Onkyo and B&W? Good match?

[astrafaci]

I was hoping someone on here could help me out.

I'm starting to build a home theatre system (5.1 for now) from scratch to replace my old stereo system.

I have an old pair of B&W DM601 that I want to keep for the rears. Other equipment I will be keeping:
- DVD: Yamaha DV-S5750
- CD: NAD C 525BEE

My primary listening objective is still music, followed by DVD and last TV/xbox. But 70% of the time I'll be using the system for music.

For a receiver, I just bought the Onkyo TX-SR705 after doing a lot of research. I then hit some of the local hi-fi stores in Boston to audition some speakers with a bias towards the B&Ws.

My budget for the fronts, center, and sub is around 1750.

One of the shop owners told me that the Onkyo 705 wouldn't drive the B&W 684 and in fact at medium to high volumes I ran the risk of damaging the speakers. Is this true?
I still have the opportunity to return the Onkyo.


Thx

[PDN]

The B&W 684's require power between 25W and 150W into 8 ohms to drive them. So your Onkyo 705 at 100 watts/channel x 7 should drive them with no problem. I highly doubt you will damage the B&W 684's with your Onkyo receiver. The B&W shop owner might be saying that to direct you to the receivers he sells which are most likely Rotel. I would agree with him that Rotel receivers are superior and would be more compatible with B&W's since both manufacturers are owned by the B&W Group. I have the Rotel RSX-1067 at 75 watts/ch x 5 into 8 ohms driving B&W DM603 S3's with absolutely no problem and in fact, sounds fabulous. The DM603 S3's require a minimum of 50 watts into 8 ohms to drive them. You may want to consider Rotel receivers which are not mass market units as Onkyo receivers are. You will pay more for Rotel but then again, you get what you pay!! Don't forget to that with a sub-woofer in your system set up to direct low frequency signals to your sub (generally at 80hz and lower), your receiver will not have to work hard to drive your main L&R speakers. I've read this can save up to 20% of the power in the receiver or amp.

My recommendation to you (IMO) is to consider going with a Rotel or even a Marantz A-V receiver. The 684's by the way are an excellent choice. Get the HTM61 center channel. I have it and I love it.

[PDN]

Oops. Sorry. Correction to two errors I made above. I have the Rotel RSX-1057 not the1067. Typo. Also, the min power to drive the B&W DM603 S3's is 25w and not 50w.

[blackraven]

The onkyo should have no problem what so ever driving the B&W's with 100 wpc of high current power, even if it is a mass market receiver. I used a JVC AVR 120wpc receiver to drive my magnepans which are a much more difficult speaker to drive and the JVC did just fine even at loud volumes.

[GMichael]

Your Onkyo will drive those B&W's with no trouble. But, it will not bring out their full potential. They will still sound good. An external amp added to your system will make them sing. That could be added later down the road if you like though. For now, the Onkyo will work and it will not hurt your speakers. That guy just wants you to spend more money with him.

[pixelthis]

I have an Integra (made by Onkyo) and it sounds great with my B&W
speakers(602s2).
But eventually I would get outboard amps , at least for the front channels.
That receiver/speaker combo is fine that you have, but dont be too quick to diss
the salesman, he might be just unimformed.
He is probably just talking about Clipping, which is what happens when an underpowered amp drives a speaker and is strained in doing so, this can damage your speakers.
But with an amp of 100 wpc it shouldnt be a problem, unless you're trying to
shake an auditorium or something:1:

[f0rge]

nice speaker choice, and nice receiver. they'll work quite well together.

[astrafaci]

Hi everyone...thanks so much for the help. Clipping was exactly what he was talking about. I'm a newbie at this so had no idea what he was talking about. But I found some good articles on it over the weekend and am feeling a little more informed now.

Good to know I can add an amp to this set up down the road.

[BadAssJazz]

...And thus begins the search for true audio fidelity.

The Onkyo and B&W will work fine together...and you may be very, very happy with it at first. But it's out there. Can you hear it? I can:

"Rotel is a leap up from the Onkyo."

"Your speakers will sing with a separate amplifier."

That's where it begins, my friend. But don't be afraid of those voices. Not at all. They speak to a point in time not too far distant from where you are now. Eventually, inevitably you'll get there. Enjoy the Onkyo and B&W for as long as you can, while you can.

[blackraven]

Astra, if you live in the Boston area, check out spearit sound in your area. They carry hi end equipment. Here's their web address www.spearitsound.com They have good deals on demo and used equipment as well.

[astrafaci]

Thx Blackraven...spearit is the place that told me that i ran the chance of ruining the B&W 683 or 684 if I powered it with the Onkyo 705. The guy I was talking to introduced himself as John (I think) Spear. I was there for about an hour listening to the B&Ws and eventually left because he literally made me feel stupid for buying the Onkyo. He told me it was an appliance and that he didn't have any speakers that it could drive. Maybe I caught him on a bad day :) But thanks for the tip. I've heard there other store out in Framingham has better service so I may go check that out.

I also went up to Ensemble Home Theatre in Nashua, NH who also carries B&W. They had a more favorable opinion of Onkyo.

My total budget for 2 fronts, a center, and a receiver/amp is $2500 so I'm pretty sure Rotel is out of my league unless I go used.

[blackraven]

Opps! I havent been to spearit personally but have dealt with them over the phone and internet. It seems like spearit sound is a HiFi snob store. I always walk out of a store like that. Its too bad because they carry some really nice gear. There's a store here in the Twin Cities that gave me a hard time for going with Adcom over NAD. They didnt know jack sh..t about adcom so I walked out.

That Onkyo amp will be just fine and I seriously doubt that you would hear a dramatic difference between the Onkyo and Rotel. There are other factors to consider like matching the CDP and cables to your speakers and amp as well as how loud you play your music. Many people on this forum do not like the sound of Rotel gear paired with B&W, they find it too harsh!

Stick with the Onkyo and put your money towards better speakers and CDP!

[astrafaci]

Thanks blackraven....what is a CDP??

[blackraven]

CD player =CDP

[astrafaci]

Ah right...thanks. My CDP is NAD C 525BEE