B&W 800 Diamonds - Amp recommendations

hey Kevin - a friend of mine has the 800D2’s and is using Bryston amplification. the 7B mono blocks - but he’s upgrading to the 28BSST2’s at 1000 watts each. Bryston makes nice stuff ( i have the 4Bcubed). and the warranty is 20 years!! lucky duck to have the Direct Stream! happy listening. TJ

By the specs - also a contender - but I’ve never heard of these before. Do you have one of these?

Thanks for the reminder that Bryston are worthy contenders for consideration.
The 28BSST2s are a beast! The little brother (4Bcubed) also has some pedigree there! There are just so many amps that I would love to trial - but I’m afraid I’d spend all my time auditioning!
:wink:

Electrocompaniet all the way! Nemo’s (600), Nada’s (400) or AW180

Hey Brad, had a listen to these (Nemo’s) at my dealer a while back. Time for a revisit when he can get a BHK amp in.
Cheers

Hi Kevin,

Mate I think you’ll be impressed. I’d be interested to see how they match up with the BHK Preamp.

I’m running my Dac straight through at the moment, however plan on adding the BHK Pre in the coming months.

Hi Brad,
I expect that you will like the BHK Pre.
My dealer has some 300s in and I’m going in on Saturday for an audition.
It’s a pity we don’t get the 30 day trial here.
Maybe that’s a good thing!
:wink:

Hi Kevin,

You will have to give me the heads up, its all on you mate :wink: Are you Also based in Australia?

Yep - Victoria - Mornington Peninsula.1hrs drive to Melbourne.
Cheers

Nope. Sound United purchased Classe from B&W, and new products are afoot.

Check SNA classifieds
Item: Audio Research VT100mk3 Stereo Valve Power Amplifier
Location: Pascoe Vale, Victoria
Price: $3650
Item Condition: Very Good Condition with mint front *panel

Or
Item: Sanders Magtech Stereo Power Amp
Location: Sunshine, Melbourne, VIC
Price: $4,500 AUD
Item Condition: 8/10
Reason for selling: To fund the next step for me - monoblocks

Or
Have you thought about contacting Earl @
http://www.westonacoustics.com/
He is up the road from you on the Peninsula. builds world class tube amplification. I used a pair of his mono-blocks.

Anthony Holton of Holton Audio (Tasmania)


might be worth contacting- he has a new version of the Holton Ex Nihilo Mono Blocs

(Note from Anthony: I will be releasing an updated and much improved version of these early next year!)

Item: Dartzeel NHB-108 power amplifier - available approximately March/April 2019
Location: Sydney
Price: $13K 
Item Condition: Excellent - one owner

Plinius (New Zealand).
So many options.

[quote=“frank7036, post:31, topic:8679”]
Item: Audio Research VT100mk3 Stereo Valve Power Amplifier
Location: Pascoe Vale, Victoria
Price: $3650
Item Condition: Very Good Condition with mint front * panel

Or
Wow All good options - if I didn’t already have a very good amplifier that is stable to 1 ohm. ( it was designed to drive Apogee Scintillas). I suppose I am after the next step in evolution from where I am at. I have compared my current amp (ICE chip with onboard CHIP modifications) to some macs and my bass was a bit tighter but the overall presentation was a bit smeared in comparison to the Macs. Not quite enough of a difference of a jump for me for the cost.
I’ve got my eye on the Classifieds.

Thanks
PS: The Holtons look good!

Well, 1 week has gone by since my purchase of the amps - and I am glad to say - they don’t disappoint.!
I would like to thank the previous posters recommendations as it gave me an idea of other contenders and prices. And it also kept me up late at night doing research!

After some further investigations and A/B comparisons to my current amp with some local available amps in the same price bracket - I ended up liking the BHK300s the most since they just had this level of clarity and organic musicality (is that such a phrase?) that engaged and moved me the most with the music.

The dealer did run them in a bit before my audition and they had about 3 days of usage on them when I got too listen to them with B&Ws 800D3s. They sounded (damn) good at the dealer then and have since opened up at home and are breathing better (more air, unconstrained). My existing amp was good, but the BHKs did show up its weaknesses. The control over my B&Ws 800D2 speakers has also increased with firm grip right through the range. Have been discovering a how low my speakers can actually go! The BHKs also seem to be able to effortlessly fill the house with music not just ‘sound’.

I now seem to have a PS Audio ‘show room’- with the BHK300s rounding out my collection joining the BHK Pre and DS Dac Snr.!

These amps set the bar pretty high ! Well worth a listen if you ever get a chance.

Cheers

I’m not going to sugarcoat it. D-Sonic 1500 w each, monoblocks with Pascal modules. Your 800s will not be able to get manhandled any better than that. You already have the BHK Preamp, it will make magic IMHO.

congrats kevinA! now you just need a few subs…:grinning::grinning:

I’m think I’m done for now!!!
:wink: