Rec'd a set of B&W 683 speakers. Looking for pairing suggestions, things to avoid, etc

[vanryck1]

I received a set of B&W 683s and an older Martin Logan sub from my brother and am looking for suggestions on stereo receiver\amp to pair them with. I'm hoping to keep the price at $500 or less and will consider something used. The speakers would be used primarily for music... generally acoustic, folk, soft\medium rock.

Thanks in advance!

 

[everettT]

https://emotiva.com/collections/basx-series/products/ta-100

 

[vanryck1]

Thank you. That one looks great. I haven't heard of the Emotiva brand, but then again, I'm new to this world.

 

[2channel lover]

I received a set of B&W 683s and an older Martin Logan sub from my brother and am looking for suggestions on stereo receiver\amp to pair them with. I'm hoping to keep the price at $500 or less and will consider something used. The speakers would be used primarily for music... generally acoustic, folk, soft\medium rock.

Thanks in advance!

As much as I'm not a fan of the B&W 600 series (own a pair of 804m soon to be given to my son)...your brother did you a solid there...As will most B&Ws...they tend to excel with acoustic material.

Agree with everettT's choice. You did say "primarily"...so you could look at some lower end AVRs that have pre outs...then if you ever decide to expand into movies and want surround sound you are set....I emphasize pre outs because your 683s like power so you could add a 2 or 3 channel power amp down the road to get the most out of your B&Ws.

Denon 3400 will get you the pre outs for future growth and offer everything you need in the short term....but it may cost you a bit more than you've budgeted. I'm not a used electronics guy, so I don't know where to steer you on that end, but there are guys here that know where to look for factory refurbs, etc.

Good luck with it.

 

[vanryck1]

That's a good suggestion. I hadn't really thought too much about movies as the system won't be connected to a TV. But you are right that going for an AVR would future proof it. It's a few hundred more than my budget, but it may be worth spending the money now...

 

[everettT]

That's a good suggestion. I hadn't really thought too much about movies as the system won't be connected to a TV. But you are right that going for an AVR would future proof it. It's a few hundred more than my budget, but it may be worth spending the money now...

You can get the denon x3300 still on Amazon for 599. The x3400 is 799. Both great not much difference between the model years

 

[lovinthehd]

I'd look more to an avr for better bass management for sub integration than the TA100 offers, but that's my preference, may not make much difference to your use. Denon 3300 I saw new for $599 on Amazon today, that may drop as the 3500 is due soon.

 

[vanryck1]

Now I have a tough decision. The X3300 looks like a deal. The Emotiva has a bit less power. Not sure if that matters since i won't be blasting the sound, but I've heard that the speakers need more juice for the fuller sound.

 

[Winkleswizard]

Now I have a tough decision. The X3300 looks like a deal. The Emotiva has a bit less power. Not sure if that matters since i won't be blasting the sound, but I've heard that the speakers need more juice for the fuller sound.

Your best value is going to be an older AVR like the Denon. The Emotiva not only lacks a good way to connect your subwoofer, but room eq too. The real dealbreaker for me is its lack of networking capability. Internet radio and music services (Spotify, Pandora, etc.) give better access to more music without needing an FM antenna.

Enjoy!

Ww

 

[everettT]

Your best value is going to be an older AVR like the Denon. The Emotiva not only lacks a good way to connect your subwoofer, but room eq too. The real dealbreaker for me is its lack of networking capability. Internet radio and music services (Spotify, Pandora, etc.) give better access to more music without needing an FM antenna.

Enjoy!

Ww

Fwiw the emotiva does have preouts, main and main summed.

 

[lovinthehd]

Fwiw the emotiva does have preouts, main and main summed.

Yes but no bass management except what your sub might have since they're full range pre-outs.

 

[Winkleswizard]

Yes but no bass management except what your sub might have since they're full range pre-outs.

...and (as far as I can tell from specs), not even a simple crossover for the front speakers either.

I have a pre-amp from 3 decades ago that has a mono output. Seems like minor league capability today compared to AVR bass management.

Ww

 

[2channel lover]

Now I have a tough decision. The X3300 looks like a deal. The Emotiva has a bit less power. Not sure if that matters since i won't be blasting the sound, but I've heard that the speakers need more juice for the fuller sound.

If future proofing has much weight in this decision it's a pretty easy one. As others have mentioned...room EQ and Bass management are pluses for the AVR...kind of essential to the modern audio systems. In terms of power...it won't matter much between the Emo and the Denon...you really need about double the power to hear a real difference. With the 3300...at some point down the road you can add a 200 wpc 2 ch amp to it and get the most out of your 683s.

I'm running 200 wpc monoblocks across the front and I can count the times the music is whistling above 80 dB...

 

[pewternhrata]

I'd look more to an avr for better bass management for sub integration than the TA100 offers, but that's my preference, may not make much difference to your use. Denon 3300 I saw new for $599 on Amazon today, that may drop as the 3500 is due soon.

Agree 100% you might not think you need it, but you will quickly find out why you should have it. If you are going used you might be able to grab an outlaw 2150 or 2160, 2 channel stereo receiver with bass management.

 

[vanryck1]

First of all, thanks to everyone for your input. I appreciate the assistance. I think I may need to increase my budget a bit and get a an AVR to future proof my system and give some network connectivity. I hadn't thought too much about that at first since my music is mostly on vinyl or CD.

If I decide on an AVR, I'll probbaly go with the Denon 3300 or the Yamaha RN803. If not, I really like the outlaws...

 

[KenM10759]

I wouldn't buy any AVR today that wasn't capable of streaming music on it's own. I'm old-school at 58 and always thought having my 550+ CD's and 200 or so LP's available to play was all I need. And it probably is, as long as I never want to hear music that I didn't choose to buy or hear on the radio.

Streaming higher quality music via the internet has been a real eye-opener. I learned that I can find new types of music that I never thought I'd like, and hear it in "CD quality". I do tend to listen to entire albums, but I also assemble play lists for various themes and save them.

I play my LP's for a couple hours at a time, perhaps once a month. Having all my CD's ripped, stored and accessible via Bluesound's system, I listen to my physical CD's almost never these days. When I buy one it gets ripped, then stored away. I split perhaps 70% streaming to 30% music I own. With what I own, I've heard it a great many times and with streaming I get to listen to new stuff every day, little of which would ever make it to radio.

 

[PENG]

First of all, thanks to everyone for your input. I appreciate the assistance. I think I may need to increase my budget a bit and get a an AVR to future proof my system and give some network connectivity. I hadn't thought too much about that at first since my music is mostly on vinyl or CD.

If I decide on an AVR, I'll probbaly go with the Denon 3300 or the Yamaha RN803. If not, I really like the outlaws...

It is better to get the X3400H that is a year newer. I just bought one for C$744 from Bestbuy.ca, that is US$560, I doubt it would ever go lower than that.

 

[Auditor55]

I received a set of B&W 683s and an older Martin Logan sub from my brother and am looking for suggestions on stereo receiver\amp to pair them with. I'm hoping to keep the price at $500 or less and will consider something used. The speakers would be used primarily for music... generally acoustic, folk, soft\medium rock.

Thanks in advance!

Why do you need a stereo receiver when a multi-channel can play in stereo?

 

[KenM10759]

Why do you need a stereo receiver when a multi-channel can play in stereo?

+1....AND give you better control of subwoofer LFE output, among other things.