Powering 802 Diamonds

[Rod#S]

I used Bryston 4B-SST's for my 802's and now my 800's and a 6B-SST for my 802's and HTM2. Both amps definitely have more than enough power for both the 802's and 800's. The amps are very neutral letting the speakers shine through. The 800's give off an immense soundfield easily besting the 802's and the 802's are pretty darn good on their own right, they (the 800's) literally envelope you and one could easily be tricked into thinking sound was also coming from the center and surrounds and not just the 800's. This all happens with just 330 watts so I personally don't buy that the 800 series and particularly the 802's and 800's need mega power behind them. Obviously the size of the room is going to factor into the power of the amp needed but to think that mega power is simply a necessaity with this series I just don't find to be true. I have had my 802's for over 2 years and my 800's are just over a month old now.

[2fastdriving]

Originally Posted by cyisone01

Well at this point I am using a class d rotfl so anything is going to be an improvement. But I am excited to see what they are capable of. I have only had them for a few weeks and to be honest they sound pretty damn good. I do feel they are tough to dial in. I spent last weekend moving them around and the room impact is huge.

I also would like to know what difference you think I will hear. At this time I am leaning towards the 452.

Oh I think I was commenting on another one of your threads a few weeks back. I think I told you to get the MC452 and don't look back. haha.

Yeah, any of these amps discussed on this thread will crush the rotel class D like an ant. What will you hear? A lot more.

[cyisone01]

Originally Posted by 2fastdriving

Oh I think I was commenting on another one of your threads a few weeks back. I think I told you to get the MC452 and don't look back. haha.

Yeah, any of these amps discussed on this thread will crush the rotel class D like an ant. What will you hear? A lot more.

You are correct. I decided to post on this thread as I figured those with diamonds would have the same experience as I did in making the change. A good chunk of money and my ability to listen to a wide variety of equipment is limited.

I actually posted on another forum and all I got was how much these speakers suck!

[BVLDARI]

Originally Posted by cyisone01

You are correct. I decided to post on this thread as I figured those with diamonds would have the same experience as I did in making the change. A good chunk of money and my ability to listen to a wide variety of equipment is limited.

I actually posted on another forum and all I got was how much these speakers suck!

LOL, if anyone said that the 802 Diamonds "SUCK" they should have their hearing checked

[gardener]

I use ARC ref 250's to power my 800's

Sounds great to me

[cyisone01]

Like I said - I love the sound with the class d but you can tell I am not getting everything i paid for with the rotel amp.

The arc my dealer sells but not sure i can swing the price or if I would get the price difference between the the amps in should quality based on my room acoustics.

[2fastdriving]

Originally Posted by cyisone01

Like I said - I love the sound with the class d but you can tell I am not getting everything i paid for with the rotel amp.

The arc my dealer sells but not sure i can swing the price or if I would get the price difference between the the amps in should quality based on my room acoustics.

I can't believe anyone told you 802's suck. They are not the ultimate loudspeaker but they hardly suck! What the hell. I consider them a bargain at 15k.

Anyway back to amps. You should try to borrow the DS450 from your dealer and listen to it. I didn't like it as much as the MC452, but you might. The DS450 is about as good as class D gets unless you spend much much more (I am guessing here).

Not sure what else yours carries, but my dealer let me take home several amps before I decided on my MC452.

[2fastdriving]

Oh and what preamp do you have?

[toddmorr]

i run my 800D with a pair of Marantz MA9S2. Before that it was a fine 200w Rotel BUT i clipped it one day and fried a tweeter. Big mistake. Upon hooking up the Marantz monoblocks I could instantly hear deeper and tighter base. Really nice. I play these things rather loud, with all kinds of music and not the slightest sense of compression or clipping...the MA9S2 are 300w and double to 600w at 4ohm. Unless you have an exceptionally large room and listen really loudly i don't know why you'd need more power.

[thxthx]

Originally Posted by cyisone01

I actually posted on another forum and all I got was how much these speakers suck!

Forget other forums! They are so full of jealous people... People who say 802's suck simply can't afford them! I can't afford them, but there is no denying their quality. They may not have the sound characteristics a certain person is seeking but they are one of the world leading speakers. Why are they used at Abbey Rd and Skywalker sound... That's why I simply don't waste my time with people's opinions on other forums!

Stick to the friendly guys here