NOOB, BLESSED WITH B&Ws, NEEDS AN AMP

[Mikhail7]

Hi guys,

First time post, long time follower. Recently I've been gifted with a pair of B&W 804s and need an amp. Unfortunately, I really cannot spend more than $400 on amp at the moment, so I wanted to ask some suggestions.

For a small living room, for TV, Music and Games. I'm most worried about damaging speakers with an inappropriate amp, because I do plan to keep these and upgrade to a fancy amp in the future.

Any solid brands, models would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Mikhail

 

[Steve81]

These would probably do an OK job:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/classifieds-sell-your-gear/85286-fs-marantz-ma-500u-monoblock-amps.html

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

you need a solid amp for them since their impedance is not typical 8ohm as noted, but closer to 5 ohm (with min of 3 ohm)
Then you say amp, I assume you need a receiver.
If you are in US, I won't pass by this deal:
DENON AVR-3310CI 7.1-Channel Network Home Theater Receiver | Accessories4less

otherwise Onkyo TX-8050 - should go the job given if 2.0 or 2.1 is all you need now

 

[Mikhail7]

One stop shop. Thats great, thanks for the input Steve. (pun intended)

 

[Mikhail7]

Thanks for those suggestsions. I do not think I need a receiver. Just a power amp to power the speakers from the TV.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Thanks for those suggestsions. I do not think I need a receiver. Just a power amp to power the speakers from the TV.

Does the Jedi mind trick....
Yes, you need the receiver (which DOES includes amps) unless you already have one or at-least pre-amp

 

[Mikhail7]

Does the Jedi mind trick....
Yes, you need the receiver (which DOES includes amps) unless you already have one or at-least pre-amp

Pardon my ignorance, but why do I need a receiver and not just a amp?

Thanks

 

[fmw]

Pardon my ignorance, but why do I need a receiver and not just a amp?

Thanks

You need something to power and control the amp. It isn't likely that your TV has pre-outs. The concept is to have the TV be a peripheral to the preamp just as the input sources are. What you should do it buy an AV receiver. It has the preamp, the power amp and all kinds of connectivity to allow you to add things to your system. The speakers, the TV, the input sources all meet at the receiver. You wouldn't use the TV audio at all. You just turn it off. Your budget will allow you to get a perfectly competent receiver that should do a great job for you. Many here recommend Yamaha and Denon. I recommend Pioneer. Any of them will do a great job for you. Your speakers are excellent. I'm sure will enjoy them.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

You need something to power and control the amp. It isn't likely that your TV has pre-outs. The concept is to have the TV be a peripheral to the preamp just as the input sources are. What you should do it buy an AV receiver. It has the preamp, the power amp and all kinds of connectivity to allow you to add things to your system. The speakers, the TV, the input sources all meet at the receiver. You wouldn't use the TV audio at all. You just turn it off. Your budget will allow you to get a perfectly competent receiver that should do a great job for you. Many here recommend Yamaha and Denon. I recommend Pioneer. Any of them will do a great job for you. Your speakers are excellent. I'm sure will enjoy them.

What he said.

Op mentioned he will use it for " TV, Music and Games"

Just amps don't have digital inputs which you'd want to use to get most benefit for sound quality. So you need something to process digital input(s), switch channels, control the volume, possibly apply some sort of Room EQ etc....

Ergo - you need a receiver, not jump amp... I would highly recommend sticking to receivers with 7.1 Pre-outs so you'd be able to add High Power external Amp later on like so:

 

[Mikhail7]

You need something to power and control the amp. It isn't likely that your TV has pre-outs. The concept is to have the TV be a peripheral to the preamp just as the input sources are. What you should do it buy an AV receiver. It has the preamp, the power amp and all kinds of connectivity to allow you to add things to your system. The speakers, the TV, the input sources all meet at the receiver. You wouldn't use the TV audio at all. You just turn it off. Your budget will allow you to get a perfectly competent receiver that should do a great job for you. Many here recommend Yamaha and Denon. I recommend Pioneer. Any of them will do a great job for you. Your speakers are excellent. I'm sure will enjoy them.

Ok, that helps quite a bit actually. So a follow up question then, if the speakers are rated to handle 200W, I should get an AV receiver that that can output at least 300 per channel at 8ohms? Or am I misunderstanding something.

Thanks

 

[styrbjorn]

FWIW I am running B&W 804S's from a Pioneer Elite VSX21-TXH, and they sound amazing. I did bi-amp them, which some folks around here have differing opinions on, but both the B&W and Pio user materials seemed to indicate it was a good idea.

Add me to the crowd that thinks a good midrange receiver will make you very happy.

 

[fmw]

Ok, that helps quite a bit actually. So a follow up question then, if the speakers are rated to handle 200W, I should get an AV receiver that that can output at least 300 per channel at 8ohms? Or am I misunderstanding something.

