Quote Originally Posted by Mark111867
I have been auditioning some bookshelf speakers for my living room. I have listened to Paradigm, KEF, Boston Acoustics, Athena, Klipsch & B&W. There are many more that I would like to listen to, but they are not available in my area and I don't want to buy something without hearing it first. Out of the models that I have listened to, I have it narrowed down to the B&W 602S3 and the Boston Acoustics CR85. Although the specs are pretty impressive on both, I have read that the B&W's are somewhat tough to drive. My mains are a pair of Mirage standmounts that are rated at 6 ohms and have an efficiency rating of 86 and my receiver has never had a problem. Here are the two questions: 1) Is there something in the specs for the 602s3's that I am missing that would make it difficult for my receiver to drive? 2)I have read a great deal about the B&W's. Do you have any opinions regarding the Boston Acoustics CR85's? Thanks.
PS-My receiver is a Yamaha RX-596 (80 watts per channel). My budget is in the ballpark of $500.
Both models you're evaluating should be easier to drive than your Mirages. Yammies are known for being able to drive difficult loads without shutting down, and since it's a two-channel model, your actual output is probably higher (this is a byproduct of the tougher FTC test required for two-channel receiver specs). I listened to several different B&W models through Yamaha AV receivers and that posed no problem whatsoever, and that was their previous 600 series, which were less efficient that their current models.

The Bostons are probably even easier to drive. They're similar to the B&Ws in that they are well balanced top to bottom with no major problems. I thought that the CR models (the CR85 had just come out when I was auditioning them) were good, but the B&Ws just sounded more "lifelike" to me. The S3 series that you're auditioning is supposed to have a punchier sound than the S2 models that I auditioned, so it should be pretty easy to pick out the differences between the two lines.

I think you're best off sticking with models that you can try first before buying. Just go with the one that you prefer. Both options should be pretty good.

P.S. If that's your birthdate in the screen name, I'm a day off from you.