B&W 803S/HTM3S: Advice on receiver/amp/processor

hi all,

i've been trolling this forum on and off for years now, but i think this is my first post. i've typically found very useful information here relating to exactly what i wanted to know, but i'm not at a point where i could use some specific recommendations, especially since it's not really possible to physically/sonically compare the various options...

i've currently got a yamaha v-1 driving B&W CM6s with a CMC and 8" B&W in-ceiling speakers. i started off just wanting to upgrade the yamaha but now have a full-on case of upgraditis. what happened is i stumbled on a pair of floor model 803Ss with a new HTM3 which the dealer will sell for $7800 out the door. it's too good a deal to pass up (i think?), but now it's putting me in a pinch in terms of how to drive it, since i don't want to totally break the bank, but realistically these speakers are more power-hungry than my CMs.

last night i thought i had it figured out. i discovered Emotiva, and despite my best efforts i couldn't find any threads saying anything but great things about them, plus they have a great return policy, so i felt really good about driving the new system with a UMC-1/XPA-5. of course, today i call emotiva and they tell me i can't order the UMC-1 until april, and i already have a buyer for my yamaha. i cannot express how frustrating that is, since there's really no alternative processor in that price range... (anyone who preordered open to selling it to me at a premium, perhaps? =-p).

so anyway, now i'm stuck trying to figure out how to go. i could still get the XPA-5, but what pre/pro to use? i was thinking of picking up a refurb Marantz av8003 for $1800. at that price, though, i can also get a rotel RSX-1560, and use 2 of the channels to power the mains, giving them 200w each, though the center will only get 100w. should i worry about that?

the dealer was trying to sell me on the rotel RSP-1570, but the matching 5x200 amp makes that get real pricey. i could probably get the RSP-1570 and pair it with the XPA-5 for a similar price as the marantz.

so, the options are:

RSX-1560 bi-wiring the 803's
RSP-1570 with XPA-5
Marantz av8003 with XPA-5

thoughts? whichever way i go, i'm still out $1K more than if i ordered the UMC-1 =-(

any other good recommendations? would really appreciate some feedback with people more knowledgeable in these matters than myself.

thanks!

eli

thanks for your reply.

yes i think that the yamaha does have pre-outs. but then i'm worried that i'll lose my buyer, and i'm selling at a good price...

i'm currently leaning towards the rotel. a dealer who doesn't sell them and had no vested interest didn't seem to think it would be a problem to run the htm3 off of 100w from the rotel... that's my only real concern at this point.

plus the rotel does have a pre-out, so i could always buy a 2-channel amp to power the rears and then run 2x100 to each of my front 3 speakers...

yeah i've heard a lot about the integra's, and they would be a good bet except for the fact that they are unconscionably ugly. i mean, really, really ugly. i mean, way more ugly than they have any business of being. and being a less-expensive brand does not excuse that--look at Emotiva, which has very nice design.

now i know that looks should not be a primary deciding factor, but in my setup the receiver is the only visible unit on my rack (and if i got separates in that case they would be also). i live in a loft, and so the audio system is very much prominent art/furniture.

also, for all the talk that aesthetics don't matter, it's evident that most manufacturers are very sensitive to designing not only aurally but also aesthetically pleasing gear. so obviously on a significant consumer level it does matter...

so what's up with integra?! does anyone know? are they a cabal of engineers who don't like visual designers?

ok i just found out that the yamaha z11 is now on sale for $3000 off--$2499. it ships for free to my door, 60 day risk free trial, $7 return shipping if i don't like it.

i have been very pleased with my V1, and this upgrade should be suitable for the 803/HTM3 combination. i would bi-amp the mains for 280w and then drive the other 3 speakers with 140 each.

i can also get the Z7 for $1849 but from what i read the discrete amplifiers in the Z11 make a big difference in sound quality, so i feel that that is a worthwhile upgrade.

what are people's thoughts on how the Z11 will rate relative to the rotel 1560 or a pre-pro using an Emotiva XPA-5. of course, I can always get a 2- channel Emotiva and then also bi-amp the center channel on the cheap if i decide to go that route in the future...

thoughts?

eli

PS on a side note and for the record, i have tried as hard as humanely possible to get dealers to A/B some of these options for me, but honestly dealers are useless. imho they may as well shut down dealers completely and do all sales online, because in my experience i have never been able to get a dealer to setup a meaningful comparison for me... i read online of people doing useful tests at dealers, but they always just bitch and moan that stuff is in different rooms, or they're working alone, or something or other to justify why they can't provide the service that would justify the added cost of buying from them instead of online (in the case of yamaha, which sells online...) or from another dealer. there is absolutely no value added as far as i'm concerned...

thanks for your input, enig5m.

i just actually got back from a dealer who was nice enough to setup the 1560 with 803D's, which are definitely more speaker than my 803S's, and i was really impressed with the sound quality. it pretty well laid to rest my fears about underpowering the 803S/HTM3. he also seemed skeptical of my plan to bi-amp the mains (since i have 5.1 channels to the receiver's 7 channels)--he said he thought the unit provided plenty of power for the speakers. any thoughts on that? audioquest will rewire my speaker cables for $55 for the pair, which is reasonable enough. you think i'll get better sound by doing that? hdblu mentioned you don't get double the wattage, but you do get separate 140w to the high and low of the speaker respectively, so that seems like a little bit of semantics to me... thoughts?

anyway, my plan now is to just pick up the 1560, and a dealer here in SF will do that for $2450 plus tax (so $150 off), and i think for the money i will probably get the best sounding option in my budget. plus, it has pre-outs, so down the road i can always add a 2 or 3 channel emotiva or rotel amp and see if i get a significant improvement on the mains and/or center.

thoughts?