Amplifiers for B&W 804 Nautilus - Need Help

Thanks for your suggestions. I forgot to mention that I want to get an amplifier new or used around $1,500 to $2,000 that drive the 804 well. Not sure what the price range of those amps you recommended.

The best amps are Audio Research and Ayre. They deliver accuracy. McIntosh is very pleasant but not accurate.

A tubed preamp and a W4S amp is my suggestion which should be within your budget.

I don't have experience with the 804N, but I do have experience with the current 804 Diamond model, and I suspect there are a lot more similarities than there are differences between the two. If the 804N is anything like the 804 Diamond, a solid state 80w/channel is not going to cut it. I can't speak to what you'd need in a tube amp, but if you go solid state, don't even consider less than 150 w/channel unless it's a really high end piece of equipment. Also, 804's are considered by some to be a bit weak in the bass department so you will be well served by an amp that is notable for its bass reproduction.

I use Musical Fidelity M6PRE/M6PRX separates with my 804 Diamonds with wonderful results. The M6PRX is 260w/channel, a far cry from 80. Classe and McIntosh are also great pairings with the B&W 800 series.

I don´t really have suggestions within that price range. I can tell you about my experience, though: I used to have a Rotel RB-1080 amp connected to CM-4 speakers, and it sounded great. I then upgraded speakers to 804S and the shortcomings of the Rotel became apparent. Don't get me wrong, I think very highly of the RB1080 for the price, but a more revealing speaker made me want to change the amp.

Interestingly enough, the 804S delivered better bass with the 2x75W tubed MC275 than with 2x200W SS Rotel...go figure! One explanation I got was the B&Ws are overdamped (which is why many say they are bass shy) and the 1000 damping factor of the Rotel was too much of a good thing. The tube amp, with it's typical low damping factor, allegedly was evening things out. I don't know if this explains what I heard, but the bass is better. And mids and trebble are just on a different order of magnitude.