Which amp with B&W speakers?

[admin_exported]

Hi,

Which amp/receiver would you recommend to go with the 684 theatre (but M1 rears and PV1 sub) out of Pioneer, Denon and Yamaha? And how much to spend / or what model??

Cheers

 

[Anonymous]

Which models are you considering? Or have you just narrowed down to those brands??

 

[TKratz]

Hi Naklee

A lot comes down to personal taste and the type of music you prefer. I tested my B&W XT speakers on Yamaha Z7, Denon 4308 and Pioneer LX71.

I found Yamaha to be an excellent match for B&W with most music, but for classical I actually preferred the Denon.

It is always important to test the receivers yourself. I would include either RX-V1900, RX-V3900 or DSP-7 in these tests depending on your budget.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Jimvicks

I'm being advised to look at models from £400 to £800 range but not sure whether to stretch further to do the speakers justice? Or whether then the speakers would not be good enough?

Sorry I am a newbie and not sure of the right balance - the amp in the demo was an arcam avr600!

 

[professorhat]

With your speakers, I'd say you want to be looking at a receiver of at least £1,000 - £2,000 to take full advantage of them.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi TKratz,

I like all music but preferably with some bass! It will be mostly for movies but it definetly will be used for music (est 70% movies)

thanks for you advice - is the rx-v1900 still available - doesn't seem to be on the Yam website?

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks prof - I know you have the 685 set up with the m1's driven by the 905 onk. Appreciate you're advice.

I only have the PS3 as BD. Does that make much difference? Or just upgrade later?

 

[TKratz]

Naklee:

Hi TKratz,

I like all music but preferably with some bass! It will be mostly for movies but it definetly will be used for music (est 70% movies)

thanks for you advice - is the rx-v1900 still available - doesn't seem to be on the Yam website?

If you like music with bass, I would definately consider Yamaha! In my testing I found Yamaha to be the one with the best bass control (at least on B&W XT speakers which I found surprisingly hard to control at the lower end).

I don't know if the RX-V1900 is still available. In Denmark I believe you can still get it, but I have read about the availability problems in the UK. Otherwise see if you can stretch it to the RX-V3900. It is a wonderfull receiver.

 

[pwiles1968]

Have a look at the Marantz SR6003 - http://community.whathifi.com/forums/p/280947/280938.aspx#280938.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks - should the 4 stars concern me and stretch to the z7 TKratz/anyone? Or not worth the extra outlay?

Sounds like I need to demo the yam but the dealer can't get hold of any!!!!

 

[professorhat]

Naklee:I only have the PS3 as BD. Does that make much difference? Or just upgrade later?

PS3 is fine with that setup for the moment - you can upgrade to something like the Sony BDP-S360, which will definitely give you a better performance with sound, but I'd be tempted to leave it and save for a bigger performance upgrade like you'd get with the Sony BDP-S5000ES.

 

[Anonymous]

At these price levels - should the Sony 5400 be on the demo list? Not sure how sony is with B&W's to give the bass/music as required?

Anyone?

 

[TKratz]

Naklee:

Thanks - should the 4 stars concern me and stretch to the z7 TKratz/anyone? Or not worth the extra outlay?

Sounds like I need to demo the yam but the dealer can't get hold of any!!!!

Well, I found the DSP-Z7 to be significantly better than the RX-V3900 and therefore in my opinion worth the extra money.

The RX-V3900 was until recently a 5 star product, until Sony DA5400ES (you should have this receiver on your list as well!) stripped it one star in a group test. I haven't heard the RX-V3900 and the Sony DA5400ES side by side, only at two different occasions, but I believe I would prefer the RX-V3900 on B&W speakers anyday.

This is of course my very personal preferance, and you should really try them out yourself.

 

[Anonymous]

i agree with Prof, PS3 should be fine for now. I use a PS3 to play all my blu-rays and will upgrade to a dedicated player at some point, but for now its fine. Kind of like not knowing what i'm missing / hoping for a noticeable improvement and pleasant surprise when i do upgrade.

Don't think you will have to much trouble finding any of the Yamaha amps at the moment with a bit of looking. Some good prices about as well. My local dealer has 2 x 1900 and 2 x 3900 in stock. Also, another dealer had all the Yamaha amps on display including the Z7. As a bench mark, you can get Z& new and delivered for £1650. that said, the 1900 is going end of line so stock will go soon (ish)