Stereo Amp for B&W 685

[harsha64]

============================================

why cant he get the roksan ? because of more power ?

Amps capable of bit more power delivery that specified by the speakers can be actually better. Underpowered amps ( as compared to speaker requirement ) can be a bother.


rgds,
mpw

oops..all this time i thought a higher power amp would fry the speaker..

@ flash.. i just got the amp, i still did not connect it..i have to go and get the wires and all..

 

[Flash]

oops..all this time i thought a higher power amp would fry the speaker..

@ flash.. i just got the amp, i still did not connect it..i have to go and get the wires and all..

Nice ..
Please give us a mini review

 

[spirovious]

using a higher power amp will not damage the speaker. Infact even using a 200 watt amp with a 100 watt speaker is perfect . ?

Only one shouldn't turn amp's volume control to full.

 

[Flash]

Only one shouldn't turn amp's volume control to full.

Exactly..... Unless the user is a semi-crazed headbanger who is high on magic mushrooms. hyeah:
Then in that case better to play it safe and stick within the speakers wattage limits

 

[doors666]

The wattage ratings for a speaker are nothing but a load of crap. it doest mean squat. if a speaker is rated at 100w, what does it mean, usually its rated at 1khz IIRC.you feed 20w at 20hz, most of the speakers will fry. If you are highpassing at 80hz with a sub, most of them will handle 150w with ease.

any amp, when you are driving in the 70%+ power range, will start clipping and feeding distortion to the speakers. thats what kills the spkrs usually. When you have a high power amp, it wont clip so easy and hence wont destroy the speakers. During clipping, you are feeding DC voltage to the speaker and it cant handle that.

Tweeters are fine usually as they only handle part of the power, usually much lesser than a woofer.

One more thing is Pe, electrical power of the woofer (check t/s parameters of the woofer), if you are feeding more than that to the woofer, the voice coil will burn.

 

[S.P.KRISHNA]

Blunt and precise I appreciate it.
Which Rotel amp were the 685's paired with.
Hopefully its within my budget.

It is 1056 pre and 1070 power amp.

 

[harsha64]

i have just connected my marantz pm 6004 to the speakers, the overall sound quality is good but its lacking that punch and that big sound stage that i have heard at the showroom,they have connected some rotel pre and power amp...
when listening to classic songs like, bob dylan - blowing in the wind, doors - people are strange the vocals seemed little treblish but i was satisfied with the performance
and when listening to electronic bass songs like bep - pump it - chemical brothers - galvanize both the bass and vocals are low and there is no big sound stage at all..

i read somewhere and thought that more watts does not matter at lower volumes, i guess i am wrong! or am i not?? i might sell this amp soon and get a either a more powerful int amp or a pre and power amp, what do u guys suggest??

 

[Flash]

After a lot of thought & Research. I have decided to go in for Rotel Pre-Power Combo
Rotel RC-06 Preamp
Rotel RB-06 Power Amp.

Any idea what the fair price of it is in India .

 

[Flash]

I have taken the Plunge and just got delivery of 2 Rotel RB-06 Poweramps this afternoon.

I have bridged them and run them as monoblocks. As of now I am using a Denon 2106 as a pre temp. The Preamp will be finialized soon

I did give it a run this afternoon connected to the B&W 685's
The Rotel's top cover has to be removed and 3 jumpers have to be moved to bridge them

Rotel specifies 70w in 2 channel and 180w in bridged mode. YES i know bridging is serious overkill for B&W685's

However initially I ran them in 2 channel mode without bridging and the B&W's played well however not exceptional. Good soundstage etc.
Yes it could be the fact that I used the Denon as a Pre.

After I bridged them ... WOW .... A world of difference. the extra power made the speakers come alive. Huge difference. Dont want to get into nitty gritties. however imaging, soundstage, Depth, separation etc etc (not tried them with my other loudspeakers as yet)

Since the general perception is that the 685 is not really power hungry. I would say the perception is completely off the mark.
They need Power. A low powered Marantz, NAD etc wont do them justice. As FM harsha confirmed the Marantz PM6004 just did not do justice to them. So folks looking at the integrated route
THe Marantz PM7004 or NAD 356 should be a good starting point for the B&W 685's. Rotel''s would however be the best option. RA-06 and up

My newest acquisition :yahoo::yahoo:

 

[jai1611]

Congrats Flash. Are you getting the matching Rotel pre or planning to try something different?

 

[Flash]

Congrats Flash. Are you getting the matching Rotel pre or planning to try something different?

Thanks Jai,

Ive got a couple of options open at the moment,
In order of Preference

1. Tube Preamp,
2. ARCAM pre
3. Rotel pre

So let see where it goes. Will give it a week or 2 before I finalize

 

[jai1611]

Thanks Jai,

Ive got a couple of options open at the moment,
In order of Preference

1. Tube Preamp,
2. ARCAM pre
3. Rotel pre

So let see where it goes. Will give it a week or 2 before I finalize

If you get a chance, do try them in your system before deciding. My bias would be for a tube pre but depends entirely on how what you have in mind pairs with the power amps and speakers.

