Upgrading to B&W 602 from Wharfedale 8.2

[teridon]

hello everyone!

im thinking of upgrading my wharfedale 8.2 speakers to B&W DM602S3's.

Is it worth it?

more so, which should i upgrade first, my Yamaha AV receiver to a Rotel RA-03 integrated amp while retaining the wharfedales, or the wharfedales for the b&W 602s, while retaining the Yamaha AV receiver?

im wondering which setup would maximize my listening pleasure, as upgrading both AV receiver and speakers would drain my budget.

Thanks in advance!

Johnson

[basite]

hmmm, different posseblilities,
first of all, Welcome to AR, i hope we can help you with alot of your questions,

in general, yamaha is not bad, it's not the top of the line but it's not bad too, but when you go for a b&w setup, you might want something better,
in case you didn't knew, rotel kindof works together with b&w, and they match perfectly,
also, rotel's are high current amps, (can you please let us know which yamaha you're using?), if i'm correct, the RA-03 is out of production now, and is replaced by the similar looking (and the same priced) RA-06 model,

so as i said, rotel works together with b&w, they're also a perfect match.
thing is that when you combine them with a very bright amp, like a yamaha (they're the brightest i know) they might sound a little too bright, and a little agressive too.
for now, (there will be other replies following) my choice goes for the new amplifier, but, before you buy, audition it, and if possible, with the b&w's as speakers, then compare the b&w's with a yamaha (if possible) then see what you like most.

let us know,
and keep em spinning
basite.

[teridon]

hello basite!

will do what you proposed. everyone does say that rotel is best for the b&w. thinking of checking out the marantz pm7001 as well. is it any better than the rotel?

thanks again.

oh, i listen to dave matthews, jazz and world music, so the clarity of the instruments are very important.

[icarus]

Welcome to AR teridon. As someone who personally runs B&W's, they sound amazing no matter what they are attached to. Even attached to my old Harmon Kardon they still had a nice sound to them, it was not their best sound but it was still good. But i must agree with Basite on this one, by upgrading to Rotel first you should even hear a difference in your wharfedales. It is a personal choice which way to go, you can't go wrong eaither way its just a personal choice.

good luck
Teridon

[basite]

i'm sorry to say that i have no personal experience with marantz, so i don't know or it's better.
check them both out, and don't forget about the rotel ra-06.

[teridon]

so at best, an upgrade to an integ amp should be first?
that it think would be a more plausible choice.

i love the mao signature, icarus. hehe.

[jrhymeammo]

I dont remember too much, but B&W and Rotel are working as parent companies. I used to have Signature 805 w/ Rotel RSX 972 they sounded pretty good together. But in Japan, they/we/whatever sell B&W with Marantz. Just somem for you to think about.

JRA

[RGA]

Personally I would not do either - the 602S3 is not a big enough improvement over the Wharfedale -- some would argue it's not even an upgrade and while the Rotel is probably better it probably won't be better enough to warrant the loss you're going to take selling the Yamaha.

IMO it's better to make upgrades that will be very large -- they cost more but at the same time it reduces buyer's remorse -- and in the long run will probably save you more money.

[spasticteapot]

My suggestion?

A HTPC with analog outputs, a 41hz.com Amp9 kit for the satellites, and a paralelled LM4780 for the main channels.

Mmm...DIY-a-licious!

[teridon]

oh, my yamaha's an RXV520 home theater AVR. it sounds too bright to my ears. besides, i think id rather have a stereo than a home theater now.

my wharfedale are the 8.1 and the 8.2. well, the wharfedale's are kinda clear but kinda bright, though im not sure which gives it brightness, the yamaha or the speakers themselves.

so you guys would suggest that i upgrade the integ amp first before the speakers?

actually the idea came to mind when i took out from the basement my dad's old fisher audio component system which sounded better, albeit warmer than my present set-up.

[Carl Reid]

I agree with the views of some of the other members.... you're probably better off upgrading the amp before the speakers.... I recently went to a B&W dealer to check out their speakers and ended up deciding to to upgrade from my NAD C352 Integrated to Rotel seperates (RC1070 Pre and RB1080 Power Amplifiers).... and the difference it brought to my setup was amazing.... My Mission Volare 63 speakers have never sounded this good.... so now I'm in no rush to upgrade the speakers.... I can take my time and save up for a truly substantial speaker upgrade if I decide to make any further changes...

So two things to consider:

1) IMHO Upgrading the weakest link in your setup will probably make the most difference (in my case that was clearly the NAD integrated)....

2) Make sure that you're actually upgrading and not just making a lateral shift by buying a replacement speaker/amp that is just a few hundred more expensive than your previous one and doesn't really improve the sound of your set-up.... I personally believe that if you want to upgrade it's best to really listen to as much equipment as possible and save up a little longer if necessary to make a significant jump in quality....

[teridon]

so, is it safe to assume then that the weakest link in my system is the yamaha?

which amp would greatly pair well with the wharfedales so i wouldnt have to buy the b&ws just yet?

thanks!

[basite]

well, since the wharfedales have a very low sensetivity, i'd reccomend something high current (ish) and with quite some power (somewhere around 80 watts would certainly do well)

the rotel ra-06 will do, cambridge audio, denon, marantz, ... check out some of these.

Greetings,
Basite.

