HIFI Guru's needed

[MugenRD1]

Hello,

My current setup is B&W 802 speakers with Counterpoint SA-1000 Hybrid Pre Amp and Audio Research DA200 Amp.

Been wanting to change to a different pre-amp, wondering if anyone can give me some suggestions that would be good with the B&W's.

Thanks in advance.

[risabet]

Hello,

My current setup is B&W 802 speakers with Counterpoint SA-1000 Hybrid Pre Amp and Audio Research DA200 Amp.

Been wanting to change to a different pre-amp, wondering if anyone can give me some suggestions that would be good with the B&W's.

Thanks in advance.

I too had an SA-1000 that I recently replaced with a TAD-150 (read the reviews at Audiogon.) I love this unit and recommend it as an excellent pre at a ridiculous price. The unit is available online only from Bizzy Bee Tube Audio design. They have recently come out with a Signature unit. Good luck.

[MugenRD1]

Thank you.. I'll make sure to look into it.

With the Counterpoint SA-1000, seems kinda cold at times, for my ears * don't know if that makes sense for others *

If anyone else has any recommendations, it would be great =)

[MugenRD1]

If anyone that has experienced B&W 801's or 802's. Can you recommend a good preamp / power amp?

A few have recommend Krell, also I was reading some Japanese High End magazine and they also recommend Krell.

[hermanv]

Perhaps if you mentioned a price range?

While there is not a one for one correlation between price and quality the longer I am in this hobby the more it seems that for truly good sound, large amounts of cash help a bunch.

Spending a lot may not guarantee good sound but the converse, spending a little is highly likely to result in poor sound.

I switched to a passive pre. Biggest bang for the buck, does present a possible problem for the Vinyl lover. I do not hear the "lack of dynamics" others have mentioned in reviews. Based on reviews the Placette gets consistently good press and can be had with up to 3 inputs it's made with recognized good brand name parts and no claims of magic.

Hunting for stuff is part of the hobby as far as I'm concerned. Good luck.

[RGA]

Yes I have experience with them --- but what is it you're trying to fix or improve. I am a little frustrated with these speakers because they get people in what I coin as an "amp trap mode" in that people are always looking for new amplifiers to get the most out of these speakers - when they are not that tough to drive --- The best results I have ever had with the N801 was froman 11 watt Nuvist tube amplifier. McIntosh and Bryston I would not use with them. Classe was not too shabby.

Have you considered a speaker upgrade. A fellow here during my last trip to my dealer Soundhounds had his B&W's completely re-wired with Audio Note Silver and claimed it transformed his speakers significantly...I'm a bit skeptical of cables but it may be better than the dirt cheap stuff B&W uses. There are also crossover upgrades that can be performed. Changing one SS amp to another or Hybrids may not be the best move. The N801 is a very good speaker and it needs a good match not just any match. Surprisingly Rotel is not a bad match for B&W either on the power amp side of things.

[theaudiohobby]

I second the passive pre with a proviso, you trade transparency for a bit of dynamics. I did some back to back comparisons a while back, whilst i loved the transparency of the pre, there were few occasions I changed back to an active when I wanted the power amp to boogie .

[dean_martin]

Hello,

My current setup is B&W 802 speakers with Counterpoint SA-1000 Hybrid Pre Amp and Audio Research DA200 Amp.

Been wanting to change to a different pre-amp, wondering if anyone can give me some suggestions that would be good with the B&W's.

Thanks in advance.

IMO, a good place to start would be with an Audio Research preamp - an SP model if you spin vinyl or an LS model. These are fairly easy to find used. I think it would be interesting to look up a little ARC history and find out which preamp they produced to go with your amp.

[topspeed]

I'm with Dino on the ARC suggestion. I've heard 802's driven with an ARC pre and dual mono's and it was wonderfully musical. You might also consider BAT as well. PS Audio's new GCP200 preamp or GCC250 integrated would likely do nicely as their new gain cell technology seems to meld the best of both passive and active pre amp worlds (in the same vein that their switching amps meld the best of tube and ss attributes). Paul originally found fame for his terrific preamps, although I'm biased as I used a PSA 4.6 for 15 years.

I've always found Krell to be a bit cold and clinical and would seriously question the pairing with 802's, especially if you consider your current CP to be sterile. For me, Krell wouldn't make my top five. As always, listen and decide for yourself.