Help me narrow down my amp options for B&W 606

Salonchi

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Hi,

I posted yesterday about adding a stereo amp to my Home Cinema setup for the front speakers, which are B&W 606, and I've decided to go for it, just how to decide. I don't need a DAC or any digital inputs. It's not a problem if an amp has them, but I'd prefer to avoid paying for parts I'm not going to use, and also to keep the amp simple and uncluttered.

Choices are:

Audiolabs seem to be paired with the 606s in bundles
Audiolabs 6000A
Audiolabs 8300A (This is more expensive than the 6000A, I think purely due to the extra power)

Cambridge AudioCXA81 - Good recommendations, HT bypass, 12v trigger

Cyrus One - Just like the simple design.

Rega Brio - Gets very good reviews, but I don't know about the match with the speakers

Rotel A12 I see popping up sometimes on the B&W forum

Are there any particular makes of amp to avoid for pairing with the B&W 606, or any brands that are a particularly good match aside from those mentioned above
 
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Are there any particular makes of amp to avoid for pairing with the B&W 606, or any brands that are a particularly good match aside from those mentioned above
No (except of course budget makes) and no. Any decently made amplifier from any reputable company will be fine and will match; the rest is personal bias rather than objective qualification.

The B&W 606 is reasonably easy to drive and not all that fussy about the amplification, provided it's adequate.
 
There is little point in posting the same question in a different thread.
 
@gibbsy I thought my first post was more around the benefits of adding stereo amplification and this second post was specifically about marrying a pair of speakers to an amp. Didn’t intended to shotgun all over. I’m fine if you want to delete this posts and I’ll add this question to the previous post.
 
@gibbsy I thought my first post was more around the benefits of adding stereo amplification and this second post was specifically about marrying a pair of speakers to an amp. Didn’t intended to shotgun all over. I’m fine if you want to delete this posts and I’ll add this question to the previous post.
No. Just couldn't see who you were talking to. Perhaps quote or tag as you have just done. I thought you were asking if I was pleased with the speaker performance on the 6500 over my previous 6200. I'll answer anyway. It is better, the wife says so. :)
 
“The Wife says so“ - All that really matters :)

I’m going with the audiolab 6000A. Should be plenty for the speakers, no need for me to jump to a £1k amp.
 
Hi Salonchi,

I drive mine with a Denon DRA 800 h. Probably not what you’re after but I was after something complete with ‘bells and whistles’ at not too extortionate an asking price. As for sound, I find the speakers love it - at least my ears tell me they do! All the reviews seem to match what I’m hearing with none of the criticisms either e.g. brightness.
Hope that’s helpful.
 
Hi Salonchi,

I drive mine with a Denon DRA 800 h. Probably not what you’re after but I was after something complete with ‘bells and whistles’ at not too extortionate an asking price. As for sound, I find the speakers love it - at least my ears tell me they do! All the reviews seem to match what I’m hearing with none of the criticisms either e.g. brightness.
Hope that’s helpful.

Thank @Onlythesound . Our posts crossed in the mail, and I didn't see your. Just to round out this discussion, I spoke to the dealer about added a Teac NT505 to the Audiolab amp, to give me Roon end point and MQA, but instead they took the Audiolab 6000A back and I'm no longer going for the TeacNT505, but the Arcam SA30 which will hopefully cover both and be less expensive (ex demo model)
 
Thank @Onlythesound . Our posts crossed in the mail, and I didn't see your. Just to round out this discussion, I spoke to the dealer about added a Teac NT505 to the Audiolab amp, to give me Roon end point and MQA, but instead they took the Audiolab 6000A back and I'm no longer going for the TeacNT505, but the Arcam SA30 which will hopefully cover both and be less expensive (ex demo model)
Hi,
Hopefully you’ll have some great sound from your new Arcam .
Cheers
 
Hi Salonchi,

I drive mine with a Denon DRA 800 h. Probably not what you’re after but I was after something complete with ‘bells and whistles’ at not too extortionate an asking price. As for sound, I find the speakers love it - at least my ears tell me they do! All the reviews seem to match what I’m hearing with none of the criticisms either e.g. brightness.
Hope that’s helpful.
I considered that amp but am erring towards Yamaha A-H801...did you consider the Yam's? I know reviews aren't sparkling. but power seems good.
 
I have considered the AS 801/701 in the past and with discounts that come with them now, they seem excellent value. As time went on, new amps came on the market, some like the DRA 800 h, offering an ‘all in one’ solution. I had the Naim Muso 2 (sent it back), Audiolab 6000a (sent it back) then settled on the Denon. I play CDs, Spotify premium, Apple Music; stream internet radio and YouTube music videos as well as films on Blu-ray which I sometimes turn my sub on for. I should say that I’ve only got one working ear 👂 so my preferred listening position is with my left ear dead centred in the sweet spot, pointing towards the sound. It all sounds good and the 606s are beautiful.
ps I’m about to buy a pair of Q Acoustics Concept 20s as a 2nd/Zone 2 speaker set - it’s a versatile amp!
 
oh that all sounds great. I did really consider those receivers and the Marantz 1200, they seem such good value! The 801 has a usb connection so internet radio can be played...just tryin to work out what cable I would need!! (unless amp comes with one!)
 
I doubt whether the amp will come with cables apart from power. Depends what you’re playing through it but optical for tv if the AS801 has optical, a set of something like QED speaker cables (you don’t need to pay too much) a pair of RCA leads for amp to CD player connection? These are just some of the options.
 
Thanks...actually I meant for the usb connection from the computer...

I am thinking of optical in from cd though will be interesting to see how cd dac compares via rca!
 
I paired my 606 s2 with Cambridge Audio CXA81. Make sure you bi-wire with the A/B posts to the speakers. You will hear wonder! The sound become so realistic that I often mistake the sound as coming from the room. If you just connect either the A or the B to the speakers, then depending on your cable of choice, connection and jumper, the sound will be invariably less refine than bi-wiring.


If anyone has success with the Audiolab 8300a, pls let me know, coz I am interested in trying the Audiolab, as it seems to have better binding posts and more dedicated to amplifying than the trade of all jack CXA81. The bluetooth on the CXA81 sucks. Also the build quality is like sheet metal. The 8300a feels much sturdier.
 

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