[Florian]

My customer runs a pair of Nautilus 803's and i sold him a new power amp to replace his aging 3 piece Musical Fidelity one. The jump from 200wpc to 400wpc was very noticeable in all passages the speaker really sounds half way decent once you feed it a bunch of current. Rotel/Classe/B&W is pretty much one big company so dont read any of the recommendations since they make money out of the 3. ;-)

I would try and get a used Nautilus since that is actually a lot better then the other speakers they offer in my opinion.

-Flo

[Carl Reid]

so, is it safe to assume then that the weakest link in my system is the yamaha?

which amp would greatly pair well with the wharfedales so i wouldnt have to buy the b&ws just yet?

thanks!


I can't say for certain whether the weakest link in your system is the Yamaha, since I haven't listened to Wharfedale 8.2s.... but if I was to take wild guess I'd assume that the Yamaha is the weak point...

And yes...if you upgrade to a good amp first... you will be able to enjoy better sound and delay purchasing the B&Ws for a while... That's exatly what I did... I got the Rotel seperates and now my Missions sounds so much better, that I can take my own sweet time before upgrading to either the B&W 700 or 800 Series....

As for the comment from another member that B&W, Rotel and Classe are owned by the same company.... well that is true... but you shouldn't let that deter you from trying out those combinations.... since all 3 of those companies have received good reviews from both critics and customers... so my advice would be to listen to the combos and decide for yourself....

[shokhead]

My customer runs a pair of Nautilus 803's and i sold him a new power amp to replace his aging 3 piece Musical Fidelity one. The jump from 200wpc to 400wpc was very noticeable in all passages the speaker really sounds half way decent once you feed it a bunch of current. Rotel/Classe/B&W is pretty much one big company so dont read any of the recommendations since they make money out of the 3. ;-)

I would try and get a used Nautilus since that is actually a lot better then the other speakers they offer in my opinion.

-Flo

Right. The used Nautilus and the new 602's are how much apart in price?

[basite]

hmm, there is a price gap, but considering the age (speaking about the 805's), they cost about € 2200 new, a pair, the 602's will cost you € 550 a pair, max, so let's say the 805 is used (maybe used alot) and is like 3 years old, it would most likely cost you between €1250 and €1500 (maybe €1700), that's 3 times the 602...
then i'd rather buy new 703 speakers, they cost the same as the 805's.

but then again, my current choice is going for the monitor audio RS-8's, coming to me next summer :ihih:
but, aren't all the b&w speakers somehow connected with the nautiluses? (well, exept the 300 series, but that sucks so) even the 600 series uses some technologies used in the nautiluses.

Keep em spinning,
Basite

btw, Flo, if i remember correctly, you ordered a Michell Gyro SE during this summer, since we're not hearing too much about it, give us an update on the current circumstances, if you can.

[teridon]

oh another thing.

one of the major reasons why id like to get the 602s is that my dealer slashed the price big time, and i dont exactly know if id let it pass by getting the new amp.

while i fully agree that a new amp must be in the offing, im not quite sure if its the best decision given the big discount, as i think the 602s and the wharfedale 8.2s are incomparable in quality.

unless of course the sound quality differential would be greater still by changing the amp than changing the speakers.

i appreciate all the suggestions guys!

thanks. im an inch closer to deciding which to get!

JOhnson

[Florian]

Well i dont know any of the prices for B&W to be honest, but thats besides the point. My experience shows that this particular model loves power and current and maybe a good amp upgrade is in order first ;-)

To Bastie: I didnt get the TT since my new speaker has cost me dearly. I misscalculated on getting 2600lbs from Italy to Germany. Then misscalculated on getting 8 channels of krell class A mono power operation (new powerlines in the apartment) and so on..... maybe some time in the future. But i am seriously straped for cash at the time.

[basite]

But i am seriously straped for cash at the time.


we all have that problem sometimes :)

hope you'll get it in the future...

Greetings,
Basite.

[Carl Reid]

oh another thing.

one of the major reasons why id like to get the 602s is that my dealer slashed the price big time, and i dont exactly know if id let it pass by getting the new amp.



Hold up... slashed price you say? That changes the situation substantially.... if you really love a pair of speakers and can get them at a discount then you may well be better off buying them first....

[teridon]

i think i can get a cheap 9.1 as a compromise for the more expensive B&Ws. what do you guys think?

[basite]

depends, have you heard the wharfedales?

[teridon]

nope. about to by this weekend.

thinking also of selling either the 8.1 or the 8.2. heard that the 8.1s got better reviews than the 8.2s though the latter have got a more bass extension.

whatcha think?

[shokhead]

nope. about to by this weekend.

thinking also of selling either the 8.1 or the 8.2. heard that the 8.1s got better reviews than the 8.2s though the latter have got a more bass extension.

whatcha think?

Think you had better listen to everything before you buy and dont just go on a review.

[BillyB]

Just wanted to add that I tend to agree with RGA that smaller upgrades while less costly are far less rewarding in the long run.I'm very familar with the B&W's but not with the Wharfdales.I like the B&W's at their price point but I'm not so sure they're going to give you a significant enough improvement over the Wharfdales for the hassle of swapping out the equipment.If you could save for reasonable yet good quality separate amp and pre-amp(Rotel is very hard to beat at their price points)not only will your existing Wharfdales sound better but so will anything you replace them with in the future.Enjoy your shopping as I always find that to be great fun.