Need Advice...good receiver for B&W setup (1 Viewer)

[MWestyn]

I'll be running B&W 603 s3 - mains, 600 s3 - center, 601 s3 - rears. (will be adding sub eventually)

Wanted some input on a receiver that'd handle/complement the set well. Price range is around 5-$600.

Any help will be appreciated.

 

[Zach Dunham]

Sean:

I just do not get it. YOu have excellent speakers but limit yourself on the driving equipment. $5-600???

My system is total surround of B&W speakers also but man.... a receiver to kill for too. A Marantz 8200. Nowhere near the $5 - 600 range but......

I mean, if you have B&W 600's, then why would you be looking at lower end receiver?

It is like owning a corvette and wondering what $100 for 4 tire deal is the best for the car? Hello. Do yourself some justice and go better. Get a reference receiver with at least 100 watts rms per channel to drive the demanding speakers and also a receiver that may have direct source capability and bass managament. Processing is very important and to find quality to match your speaker set up for a limited top of $600 would be defaeting or miusing your equipment by not using it to its reason for being.

Don't tell me you have a Vet with an auto tranny too!

Best of luck in your efforts in building your system. Stay in touch here and keep us posted with what you find. Obviously lots of options out there.

 

[MWestyn]

Hey there buddy, settle down. Let me start by saying that, NO, my Vette is not an Auto (6-Spd, too many mods to list, around 400hp). Give me a little credit would ya?
The reason for my lower budget for the receiver is that my first passion (my Corvette) has taken the majority of my "play" money.
I'm not entirely locked into that particular price. It's been a while since I've done any serious receiver shopping and was looking to see what other's are running with a similar/same setup.
If I have to spend more, I will. But from what I understand, the Denon AVR-3802 should be listing at some closeout prices as well as others along those lines.
The Outlaw 1050 is about $500...what about HK AVR320, Pioneer Elite VSX41, Onkyo TXSR700...all around $600.
Suggestions?

 

[Alex Prosak]

I agree with Zach that you might want to consider a receiver of higher quality in a higher price range, say $800-$1000. Marantz should have the 6300 and 7300 available shortly, also check out Denon's 3802/3803, maybe the 2802. The Denon 3802 can be found on the net in the mid 700's and is an excellent receiver. A couple of other lines to consider are NAD and HK. I don't know what lines you have available to you but see if you can demo a couple of receivers with your speakers and choose what sounds best to you.

Good luck.

 

[MWestyn]

Point taken...I'll head to the store tomorrow and listen for myself. (That seems to be the answer to everthing around here, just not used to that).

Thanks guys.

 

[Herman S]

I have to agree with everybody. I use the 602 S3s as my left and right fronts and surrounds while running a LCR 600 for my center and rear for a 6.1 setup. These are driven by a Marantz SR 8200. It sounds awesome. I have also heard the same setup with the SR 7200, which is significantly cheaper and it sounds great as well. If the 7300 improves upon the 7200, then I think it is a no brainer.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Steve Adams]

screw what everyone else says. have a look at the new pioneer, kenwood, marantz, denon, and onkyo in that price range. hey it's your money, good job on the car and speakers. you can always upgrade later on. im sure you will find something that sounds nice in that price range. i know here, there is a thx select kenwood for 370. that's in cdn dollars. im sure that sounds good. what ever you do, dont go sony, they are not well built systems....

 

[mark rush]

In that price range{give or take 100} look at Harman Kardon
AVR 320 and the 220 both nice for the money will sound very good with the B&W speakers, maybe not enough power to drive them real hard but will still sound nice, also look at the Yamaha RX-V 800 it list for 799.00 but you can catch a deal on most Yamaha gear right now{ I picked up an RX-V1 for a smoking deal not long ago} check on the RX-V1000 list for a grand but I have seen them going for a lot less, after these you might take a look atthe pioneer vsx-d850s list for 685.00 you can find for a lot less, also a decent receiver, good luck
Mark

 

[Myki Cantero]

I'd go for a Marantz SR-7300. I have an SR-7200 and it is driving 601S3 for fronts and surrounds, and an LCR60 center superbly! Great for HT, but awesome in music and DVD-Audio!!! yum!!!

If you can get an SR7200 discounted, then go for that, if the 110W/channel is not enough, after a year or so, you can make your SR7200 into a pre-amp, and get a Marantz MM9000 TXH Ultra 5-channel Amplifier for 150W x 5 power.

Marantz is a perfect mate with B&W. I've tried Yamaha and Pioneer (not Elite) and it sounded bright with music. A bit tiring to listen to. Denon 1802 was cheaper but didn't bring out the potential of B&W.

I also hope that you meant LCR600 S3 as your center and not the 600S3 which is used for surrounds.

 

[Zach Dunham]

Hey Sean

Man I get to the computer this morining and I see I have like 19 new emails. Like what the........

Anyway, I think you have a lot of good advice from a lot of people with good experience with B&W. Truley the best manu of speakers on the planet.

I must be psychic. Man I ahd no idea you had a vet. Cool. Thanks for not ruining it like a lot of Dumbos.

Marantz is all I have ran on my B's and... well I guess that is all I will run until........ God only knows.

