[Rich Fletcher]

My system is 20 year old with B&W 801 main speakers, B&W Matrix center speaker, Denon AVP 8000 processor, Denon POA 8300 amp and POA 8200 pre amp, Sony 55" 4K TV. My question is should I upgrade as I have been told that the Denon is under powered for the B&W speakers. I have been happy with the system and am not very technical but have been reading about Krell, Classes, Marantz, McIntosh, etc. and believe I can get much better sound from these speakers as they were THE state of the art in their time. My budget is flexible but not in the double digit range LOL. Thanks Rich

 

[wlhungdude]

Welcome to AVS !

Is your current system able to play loud enough, without distortion, to meet your needs? If yes, then it is not 'underpowered" Did a salesman tell you that ?

 

[wlhungdude]

My system is 20 year old with B&W 801 main speakers, B&W Matrix center speaker, Denon AVP 8000 processor, Denon POA 8300 amp and POA 8200 pre amp, Sony 55" 4K TV. My question is should I upgrade as I have been told that the Denon is under powered for the B&W speakers. I have been happy with the system and am not very technical but have been reading about Krell, Classes, Marantz, McIntosh, etc. and believe I can get much better sound from these speakers as they were THE state of the art in their time. My budget is flexible but not in the double digit range LOL. Thanks Rich

Re-reading that post, you don't mention a subwoofer... that'd by my first recommendation, if you don't have one.

 

[Tim Diebert]

Edit: Yes welcome to AVS🤙🏼

I agree 100% with adding a subwoofer if you don’t currently have one. Those B&Ws aren’t playing the low end as well as a quality sub can. By crossing the speakers over to a subwoofer you free up a LOT of power since the Denon won’t have to get the mains playing that bass. The lower into the frequency range the more power needed.

A powered subwoofer is actually adding power to your overall system.

The thing I really want to stress however is that if you go the route of a subwoofer it should be a quality sub.

There are a ton of options out there. The best o can recommend is Harbottle Audio. Hands down the most accurate, musical, powerful subwoofers on the market IMHO. Take a look at their site, read their write-up on LDLC.

I wouldn’t go down the rabbit hole of “I need more power”, sounds like you need to free up that power by adding a sub

 

[Matt0305]

How about a new 3 channel amp and a sub if you have upgraditis.

XPA-3 Gen3 3 Channel Audiophile Home Theater Power Amplifier

The new XPA-3 is a three-channel audiophile quality power amplifier, and is perfect for powering the three important front channels of a 5.1 channel, 7.1 channel, or Dolby Atmos / DTS:X home theater system.

emotiva.com

Rythmik Audio • 12" servo subwoofer LVX12

 

[Rich Fletcher]

Re-reading that post, you don't mention a subwoofer... that'd by my first recommendation, if you don't have one.

I had a subwoofer originally but really didn’t care for the heavy, heavy bass. The B&Ws are true sounding that I didn’t care for the enhanced bass from the sub woofer. The subwoofer I had was the Cambridge sound works with a amplified main and a slave. I posted them on craigslist and curiously enough an FBI agent bought them. LOL

 

[Rich Fletcher]

Welcome to AVS !

Is your current system able to play loud enough, without distortion, to meet your needs? If yes, then it is not 'underpowered" Did a salesman tell you that ?

Yes it plays with no distortion whatsoever and I really have not heard anyone’s home system sound better than mine. But I do remember when I bought the speakers at Stereo Warehouse in Manhattan they hooked them up to a big heavy amplifier and play a CD, classical music and I was absolutely stunned by the quality of the sound my system does not have the same quality. I don’t know what amplifier they used but I recall the salesman saying it was a high end unit.

 

[wlhungdude]

I had a subwoofer originally but really didn’t care for the heavy, heavy bass. The B&Ws are true sounding that I didn’t care for the enhanced bass from the sub woofer. The subwoofer I had was the Cambridge sound works with a amplified main and a slave. I posted them on craigslist and curiously enough an FBI agent bought them. LOL

A modern, quality subwoofer, well calibrated, won't be boomy, 'heavy', or sloppy. It will simply reproduce frequencies those (very nice) speakers you have just can't , and some of them they can. This will 'free up' your speakers, by alleviating them of the task of reproducing the most taxing (lowest) frequencies.

