Help me build my system to match my "new" B&W Nautilus 804's

The Yamaha RX-A3030 is an outstanding A/V receiver. Very nice sounding (I should know). The CX-A5000 was modeled after the preamp section of the 3030, so it isn't junk. Decent amp specs, with peak power rated into 2 ohms:

Rated Output Power (20Hz-20kHz, 2ch driven) - 150 W (8ohms, 0.06% THD)
Dynamic Power per Channel (8/6/4/2 ohms) - 175 / 220 / 295 / 410 W

Still, for B&W's, I'd recommend a stand alone amp. At our shop, we always used McIntosh amps, or integrated amps. There was definitely a synergy with those two brands. The MC152 is in your price range, if you want new? Then, our step down amps were B&K. But I'd bet a used Aragon amp would work well too. A 4004 or 8008. Plenty of high-current power there as well. Also, I wonder if you could find a used PS Audio BHK 250 hybrid amp. Tubes and mosfet's. That would be a sweet amp for 804's.

Good luck.

Edit: There's a PS Audio BHK 250 on Audiogon for $4840.

 

Oh yea. I think I found out about this on the SH Forums. It's a site that keeps up with gear that offers a Home Theater bypass function. It could be useful info, for the future?

HT-Bypass

 

Those speakers are WAY too nice for home theater...
I wanna see some pics mate !

 

That is a very nice piece.

 

That's why they made these...!

 

Hmmm...here’s what you wrote on Audiogon:

I have extensive experience with the Yamaha A-S1100 and own the Parasound Halo integrated. Both amps were extensively compared in my system with the same components and recordings.

My conclusion was that both are very good. The Yamaha is slightly more natural sounding with strings and piano. It also has a leaner tonal balance. The Halo gives more "body" and heft to the music, but is very neutral. They are equal in detail retrieval and soundstage, but the Halo doesn't make an exhibition of its detail capability, its "sneaky." The Yamaha has a lower noise floor but it also strains more easily, and in some recordings, the Yamaha's treble can be slightly grainy. This is also the case with the much cheaper A-S500.

It takes a lot to strain the Halo and it's very clean under demanding loads. I must admit the Halo DAC and phono stage are overrated. Both are competent but nothing to write home about. For me, the Halo was the better all around amp, especially when factoring in the ~$2100 street price.

———

I wouldn't sell the Yamaha short. It can easily come down to personal preference and whether you need the DAC in the Halo. If someone is using Maggies, then the Halo is a no-brainer. The build quality of the Yamaha is better in terms of casework, binding posts, and input jacks. If I listened to mostly strings, piano, light jazz and such, the Yamaha would be my preference.

———

The New Record Day guy has reviewed both and claims the Yamaha is a better amp, but I think he was likely going off memory of the Parasound. I personally find back to back comparisons yield a more accurate comparison. I compared the A-S1100 to the Halo back to back, listening to each amp in the system for a whole day before switching. I did this for a week. The A-S2100 might be considerably better than the A-S1100, but i doubt that. I wanted to like the Yamaha more due to its aesthetics, but in the end, the Parasound had "more meat on the bones" without sacrifice to clarity, dynamics or soundstage.




It actually sounds like you prefer the Parasound....or at least it did.

 

I've read this in multiple places. That the 800 series really likes high current power. How do I know if an amp has high current? What measurement indicates this?

 

I did slightly prefer the Halo during my first comparison of these amps, when the Yamaha was hardly broke-in. I wasn't a believer in SS break-in at that time. The Yammies improve greatly in the first 100 hours or so. That was also with lesser components and speakers. The Monitor Audio speakers I was using at the time were limiting both amps.

My recent comparison with both amps, broke-in and warmed up, yielded a much bigger difference. The Yamaha did sound a bit brittle in the beginning, but is now as smooth as any amp I've heard. The following are thoughts from a recent post, they still apply despite my switch to a superior DAC:

 

Well the speakers did arrive today. Flawless condition. Can't find a mark on them. I've been listening to them some whilst trying to pay attention to my wife. They sound a little better than my 20 years old CDM 7 se's. I think this is a testament to the quality of the middle line of B&W products as well as the limitations of my current set up. They did not blow my mind as I'd hoped. However I think the limitations of my system are the cause of this. The midrange is the most significant upgrade. They seem to have about as much bass as the 7se's. A touch more treble. The real improvements shine in John Coltrane's saxophone and in the details of Rod Stewarts scratchy vocals. I'm eager to upgrade the amp powering them because i want them to shine but I need to slow down and do some research. I think i've found sufficient amps in the ~2k range both new and used that I think I don't need to go higher than that. I've read about how revealing the 800 series is, so I need to get serious about the remainder of my chain. I have bargain basement RCA cables/speaker wire. A $70 blu-ray player being used as a transport. I also need to move my TT and pre-amp out to the speakers, as I have them set up in my office currently.

