B&W 683 - Recommend Receiver

[canucks101]

I just purchased a set of B&W 683 speakers without doing any homework. I brought them home but have not yet opended the boxes. When I got home I reviewed a number of websites that suggested I need a more powerful receiver than the one I own: OnkyoTX-SV424.

The speakers are strictly for music in our family room and are not going to be used for a home theater. The receiver shows that it is 50 watts per channel. Many of the comments suggest that is not nearly enough to power these speakers.

Do these speakers need a minimum of 100 watts per channel? Can I buy a receiver from Future Shop etc. that would be sufficient or would I need to consider uprading to a high end receiver with an amp?

If I purchased a 100 watt per channel (Yamaha as an example) would that be sufficient or do these speakers need more than that to realize their potential.

The speakers would be used for parties etc. at high levels.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum!

It's good to research and ask around, like you're doing. It's also good, IMO, to just try out what you have and determine if it works for you. I say hook them up to your current receiver and decide for yourself if they sound good to you. If you have access to a more powerful receiver (such as a friend's), you could then see if there's any meaningful difference to you.

Most of the time, people are using less than 1 W to power their speakers. Sometimes, much less than that. Higher-power amplifiers often provide better transient performance by being able to provide higher peak power levels than lower powered amps, and that's where you might notice a difference - especially at high volume levels. So, you certainly might notice an improvement with a better receiver and/or amp, but you might find that you're perfectly happy with what you have now.

 

[Alex2507]

The speakers would be used for parties etc. at high levels.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The first thing you should do is ignore Adam completely.
... j/k

The second thing you should do is state your budget.

There are some Canadian guys on the forum that know what's what up there.

 

[canucks101]

I would likely spend up to $1,500.00 if thats what it takes to get the best out of these speakers. Is that enough or can I get by with less?

 

[zieglj01]

Look at Harman Kardon
http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/receivers/hk-3490

 

[Alex2507]

I would likely spend up to $1,500.00 if thats what it takes to get the best out of these speakers. Is that enough or can I get by with less?

That's plenty if you ask me. You can always spend less ... or more.

I'm going to let the people who really know about what's available up there for two channel rec'rs and maybe separates chime in ... but ... I think Harman Kardon has a 2 channel rec'r that puts out like 120 watts and has a sub out/bass management. I think AH did a review of it. There are a lot of options with that budget.

I went and hunted this thing down but I'm not sure if they ship to Canada. There's a review of it as well linked on this page.

As always shop around for the best price but be aware that AH throws in some perks for buying from them. That is the rec'r I would buck for if I was after two channel ... well ... except that I recently bought a used Yamaha RX-V2600 for two channel that I had been lusting after for years. You have a lot of options. Here's a link to a thread one of your countrymen and real smart guy had about 2 channel amps. It's a good read.

This is another of his threads that seems pertinent to your situation.I haven't read this one but no doubt it's got some good info.

It's always slow around here on the weekends because most people like to post while they're on the clock -but I'm not jealous- so expect more traffic in the next day or two. This thread likely belongs in the Amp/rec'r forum but that shouldn't be too big a deal. Maybe ask a mod to move it for you if you think it would get more traffic.

Happy reading.

 

[GO-NAD!]

I second Alex's recommendation. If I were in the market for a 2-channel receiver, this would be a no-brainer, slam-dunk of a decision. Ordering from US websites usually won't get you the free shipping that they would get. But, you can get it here:

http://www.electronicsforless.ca/audio-3/amplifiers-receivers-13/harman-kardon-hk-3490-2-x-120w-discrete-stereo-receiver-amp-1922.html

I really like the sub-out/bass management feature, as Alex mentioned. If you like great bass performance - and who doesn't? - it's a convenient way to integrate the mains with sub(s). I checked out the specs for your 683's and although the nominal impedance is 8ohms, the minimum is 3 ohms. So, they could be a bit power hungry - especially if you listen at high volumes.

 

[Alex2507]

I second Alex's recommendation.

zieglj01 beat me to the punch there.

I suspected those speakers might dip low but didn't find the minimum impedance. I'm not sure what impedance the H/K is stable to but it has pre-outs for an amp which could still be accommodated by the stated budget or if subs were used the low impedance might be avoided by crossing above it. At least the burden of bass would be lifted from the rec'r and the speakers wouldn't be hindered by all that thump thump.

There, it's settled. He needs a sub.

EDIT: I just looked at the measurements in the review and the H/K is 4 Ohm stable. The THD climbs kinda quick as it reaches it's limits but that's probably normal. It's dynamic power figures look pretty impressive. I think I would still rather have my Yammy RX-V2600.

 

[GO-NAD!]

There, it's settled. He needs a sub.

Nah, he doesn't need a sub...












He needs two subs.

 

[DD66000]

Don't even fool with a receiver to drive those power hogs.
Go for HK 990 integrated amp, 150w >8u; 300w >4u.

Or look for used HK Citation amp, or Parasound.

 

[Alex2507]

Correction

I think Harman Kardon has a 2 channel rec'r that puts out like 120 watts and has a sub out/bass management.

From the review:

It also provisions for dual subwoofer output connections but with no bass management provisions, which is typical of two-channel receivers.

So ... now I'm happier than ever about my Yammy 2600 for 2 channel.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I just purchased a set of B&W 683 speakers without doing any homework. I brought them home but have not yet opended the boxes. When I got home I reviewed a number of websites that suggested I need a more powerful receiver than the one I own: OnkyoTX-SV424.

The speakers are strictly for music in our family room and are not going to be used for a home theater. The receiver shows that it is 50 watts per channel. Many of the comments suggest that is not nearly enough to power these speakers.

Do these speakers need a minimum of 100 watts per channel? Can I buy a receiver from Future Shop etc. that would be sufficient or would I need to consider uprading to a high end receiver with an amp?

If I purchased a 100 watt per channel (Yamaha as an example) would that be sufficient or do these speakers need more than that to realize their potential.

The speakers would be used for parties etc. at high levels.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Before you jump into spending mode on electronics - Do you like the sound you're getting now? Is it loud enough for you? If it is - do you actually hear any distortion on top volumes - trust me - not hard to miss on right material (Megadeath would wrong for this, but full orchestra high quality recording like Haitink Symphony #5 would be more suitable)

Second big question - how big is your room and what type of music do you play?

Bottom line: Your speaker fairly efficient nominal rating at 8ohm (dip to 3) and 90dB spl (2.83V, 1m) - Doesn't sound to like power hogs - I seen much worse. No doubt they could benefit from bigger amp in case of large parties with lots of people or just in huge space