B & W 805 Nautilus with SET........

As long as you really don't need loud, they may be ok. But you definitely will not get loud. And the impedance is not ideal for a SET, because it drops down to 4.6 ohms, even though it is rated at 8 ohms.

So I would say that it would not be on my short list, for speakers that would go with a SET amp.

Tried teh Bel Canto SET40 that puts out realistic ~35w/ch with N805. The sound was thin and compressed. I have had better luck with Merlin TSM-M with the same amp although both N805 and TSM-M have similar sensitivity rating.

The N805s, for that matter all the Nautilus series speaker, needs lots of juice... to shine.

Ki

Check out deHavilland amps.... set using 845 and put out 36 watts into 4 ohms... they test their amps with B&W's.... wonderful sound using octal tubes.... email them and see what they have to say... I love mine powering Sonus... which are higher efficiency but this might be what you're looking for and much cheaper on the tube end of it.....
Chuck