Back to the speakers for my 3805

[tenerifepaul]

After the advice recieved on this forum, I think I have finally settled on the following as my new surround combination:
Front BW 703's, back BW 70's, centre HTM7, sub ASW 700. Any comments?

One question that remains unanswered. A number of people have suggested not using the 3805 to drive all the speakers, but to use an additional amp for the fronts. I still have my Onkyo TX-DS656, would it suffice for this purpose.

 

[crashguy]

Why not use the power you paid for to run the speakers? Unless you have very inefficient speakers (less than 88dB or so), or you are trying to fill a huge room with big sound, the 3805 should do just fine. I had a 3802 until a few weeks ago, and it would run my paradigm 11semk3 (dual 8" woofers, 6.5" mid, 1" dome tweeter) speakers loud enough without clipping. They are 88-90dB efficient, and they are rated at 6 ohms. I would typically run the volume at -10 dB when I wanted to experience a movie at movie theater levels. Never noticed any compression or break up sound to indicate clipping.

 

[perato]

I agree with crashguy. Try using the 3805, if you feel you need more power then use the Onkyo TX-DS656. I am not familiar with that Onkyo model but if it is within the power rating of the 703 it should work. I use B&W 705 as front, HTM7 as center, DS7 as rear, and ASW 650 for the subwoofer. From what I have read in these forums, you might want to check out HSU, Velodyne, and SVS subwoofers. They are well liked on the forums. I think subwoofers are the weekest part the B&W speaker product lines. You probably could get a better value from HSU, Velodyne, or SVS. The subwoofer I have is okay, it works, but I think I could have paid less for the same performance. The rest of the B&W speakers I have are very good, especially the 705.

 

[zumbo]

Love those 705's & 703's. I auditioned the 705's, 805's, 703's, & 803's. All were the best speakers I have ever heard. However, to get their full potential, they need some juice! Look for a 2-channel amp for the 703's. Buy a cheaper sub as recommended, and put the money saved towards a good amp.

 

[flyv65]

Hey Paul-
By all means start out driving the 703s with the receiver and you'll never have a problem with them...but I'll tell you right now that unless you push them you'll never know how good they can sound. Crashguy makes a good point-why not use the power you paid for? The simple answer is that with 5 channels driven (& its 7 if you bi-amp Zone 3) you're pushing no more than about 77 watts/channel-and those 703s are rated for 200w...you're just spreading the power too thin. Now if you use a separate 2 channel amp for the fronts (minimum 150 wpc) you'll have plenty of headroom for crisp music and impressive movies. Plus you'll free up the power that *was* going to the front channels-now your center and surrounds will have some pop to them as well.

Bryan...and used 2 channel amps aren't *that* expensive...