 

Ask and you shall receive! Oh they will be used a lot more for music listening that for HT my friend. I have a feeling i'm going to need a new record cleaning machine, cables, wires, amp and CD player. Other than that I'm all set!

 

I agree I think the RX-A3030 is a good receiver. I think it powered my CDM 7se's pretty well. After one day with the 804's I'm hearing the limitations of my system. thank you for the recommendations, I'll look into them.

 

So far I need to do more research on:

1) Bryston amps
2) Krell Amps.
3) Halo Integrated.
4) Mac amps/integrateds.
5) B&K amps.
4) Classe amps
5) Yamaha integrateds.

I really like the idea of the integrated with HT bypass so I can run effectively two separate systems. Watch sports while I listen to music. If you put a gun to my head and made me decide this instance I'd choose the Halo 2.1 integrated. But I have a lot of research to do before then.

 

Separates aren't necessary. A nice, used Yamaha A-S1100 would drive those things like nobody's business. My A-S2100 handled my Matrix 802s beautifully.

 

If you are considering Parasound Halo look for an A-21 power amp rather than the integrated. You will be better served in my opinion. I see a pre-owned one for $1500. Given your budget lots of room for a separate pre and some new records.

 

What makes you say this? I'm just curious. Seems to be two camps. The separates. And the integrate amp is just fine camp. Trying to learn here.

 

Thanks for the clarification. I’ve been shortlisting the Parasound for some time now, so I’m keeping as many notes as I can on it.

 

It's a great amp. At that performance level, it's more a matter of personal preference and speaker synergy.

 

Parasound makes great amps. High current and all that. I don't think Parasound Halo series are good synergy with 804's. Both sharing very detailed and somewhat forward presentation. Combination of the two, could (in theory) produce overly bright and tiresome sound.

I understand that your objective is to integrate them (speakers) into your home cinema setup. As Metralla suggested, and I 100 % agree. The ultimate results with these pups are achieved with tubed pre-amp + SS power combo.

Having said all that. Ultimately, all will (and it should) come down to your personal preferences. Try to audition before you buy. It is an exercise in patience/restrain (particulary if you have your $$$ ready to burn) and it does take some effort, but It will save you money and the potential grief in the long run. These speakers should provide a solid 10-15 years platform of your musical enjoyment, so choose wisely.


Kind Regards

 

Just a FYI....B&W is owned by the same company who owns Rotel and Classe whom is now being discontinued after a long profitable life. Lots of B&W owners run those speakers with Rotel, MAC and Classe because of the synergy factor. I thinik you would do great with Classe as well as Mac.

 

There's really nothing wrong with what the OP has already.

 

The OP wrote: "They did not blow my mind as I'd hoped."

 

One route would be the Parasound A21 (as recommended above, the extra power will not go to waste), and one of Parasound's preamps, which offer all sorts of home theater-type amenities. Those speakers will also benefit from a state-of-the-art preamp, as funds allow, someday. Somebody mentioned Parasound being forward and bright (and if you are used to tube amplification, this will certainly be the case in comparison), but it is a warmer and less forward sound than either Bryston or especially Krell. That is why it would be my preference over the other two (better value as well, IMO). That said, if the standard high-current solid state sound in general tends to be too forward or bright for your tastes, that is where I would explore Pass Labs. It isn't cheap, but Pass Labs is the one solid state approach that this tube lover would consider. High-powered tube amps do not have the same magic as the lower-powered ones, so for the Nautilus series I would stick with solid state to get the best out of them (although the idea of a tube preamp is a good one. That is where McIntosh may be a good choice, in a tubed preamp). I wouldn't try to make one of those integrateds work. Go for something where all of the efforts have gone into making the best power amp for that budget. That will also allow you to upgrade your preamp down the road without having to replace your amp at the same time.

 

I’m sure I probably missed it but are the speakers new or used?

If new they wouldn’t be crazy good right out of the gate anyway. They need about 100 hours of solid rocking

 

I assume used, as Nautilus is not a current line. It has been updated several times by B&W, although still the same (or similar) form factor.