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Power amp suggestions for B&W 802d

I know you were looking for a power amp but if you are open to an integrated amp the Rega Osiris works beautifully with 802Ds !
 
I used to own a set of 802D's before I dowsized..

Fortunately I sold them to my brother and the best I have heard them are through a pair of Hypex N-Core amps my brother has built for them.

Have had Naim, Classe and Bryston through them over the years.
 
2nd vote for bel canto ref1000m.
The guy from Stereophile uses them with 802d's. Kal Rubin or something like that.
Great sound, compact, cool running so you can hide them away.
Used within your budget.
I have a pair if you are interested.
Simon
 
Hi tvhead, if you intend to keep the 282 you could swap the hicap for a supercap and get a 300. If not, the 14bsst2 is a better value.
 
Within price range:

Plinius sa250
Bryston 14b sst2
Bel canto 1000


Outside price:
Plinius SA reference
Chord 1400e monos

Wildcard:

Krell Kas 2

Probably leaning most towards Plinius 250. Thing is a beast so have to figure out how to carry it on the plane.

Does anyone know the Krell? Really surprised me.
 
TV

I have a Plinius SA250IV presently un-used which I used to drive 802N's. I changed the speakers and will be changing the Plinius to either a Dartzeel or maybe something else.

Dont think you will be carrying one on a plane at about 150lbs in its shipping box.

If you want to discuss purchase let me know. Air freight by DHL isnt that expensive.
 
Another wildcard. McIntosh stereo amps or monoblocks. Have heard this combination on a couple of occasions now and it is sweet, detailed, and very powerful.
 
I wanted to thank you all for your ideas. I especially wanted to thank Rick@musicraft. He was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. I will by buying something from his store in the near future. This time he proved to be too far away for me to take a quick decision. I ended up buying a Plinius SA Reference off of PFM member Loopster. He was great to deal with, and I was able to have it picked up the next day.

Anyway, the Naim, Plinius, B&W combination is fantastic. It has made a tremendous impact to the sound. This is what I thought the 802d's could sound like. I listen to a wide range of music, Jazz, Classical, World, R&B, Hip Hop, Rap. No matter what I listen to, it sounds great. Incredible bass depth that I was not even coming close to previously, and I find myself always pushing that Class A button. The Plinius handles the B&W with ease, and all the Naim qualities I enjoy shine through.

I'm happy with the 282, although I do have thoughts of throwing a Supercap on it and putting the Hicap on the CD5 to see what benefits that might bring.

My only problem is that after buying the Plinius, I decided to combine my HiFi with my Home Cinema stuff in a dedicated room, but I am using the pre-outs on my Receiver when watching a movie, and the Plinius seems to be handling films just as effectively as it does music. I will post some pictures if I can figure out how to do it. Maybe the Plinius Odeon and a processor are the big buys next time.
 
Supercap is a great addition to the 282. You will definitely hear the difference. I used to run a Hi-cap on my CD-5 but folks kept writing that it was a step too far and that the Flatcap was better. Tried the Flatcap and it had a more balanced sound that I can see people preferring even though the Hi-cap makes for a bigger sound.
 
In the professional recording/mastering studios that ive seen them in.. they have ALWAYS been paired with

Pass Labs

Bryston

Plinius

in one instance, FM Acoustics. One of the studios that I sometimes freelance at has his on the big ass Emotiva amp. also great.

My 801s were always mated with my Bryston. Excellent combo. They need plenty of juice. avoid tube amps like the plague.


they are ubiquitous in classical recording, real workhorse, somewhat of a standard. get a well built SS amp with plenty of juice and youll be set. you definitely do not need a "hifi" brand(to be honest ive seen them in use dozens of times, and only once did I ever see them mated with any "audiophile" kit(cary rocket 88)..always with workhorse professional amps(bryston ive seen most, by far) plus you cant beat the bryston warranty..20 years
 
Bringing this subject up - does anybody have any experience or thoughts about Rega Isis/Osiris combo with 802di's?
 
I power my 802 Diamonds with Parasound JC-1 monoblocks (I use five of them for my Cinema and B&W 800s all round). They can punch me in the chest with every beat and have absolutely zero overhang leaving every oscillation of the bass strings clearly audible.

Ian
 
All the power you can get! When I sold 801s years ago I used a BIG Crown amp [ the only good Crown I ever heard] B&W used the same amp at the Chicago CES that year; I think it was an SA-2, SL-2, or similar. I once had it tested and it would pulse 1600 watts. If you have trouble lifting it get it. Ones you can't lift at all would likely be better. My CJ 350 is in the first category but is tiptoeing softly into the second.
 
ive always seen them used with meaty power amps.

they need that, imo.

Used Bryston , B+K, and Pass Labs and Crown Macro Reference with mine.


valve amps? in general, ive found to be a terrible match. not at all what they need.
 
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