautifully, allied to the fact that floorstanders, generally, have a higher sensitivity than standmounters - this should work in the favour of a 40 watt amp.

 

[Anonymous]

These Beemers are all boomers, but I've heard Rotel 10 series and a Primare i30 getting a reasonable grip on them.

I suppose the sonic result is suitable for DJs and parties, which is where the 600-series is aimed.

 

[plastic penguin]

Chris_J:

Thanks for the replies, some good points made there.

The Rotel gear is excellent. As you mention, Rotel seem to put all their efforts into the internals, rather than appearance and heavy marketing. The resulting amps are relatively basic looking, but are certainly solid performers. Sonically, they are exactly to my taste, so if I was to upgrade the amp side, I'd probably go down the RB-03 route.

Would you think the RA-04 with a RB-03 combination would actually better the RA-06 sonically?

I've considered a sub, but from reading about, I hear they are extremely troublesome to integrate into your current setup, so I'll probably leave that out.

I guess I'll contact B&W to see what they recommend.

The RA-06 should have better scope for upgrade, should you wish to add a power amp at a later date. Nevertheless, the performance of the 04 should drastically improve, but if you go down that particular route, be careful of the speakers. They may end up being too bass-heavy, losing the integrity of the 04 and much of its sonic strength.

 

[Anonymous]

Why would the RA-04 + Power amp cause particular speakers to be overly bassy? I would have thought this would be the preferred option over the stand-alone RA-06, by separating it to a pre/power configuration, rather than an integrated unit.

Would this be any different if it was set up in a bi-amp configuration?

 

[Anonymous]

The only advantage (or disadvantage?) of the RA06 is that you lose the need for an interconnect between pre and power sections, something that you'd obviously have to buy for the pre/power combo. If you have the RA04 and power amp then biamping is probably the way to go. Stick the power amp on the bass.

 

[Anonymous]

Here is what B&W say:

Many thanks for your email enquiry
regarding the B&W 684 loudspeakers coupled to
the Rotel RA-04 integrated amplifier.


The
B&W 684's have a recommended amplifier
requirement between 25w - 150w. The
smaller figure represents the minimum you need to achieve reasonable levels in a
small room. The larger figure is defined by the maximum power the speaker can
handle.

A higher powered amplifier towards the upper
limit of the speakers will provide the most improved performance as this gives
authority on the speakers, and allows the dynamics and transients to be
reproduced more accurately, effortlessly.

By using a higher
powered amplifier there is less chance of the amplifier being driven into
distortion (clipping) at higher output levels, delivering an improved performance, with better
control.


Admittedly the
larger 684 loudspeakers will benefit from using the more powerful RA-06
amplifier at 70W/channel as it will posses a greater sense of authority on the
number of drive units in the 684's together with power in reserve for the larger
power handling, wider bandwidth and dynamics over that of the smaller lower
powered RA-04.

The RA-04 will
inevitably have limits to its performance which may well be revealed with larger
more competent loudspeaker such as the 684's.

My
recommendation would be to consider the RA-06 to benefit in the long
run.

So looks like if I am to upgrade the amp, the RA-06 is the way to go. I think I will still have a quick demo some time with the RA-04 just to listen to what it is capable of and whether it would suit my room size. Although, by the sounds of things, they're going to be screaming for more power, in which case, it'll have to wait.