B&W 803D or 804D with ML 335


Folks, I am thinking to upgrade my current speakers to B&W 803D or 804D. Can my current amplifier drive them? Is it worth extra $2500 to buy 803D? pls help suggest.

- Source: Mark Levinson 390S
- Power: Mark Levinson 335

room size 5m x 7m
thekopman
B&W's naming leaves a lot of confusion. The new line are not called D's, such as, 803D's, rather they are Diamonds; the previous versions are D's.

I caution about jumping to the 802's (D's or Diamonds) unless you have a lot of room or you will be disappointed.
I think it depends on your room. The 804Ds are wonderful and have a compact footprint relative to the 803D and 802D, but do not have the same competence in the bass or sheer presence. Having said that, I own them and do not find them lacking in that regard (think tight, focussed bass). For my 20 x 35 room I am more than happy and would find their bigger brothers intrusive. Beware entrenched anti-B&W sentiment around here and certain other forums - they're not nearly esoteric/boutique enough for many audiophiles' tastes!
The ML335 is enough for *any* speaker that requires only two channels of amplification. Period. In fact, unless you have it on a 220-240v power line you're not supplying enough amps to get it to full rated power at 4 ohms, no less lower impedance.

If you insist on sticking to B&W speakers, IMO the 803D is far better for music than the 804D. The 804D can't really do 40Hz at loud volumes; the 803D gets a lot closer.
My 335 is 230V. I was thinking about B&W and Audio Physic; however, I have limited access to the latter one. Thus, I pointed out 803 Diamond and 804Diamond. A friend also recommended speakers with scanspeak drivers (Xavian 360), I have to try first.