As for other recievers for the range your looking in, one gentleman had mentioned he tried other recievers and is settled on Marantz also. Denon is some good stuff, especially for HT. HK, nice but a tad weak but possible. Yammies, ........... ummmmm..... nothing against then but......tingy is all I can think of. I have heard about build quality being phenominal but......maybe you can do better. Definitely NEG on Sony! Video, definitely yes, but Audio, no way.

You have it man. I guess the thing to do is test drive. Right? Right. Best of luck and many happpy nights. Z

 

[MWestyn]

Thanks for the help guys.

I'm going to take them all into consideration and go to the store and listen to all of them.

I've got a buddy who owns an audio store so I'm going to see if he can't get me an inside deal on whatever I decide on.

Steve--thanks for the complement. I will heed your advice on the sony.

Myki--I'll definitely look closely at Marantz, and yes I meant LCR 600 S3, sorry for the confusion.

Zach--I thought you just looked at my profile and saw the Vette as another hobby I have listed. You're right, you must be psychic! Anyway, thanks for the input. Marantz will be auditioned tomorrow night.

Later.

 

[Jim_F]

I've never had a serious problem with the many, many (because I've never had a serious problem) Sony products (ES and otherwise) that I've owned. Maybe I've just been uncannily lucky, but at any given price point, I think it's more of a personal preference thing.

I don't think it will be hard to find a receiver that will make the B&Ws sound very good, and you always have the option of adding (at least) a 2-channel amp via your preouts so as to exploit the full potential of your mains, if not all of your speaks.

 

[Frank_S]

I don't think it will be hard to find a receiver that will make the B&Ws sound very good, and you always have the option of adding (at least) a 2-channel amp via your preouts so as to exploit the full potential of your mains, if not all of your speaks.

I agree, buy a receiver with good processing capability and analog bypass if music is important to you. Then you can add a 2 or 3 channel amp later on for your mains(and center)to really open things up. I owned 603S2's a couple of years ago before going to CDM7SE's, and then Nautilus 804's. If you like the B&W sound, give them plenty of power. FWIW, I power my speakers with Aragon amps, all around.

 

[Myki Cantero]

Jim_F, Frank_S,

I'm a bit curious. I have the SR7200 with the DM601S3's. I've been advised to always save up for a separate amplifier and connect it to the SR7200.

But what should I expect if I do that? Is it just power? Since I only listen to music in low to mid volumes, would it improve my listening pleasure? Will the sound be better, more detailed, etc.? I'm considering this as a next upgrade by next year.

Myki

 

[Pete Jennings]

Marantz SR-8200 + B&W 600 Series Speakers =
I'm pushing B&W 602S2's, 601S2's, and a LCR6 with mine, and for the money I spent I couldn't be happier. Sure there are other combos out there that might sound better or have a better price/performance ratio, but I personally didn't find them.
Make sure you demo first, try to talk them into bringing a SR-8200 home to listen to in your home. I'm betting you will be surprised at how well it sounds! Try Accessories4less if you want a factory refurbed and Marantz supported SR-8200 at significant savings.
My $.02
Pete

 

[Jim_F]

For lack of adjectives, I'd just say that using more (other things being more or less equal) amplification results in a fuller, smoother sound. In my case, loudness has never entered into it. A conservatively rated 80 WPC receiver could drive my speakers plenty loud enough for my room.

I usually use 200 WPC to my mains (N805s) When I had to put an amp in the shop for warranty repairs, I had to go with 115 WPC for a while. I really missed the extra amp.

Another advantage of using a separate amp to power full range mains is the reduction in the work that your receiver's amps will need to do if they only have to drive 2 or 3 smaller speakers. This also benefits the overall sound, in my experience.

 

[Myki Cantero]

Jim_F,

One last question. If I did get a stereo amp to power let's say my main speakers... And I only connect my Center and Surrounds to my AVR speaker jacks, wouldn't the AVR still work on putting out sounds at the main speaker jacks even if there are no speakers connected? OR since it is an open connection, then would more power be available to my center/surrounds automatically?

If yes, then I should rather get a stereo amp rather than a 5.1 amp. Right?

Myki

 

[Jim_F]

Myki,

We're getting into a level of detail where I'm less qualified. If you're using full range mains and small speakers elsewhere, then a 2-channel amp could be a big help. There's nothing wrong with using a good 3 or 5 channel amp, either. It's just that the 2-channel model is a cost effective solution that makes good use of your resources. If you were thinking of getting a pre/pro in the forseeable future, you might do best by getting ample amplifcation for all of your channels.

If there are no speakers connected to an output, there will be no circuit, and no current drawn there. That usually doesn't mean that your reciever's full power rating will be summed into the remaining outputs, but the demands on the unit are reduced, and the difference is usually audible.

 

[BenK]

Myki, I usually listen to music at low to mid volume levels also. I recently upgraded to an external amp still using my receiver as a pre/pro and the improvement is exactly how Jim describes it. Fuller and smoother sound...among other things. I would highly recommend it.

 

[Myki Cantero]

Thanks guys. I'll try out some great amps when I have saved for it already.

Maybe I'll just get a 5.1 amp so I don't have to upgrade later on.