Let me know your thoughts after the audition. I have read positive comments on both but I would be curious on your thoughts on the differences and similarities if these fine amps.

I have also read Classé is coming out with new Delta stereo and mono amps later this year. I will curious about these as well.

Definitely! I plan to have the Mc611 versus 7b cube set up with the 802. Audition is most likely toward end of June. Will let you know.

That would be very interesting to read about; I am driving my 803D3 with Bryston 4b3 but curious about the 7b3 or MC 611 :)

Thanks,

Johannes

7b3 will give you more slam although will sound the same as the 4b3.

I finally took the plunge and brought home the 802D3 and MC611s. My AV pre-amp is Marantz 8805A and player is Oppo 203.

The B&W 802D3 paired with MC611s sounds fantastic after 100+ hours. I originally auditoned the B&W with Bryston 4b but the extra power in the MC611 really makes the 802D3 sing. I listen mostly to Jazz music, and the MC611s drive the 802D3 effortlessly, and with excellent soundstage and presence. I previously used and still own the excellent Bryston 9B, but the MC611 is in a different league.

If you are interested in the D3 series, I highly recommend you audition them with either MC611 or MC452 (now MC462).

Did you get the opportunity to test the 7B3 in comparison to the MC611's?

Hi,
My dealer did not have the 7b3 so I auditioned the 802d3 with the 4b3s, MC611s, and MC452s. I listened to a variety of music (jazz, classical, blues and some rock CDs/SACDs) over 2 hours, and I made sure I listened to the same song on all 3 amplifiers for comparison. The MC611s sounded the best to me in terms of soundstage, “airiness”....I sounds like cliche, but with the MC611s, I can hear every note (particularly on piano) and voice like I am “there”.

I think it may be a bit unfair to compare the 4b3 with MC611 with such a difference in power capacity driving the 802d3. Hence, I think the 7b3 would be a fairer comparison but unfortunately my dealer did not have the 7b3 on hand.

The 802D3 is a tremendous speaker.

Yes, they are! :tresbon: They are also very revealing, you will hear everything in the song regardless how subtle or faint the sound is. The soundstage I get from the 802 is incredible - my room is 24ft long by 15ft wide and 8ft high, but it sounds much bigger. My audition makes me believe that you should pair the 802s with high power amplifers to get the best out of them.