Thanks

No, you won't use anywhere near that kind of power unless you are filling an auditorium with sound. My own system rarely peaks above 20 watts but I have a powere subwoofer and that takes a lot of work load off the receiver. I would think the 80 or so watts per channel you find on most mid priced receivers will be more than enough. The rating of the speakers is simply the maximum wattage the speakers can take without destroying themselves. You would damage your hearing before that happened. Just go find a nice 5.1 AV receiver that fits your budget and that appeals to you. You'll be fine. The 804's are not difficult for an amplifier to drive. They are quite accurate and should sound great in your system.

 

[internetmin]

https://vip.bad robot.com or Accessories4less: High End Audio at Low End Prices! you'll get a receiver from a known, solid brand by Marantz, Denon, Pioneer, or Onkyo. Go for a receiver that is within your price range and goes 80-100watts. Unless your room is huge -- 40 x20 you don't need more than that. Remember, some $15,000 amps only have 100 watts. It's about quality and clean power and not amount of power.

 

[PENG]

Ok, that helps quite a bit actually. So a follow up question then, if the speakers are rated to handle 200W, I should get an AV receiver that that can output at least 300 per channel at 8ohms? Or am I misunderstanding something.

Thanks

You can match the 804 with a 200 to 300WPC amp no problem. If you are on a tight budget, the suggested 3312 receiver can do it for you as long as you don't have a large room and do not listen at loud level. With an underpowered (relatively speaking) receiver, you just need to discipline yourself carefully, that's all.

 

[twylight]

follow the links to accessories4less and get a denon that starts with a 3 in the model number like a 3313, 3312, 3311 or if feeling rich a 4311

you can also hook up a shiny high end amp later via the pre outs on all those models

onkyo = no do not get a refurb onkyo
marantz = denon if you find something you like

how big is your room in 3 dimensions and is it sealed or open to other rooms like a kitchen and stuff

at your price point the key feature is the pre-outs and getting a denon in my opinion

 

[Mikhail7]

follow the links to accessories4less and get a denon that starts with a 3 in the model number like a 3313, 3312, 3311 or if feeling rich a 4311

you can also hook up a shiny high end amp later via the pre outs on all those models

onkyo = no do not get a refurb onkyo
marantz = denon if you find something you like

how big is your room in 3 dimensions and is it sealed or open to other rooms like a kitchen and stuff

Thanks for all the replies. Getting a much better picture for what i need. The size of my room is not that big; I live in New York City so pretty small, 10'x14'x8'high is the living room.

There is a Rotel RSX 1550 on CL here for around $600 that I'm looking at.

Again, thanks for all the suggestions and I'll be looking into the brands that have been mentioned. And yes, I do feel guilty about blackballing these speakers with such a setup.

 

[fmw]

That should do fine as well as the other recommendations you got.

 

[Pyrrho]

Pardon my ignorance, but why do I need a receiver and not just a amp?

Thanks

If you have variable analog audio outputs on your TV, then you do not need a receiver and can just use an amplifier. Many new TVs do not, but all of mine do (including my HDTV).

 

[Mikhail7]

Hey guys, thanks a lot for all your help and responses. I wound up getting this one: Amazon.com: Yamaha R-S500BL Natural Sound Stereo Receiver (Black): Electronics

Just hooked it up played some bassy music (Thunder by The Prodigy), and being a noob, afterwards I felt like I did the dirty. Such unbelievable and exhilarating sound! The bass definition/resolution is unbelievable. The high frequencies are bright and crisp. Never heard such a wide and crisp range from speakers in my life.

I'm thoroughly impressed! and also depressed at the fact that I'm barely scratching the surface of the speakers' potential. But thats a matter of time...

Thanks again, very much appreciated.

 

[PENG]

Hey guys, thanks a lot for all your help and responses. I wound up getting this one: Amazon.com: Yamaha R-S500BL Natural Sound Stereo Receiver (Black): Electronics


I'm thoroughly impressed! and also depressed at the fact that I'm barely scratching the surface of the speakers' potential. But thats a matter of time...

Thanks again, very much appreciated.

Congratulations, that's an excellent choice of a receiver. You need not be depressed because in a small room you have all the power you need and Yamaha is known to have top notch amps and excellent specs in areas that count. A fancy amp will only get you bragging right and the potential to move to a larger room, otherwise it may get you subtle improvements in SQ, if at all. The biggest gain you are going to get in terms of sound quality is to gather up some high quality recording medium such as Flac, CD, SACD, BR etc. That's why I started a thread on high quality recording albums. It is a matter of garbage in garbage out, the Yamaha will only amplify truthfully what it gets from the input.

If I remember right, the 804S has a great mid range, with lots of "air". So try and play some high quality recording brass music, you will be thorough impressed, and that should help you forget about that little receiver and just enjoy the music.