• Please note that Audiokarma will be offline briefly for updates early on Monday morning, September 28th.

B&W Series 80, best amp to hook these to?

J

James Drnak

New Member
Hello, i am currently in possession of a set of B&W Series 80 speakers, and though they sound great on the cheap Fisher amp i have them hooked to, i feel like they should be louder! Can anyone suggest a good unit to hook these up to so that they are louder, but still hold the quality sound i have now.
Edit: For some songs they will start to clip at half volume even with the amp i have it hooked to.
 
Last edited:
Register to hide this ad
My experience with B&W speakers is that if you have an amplifier that can double as a welding machine,you're good to go:)

Which model B&W's do you have?
 
arts said:
My experience with B&W speakers is that if you have an amplifier that can double as a welding machine,you're good to go:)

Which model B&W's do you have?
Click to expand...
They say Series 80 model 801. There are no buttons on the front like i have seen with other series 80
 
Oh yeah,the 801 likes LOTS of power.These were often used as monitors in recording studios,and were usually driven by large SS amps that had huge current reserves.
They really need this type of amplifier to get big and to keep the bass tight and under control.Not really a tube-friendly speaker,haha!

How much amp you are going to need depends on just what your idea of ''loud'' is,and perhaps also what kind of music you listen to.In my opinion,using any amplifier of less than 200wpc is an exercise in futility with these speakers under any conditions even approaching loud.
 
James Drnak said:
Hello, i am currently in possession of a set of B&W Series 80 speakers, and though they sound great on the cheap Fisher amp i have them hooked to, i feel like they should be louder! Can anyone suggest a good unit to hook these up to so that they are louder, but still hold the quality sound i have now.
Edit: For some songs they will start to clip at half volume even with the amp i have it hooked to.
Click to expand...
It's not the speakers that are clipping, it's the amplifier. o_O

Your "cheap" Fisher amplifier is not going to cut it, it needs to be replaced.
 
James Drnak said:
They say Series 80 model 801. There are no buttons on the front like i have seen with other series 80
Click to expand...

Good amp for 801s:
Inexpensive: Adcom, ATI, Yamaha, Bryston
Expensive: Boulder, Krell, Pass, VTL, McIntosh

They like lots of power and I'd start at 150-200wpc. Properly set up they are still very good speakers.
 
bhunter said:
Good amp for 801a:
Inexpensive: Adcom, ATI, Yamaha, Bryston
Expensive: Boulder, Krell, Pass

They like lots of power and I'd start at 150-200wpc. Properly set up they are still very good speakers.
Click to expand...

I was literally about to post everything you listed, points for including ATI.

I would pick up a bryston 4b/st or restored class a/b threshold and call it a done deal
 
If you need to stay low budget,the big-assed Crown (Amcron),BGW and QSC commercial amps can usually be found used for small money.Start checking pawn shops and music store bulletin boards for these.
 
Definitely what these guys say. I have the baby versions of your speakers (804s) and even these absolutely love power.

Be careful with those tweeters and clipping the crap out of them with your Fisher. The diaphragms alone are over $100 each and you'll need to find someone competent enough to change them if you keep up.
 
arts said:
My experience with B&W speakers is that if you have an amplifier that can double as a welding machine,you're good to go:)
Click to expand...
Does that mean high current and low voltage or the inverse? :)

200wpc with these should be plenty.
B&W 801s... they are wonderful.
 
Op- what is the story behind how you got the 801's? Having them hooked to a fisher amp makes me think theres an interesting story behind them.
 
B&W has a habit of allowing their speakers impedance to dip way below the rating they choose, which puts a stress on many amplifiers. So picking an amp means it should have a high current rating and very large heat sinks. Mcintosh 7200's and 501's are prime candidates. At 3 ohms the 7200 will put out close to 640 watts peak and over 450 watts continuous. Though only rated at 200 watts 8 ohms and 300 watts 4 ohms. The 501 with autoformers will still meet specs driving 4 ohm loads from the 8 ohm tap pushing over 700 watts. From the 4 ohm taps driving 2 ohm loads almost the same. So either amp would be ideal for any 800 series B&W speaker.
 
Last edited:
OMGCat! said:
Definitely what these guys say. I have the baby versions of your speakers (804s) and even these absolutely love power.

Be careful with those tweeters and clipping the crap out of them with your Fisher. The diaphragms alone are over $100 each and you'll need to find someone competent enough to change them if you keep up.
Click to expand...
The tweeters are protected by the APOC system if it hasn't been bypassed. The diaphragms for those tweeters haven't been available for a long, long time, decades in fact. These are the very first 801s, which debuted in 1979.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom