[scanido]

Hi all,

I'm currently in the market for new electronics to complement my setup below. The 9B-SST is rated at 140w and am wondering if this would be "ideal" to play my speakers at loud, reference levels, with plenty of headroom?

Other options I am considering are the Rotel RB-1077 and Rotel RMB-1095.

The RMB-1095 is rated at 200w a peice, will i have more headroom with this amp?

SETUP:
B&W 804s mains
B&W HTM3s center
B&W 805s rears

Thanks,
Steve

[jethro]

A 6B-SST for the front LCR and a 3B-SST (or 4B-SST) for the rears would probably
be a better choice for your speakers if you want it loud based on the
speakers specs. My B&W's also seemed to work better with a bigger amp, even though
I don't listen at loud levels.

[SteveM]

I am using the 9B-SST with B&W 803s, HTM1 and 600 series surrounds.  I would have to agree with jethro, if can afford the 6B-SST, 3B-SST combo this would be the ideal solution.

For home theatre (multi channel use) I find the 9B-SST is more than adequate.

During 2 channel use I bridge the amp and essentially turn the 9B-SST into a 4B-SST amp.  It drives the 803s quite well, leaving plenty of headroom.

A friend of mine has the Rotel RB-1077 amp and it's clearly not in the same league as the Bryston amps.  His amp is also not bridgeable.

Steve

[JeffO]

I am using the 9B-ST with 804s and HTM3 across the front and have to agree with Steve and Jethro.  While the 9B will drive the system to reference levels I tried a 4B-SST with the 804s and it sounded better to me.  While it could have been the SST vs ST that made the difference I would recommend the 6B + 4B combo if you can afford it and have the power available (my problem). 

I tried the 1095 before I bought the 9B and preferred the 9B.  Try to demo them in your setup before you buy so you can decide if they are 'ideal' for you. 

Jeff

[scanido]

Thanks all for the advise.

In my perfect world a 6b-SST and 4b-sst sounds like it would fit the bill, however the price is much higher than what i want to spend.

If i go for a 4B-SST for my fronts and a 9b-SST (3 channel) for my center and rears, will the decrease in power on 9B-SST be apparent on the center and rear speakers? I want my system to sound equal across all channels.

The center is the most important for HT, does it really require loads of power?

Thanks,
Steve

[Fife12]

The center is the most important for HT, does it really require loads of power?

Thanks,
Steve

YES as all your dialogue is coming from there.

[James Tanner]

Hi All,

A few comments.

In the recording studio environment the front LCR speaker array is always identical speakers and amplifiers. Usually in the home environment the Center speaker is a smaller version of the front left/right speakers placed horizontally rather than vertically. This creates issues with dispersion, placement and power handling differences between the Center speaker relative to the Left/Right speakers.

So given the average home setup I have found that placing the highest powered Stereo amplifier on the Left/Right speakers is the first priority. This type of setup also works well if your listening to Stereo only as the two front speakers have to now fill the same acoustic space as the 5.1 system and the extra power is welcome. So that being said, most times the power to the Center and Surrounds do not necessarily have to be the same power - in fact usually 1/2 the power is a good compromise.

The other issue is that although the Center is an important channel in terms of dialog it's purpose originally was to 'pull' the voice to the center of the screen in large theaters if the listener was a long way off axis (center). In the average home environment most listeners are centrally located. In fact because of the dispersion, placement and power handling issues I am seeing a trend towards NO Center channel and better Stereo front left and right speakers in some upscale systems.

james
.