Also, placement of your speakers is primarily for stereo imaging, depth of soundstage, etc... Placement of a subwoofer is more about maximizing the positive interaction between the sub and your ears, with flexibility to locate the sub ( within the room, irrespective of where the main speakers need to be located) where the sub delivers the best results. It is seldom where you think it would "look best",

 

[afrogt]

The amp isn't underpowered as it is 120W x 3. I agree with the others that a sub is what you need.

Unless you want to add more speakers or 4K pass thru, HDMI inputs etc then upgrade.

 

[Tim Diebert]

While I agree that a quality subwoofer would enhance your system I am now leaning another way.

Something to remember is that the most important aspect of a good sounding system is the room itself.

1. Have you treated your room at all?

2. Have you tuned your system to your room?

MANY MANY good men (& women) have listened to amazing gear in a showroom only to be let down once setup in their homes. The environment is what is the main culprit in those cases.

 

[Rich Fletcher]

A modern, quality subwoofer, well calibrated, won't be boomy, 'heavy', or sloppy. It will simply reproduce frequencies those (very nice) speakers you have just can't , and some of them they can. This will 'free up' your speakers, by alleviating them of the task of reproducing the most taxing (lowest) frequencies.

Also, placement of your speakers is primarily for stereo imaging, depth of soundstage, etc... Placement of a subwoofer is more about maximizing the positive interaction between the sub and your ears, with flexibility to locate the sub ( within the room, irrespective of where the main speakers need to be located) where the sub delivers the best results. It is seldom where you think it would "look best",

Thanks for the sub woofer suggestion and I will definitely look into it, any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[Rich Fletcher]

While I agree that a quality subwoofer would enhance your system I am now leaning another way.

Something to remember is that the most important aspect of a good sounding system is the room itself.

1. Have you treated your room at all?

2. Have you tuned your system to your room?

MANY MANY good men (& women) have listened to amazing gear in a showroom only to be let down once setup in their homes. The environment is what is the main culprit in those cases.

No I have not and I will be retiring soon and we are in the process of buying a new house that has a huge finished basement with heavy carpeting so plan to build a really nice home theater there. I'll have to google around on how to get the best sound out of the room but all suggestions are welcome.

 

[Tim Diebert]

If you enjoyed the system you have when you heard it in the showroom then once you get the new room dialed in I’m sure you will love your system that much more.

Here are some videos to help explain room treatments, dos & donts & good tips. I highly recommend you watch these & many more to educate yourself. I actually find it very interesting. In fact I just recently build myself some legit acoustic panels & im currently planning a diffuser panel as well. Already with absorption behind my listening position it’s made a huge difference in imaging & separation.

Links to follow….

 

[Tim Diebert]

 

[Tim Diebert]

Remember too, speaker placement & listening position also make HUGE impacts on what you hear.

I’d take a mediocre system that is setup well in a well treated room over a high end system poorly setup in a crappy room. It makes that much of a difference.

I hope you enjoy doing some research, learning & applying that knowledge in your system. The rewards can be enormous when applied correctly.

Have fun!!

 

[Rich Fletcher]

Remember too, speaker placement & listening position also make HUGE impacts on what you hear.

I’d take a mediocre system that is setup well in a well treated room over a high end system poorly setup in a crappy room. It makes that much of a difference.

I hope you enjoy doing some research, learning & applying that knowledge in your system. The rewards can be enormous when applied correctly.

Have fun!!

Thanks for the links Tim and I will view them. FYI here is where I bought the B&Ws back in the day, really cool shop, blew me away. Pre-Owned And Vintage - Stereo Exchange

 

[Tim Diebert]

That shop looks like fun for sure. I’m diggin the Thorens & VPI TTs they have. I built up a Lenco L75 that my pops gave me that he bought in Germany while stationed there in 69’.

Fun stuff! Thx for the link Rich🤙🏼