Best amp to drive B&W N805's

Before you make your purchase, be sure to audition the McIntosh 6900 or 6500 integrated amps. I found them to be superb performers with the b&w 805 speakers. The build quality, and features, and resale value are also excellent.

Many Mac dealers will let you try one out in your home with your speakers. (absolutely a must)

By the way I had the musical fidelity A300 with the 805's. A very nice piece, and good sound. The Mac gave me better sound and better bass out of the 805's.

Hope this helps,
Bennett

These are the amps I recommend. Mark Levinson 27, Meridian 557, NAD S200 amp.

Has anyone tried the Cary Rocket 88 with the N805s?

With its peak current output of 30 amps and high damping factor Magnum Dynalab can easily handle ANY speaker load, including b@W 805's! With MD 208 you also get the world class tuner. Get 208 and don't look back! Good Luck!

I had good success with Musical Fidelity's original A3cr pre and power combo, though it was driving the much cheaper B&W 602 bookshelves. The Musical Fidelity top-end is smooth and grain-free, which makes it a good match with the metal dome tweeters of B&W. The 602s can sound harsh on other amplification. Bi-amp with two if you really want to make those 805s sing. You will be surprised how much bass they can output given enough clean power. Properly driven, even small B&Ws have shattering dynamics.

PS Audio's new HCA-2 could also work well. Though rated rougly the same power, it seems to have higher peak current for driving reticent loudspeakers such as Magnepan.