B&W 685/Integrated Amp Pairing....Rotel, Marantz, Yamaha, or Cambridge?

[canuck83]

Hey all,

Will be purchasing a pair of B&W 685 S2s soon, but doing a bit of research and trying to shortlist a couple of good integrated amp options. I'm going in soon to listen to these speaker-amp combos, but I just wanted to see if anybody has personal experience with the pairings.

Ideally my price point is around $500-700ish CAD for the receiver, as I'm trying not to break the bank , but I'd like to have a built-in DAC as well. Basically, I'm looking for a very good value setup that's still going to sound very good but not blow my budget.

From what I've heard the Marantz PM6005 is a good option in this range, but I'm wondering how well it will pair with the 685s? I've heard that Marantz tends to lack "punch" in particular with B&W, but I'm wondering how much of this is subjective detail vs. readily noticeable?

Another two that I'm considering are the Cambridge Audio Azur 351A and the Yamaha A-S500, which I've heard match well with B&W generally? However, the lack of a DAC for the Yamaha and the lack of an iPod-compatible USB input and an optical input (for AppleTV in my case) for the Cambridge are turn-offs for me, as all my music is digital.

The Rotel RA-12 is probably beyond my reach price-point-wise (about $900 in my region), but anyone have experience with how the Marantz PM6005 and Rotel RA12 compare when paired with the 685s? I know some have said Rotel as a brand generally pairs better with B&W, but is the difference that significant?

Thanks for your help!

 

[macddmac]

Welcome to the forum!
how big is your room? including height.
are you planning on using a subwoofer ?
What will you use for sources?
Cheers, Mac

 

[canuck83]

Hey there,

The room I'll be using it in is not that large...about 270 sq. feet. Height is about 2.5 metres give or take. I probably won't be adding a subwoofer to the setup.

Mainly plan on using Airplay (through AppleTV optical out) for streaming a mix of 16-bit ALAC ripped-CD tracks as well as 256kbps AAC songs from iTunes. Also plan to listen on occasion to high-def 24-bit ALAC files from my MBP optical output, but that's not as critical.

 

[macddmac]

A room that size with the 685's will likely be lacking for bass response. I'm currently auditioning the new 686's in my office ( less than 1/2 the size of your room) and they definitely need the sub.
Another benefit of using a sub is that it takes a lot of stress off of the amplifier as the sub's amp handles the considerable load that the LF signal demands.
You might consider a stereo or AV receiver as opposed to integrated amp- better value and more features for the $$.
I use a NAD D3020 currently but would recommend more power for a 270 sq ft room.
How about the YAMAHA R-N500 Stereo Receiver with Networking and Apple® AirPlay®? About 600.00 In the US
Cheers, Mac

 

[PENG]

I agree an AVR may get you much closer to what you need. It is hard to find a low cost and good quality integrated amp that has usb input, built in DAC, network streaming and Airplay. The SR5008 seems to have all the features you need. You may find use for the extra channels such as using two for the bass drivers and two for the tweeters. No audible benefit but may help just a little in terms of headroom, I mean better than having the extra amps idling. The 6008 would be better though, obviously. Both have preouts so you can always add an external amp if necessary.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Same here. I see no need for an integrated amp. For budget shoppers, AVRs is the way to go.

For high-end smug shoppers and richer bastards, pre-pros and amps would be the ticket.

 

[Irvrobinson]

For high-end smug shoppers and richer bastards, pre-pros and amps would be the ticket.

We are not amused.

 

[cornelius]

We are not amused.

...ditto...

Also, if you go for an AVR, make sure it can handle 4 Ohm loads...

 

[canuck83]

Huh, went into take a listen to the 685s and was actually pretty underwhelmed. Sounded like a run of the mill speaker. Mind you, it was on a massive multichannel amp that probably wasn't the right pairing for it, but for $800 it was not was I was expecting. Ah well, back to the search.....

 

[macddmac]

At that price point and with your room, I would choose the Ascend Acoustics sierra-1
I've heard these with and without a sub in a room roughly the same size as yours ( with a much taller ceiling) and was extremely impressed.
I'm not sure what shipping/ duty would run.
PSB Image B6 might be worth looking into as well.
Cheers, Mac

 

[Superfly]

Huh, went into take a listen to the 685s and was actually pretty underwhelmed. Sounded like a run of the mill speaker. Mind you, it was on a massive multichannel amp that probably wasn't the right pairing for it, but for $800 it was not was I was expecting. Ah well, back to the search.....

What did they have it paired to ??