 

[Flash]

If you get a chance, do try them in your system before deciding. My bias would be for a tube pre but depends entirely on how what you have in mind pairs with the power amps and speakers.

Yes Jai, I completely agree. I am kinda moving towards tube as well.

I will be buying a Arcam A70 integrated and will be using it as a pre for some time. (blind purchase). Sort of a temp arrangement.

I may take some time on a Pre. Since I will be adding a Thorens or Project Debut TT into the mix.

So gonna give everything in my budget a go before picking up a Peamp

 

[GCE]

I have listen to Yamaha A-S700 with B&W 685, it seemed articulated in low and not so bright and cold in middle-high - never seen the A-S500 - what's the best with my speakers (B&W 1800, 2 way reflex - from year 1990 )- why someone says that AS 500 is better than AS700? thanks!

 

[denom]

Hi Flash,

You are indeed 'Flashing' a lot of new equipments on a regular basis

Jokes aside, awesome dude, so happy for you!
A trip to your place is now seriously due. Lets co-ordinate & meet up

 

[tirthankar]

B&Ws are said to love power.more specifically, they love a high current bias.
Congrats..the amps are looking real yummy :beer:

 

[spirovious]

Since the general perception is that the 685 is not really power hungry. I would say the perception is completely off the mark.

This is surprising as 685 has sensitivity of 88db.

 

[Flash]

Hi Flash,

You are indeed 'Flashing' a lot of new equipments on a regular basis

Jokes aside, awesome dude, so happy for you!
A trip to your place is now seriously due. Lets co-ordinate & meet up

Yes Denom , We better meet up . I still have some more equipment that need to come in. Should all be ready in a couple of weeks . Planning on a major speaker upgrade from the B&W stable the model starts with a 8 and ends with a D hyeah:hyeah:

This is surprising as 685 has sensitivity of 88db.

Yes Spiro,

I was pretty surprised as well. When FM harsha confirmed that we was not pleased with the Marantz 6004, I figured it was more to to with the pairing as opposed to power. Infact he was completely dissatisfied with hie purchase and that's why its on his sale thread.

To play it safe I called for 2 Rotel poweramps. my initial goal was to biamp them. But the B&W's do sound better without biamping.
when I connected a single Rotel poweramp which is rated at 70 watts x 2. The overall sonic experience was pretty pedestrian. Good but not great.
I ran though a couple of sound tracks

Sinead Oconner - Troy
Sarah McLachlan - Angel
Maria Glen - Cost of freedom
Zucchero - I lay down
Bob Seger - Like a Rock
and 2 classical tracks
Schubert - Ave Maria
R. Schumann - BluesTraumeri-

I was like ok. this sounds good but not great let me biamp them.
Biamping did not improve things. (I have heard the 685's with some monster amp before and I knew what they are capable of)
However after opening up the Rotels and bridging them to use them as monoblocks 180 watts each

Well the sonic change was breathtaking, the same soundtracks were delivered with much more authority and poise. at the same db levels even at lower volumes every little detail was brought forward. the soundstaging / 3d imaging/ Detail is what I would say has improved by leaps and bounds with the additional power.

Rotel's however are pretty clinical in their approach. I would say Neutral tending slightly towards warmth.

 

[cmsajith]

Yes Denom , We better meet up . I still have some more equipment that need to come in. Should all be ready in a couple of weeks . Planning on a major speaker upgrade from the B&W stable the model starts with a 8 and ends with a D hyeah:hyeah:



Yes Spiro,

I was pretty surprised as well. When FM harsha confirmed that we was not pleased with the Marantz 6004, I figured it was more to to with the pairing as opposed to power. Infact he was completely dissatisfied with hie purchase and that's why its on his sale thread.

To play it safe I called for 2 Rotel poweramps. my initial goal was to biamp them. But the B&W's do sound better without biamping.
when I connected a single Rotel poweramp which is rated at 70 watts x 2. The overall sonic experience was pretty pedestrian. Good but not great.
I ran though a couple of sound tracks

Sinead Oconner - Troy
Sarah McLachlan - Angel
Maria Glen - Cost of freedom
Zucchero - I lay down
Bob Seger - Like a Rock
and 2 classical tracks
Schubert - Ave Maria
R. Schumann - BluesTraumeri-

I was like ok. this sounds good but not great let me biamp them.
Biamping did not improve things. (I have heard the 685's with some monster amp before and I knew what they are capable of)
However after opening up the Rotels and bridging them to use them as monoblocks 180 watts each

Well the sonic change was breathtaking, the same soundtracks were delivered with much more authority and poise. at the same db levels even at lower volumes every little detail was brought forward. the soundstaging / 3d imaging/ Detail is what I would say has improved by leaps and bounds with the additional power.

Rotel's however are pretty clinical in their approach. I would say Neutral tending slightly towards warmth.

Are you planning for 800D? If so rotels wont be enough, probably you may have to use each rotel for each driver

 

[Flash]

cmsajith : the 685's/Rotels will be retained for my Den. the 800D I just dont have the room for it. Neither do I have the money to buy them :sad: It will be one of the smaller sibling from the same stable will be mating it with different components .