@lamby2244 I think you also need to consider the sound qualities of the amplifier. B&W tend to be very revealing, not bright, just honest. I think high power Class A or A/B heavily biased towards into Class A will be your best choice. Pass Labs INT 250, or separates, Sim Moon, Mark Levinson, Aesthetix Audio
Erm, speakers don’t draw current, they simply respond to power applied!
Whilst I certainly wouldn’t argue that a better amp won’t get better out of them, if the room (including speaker and listening positioning) is the limiting factor then no amp will manage it…
Looking at the s/h prices I’m thinking about adding 300dr and biamping with my 250dr and then eventually replacing the 250dr with another 300dr. No massiv outlay required in one go and surely this should provide enough current. Can anyone think of any issues with biamping 250dr and 300dr to begin with?
Only trying will tell you whether or not better than simply changing 250 to 300. As these amps have the same gain there should be no issues from that angle. I am highly dubious about passive bi-amping (unlike full active) as the crossover components are still in circuit, but if you’re buying 300 before considering selling 250, rather than part exchange, there is no cost to trying.
For best performance I would put the more powerful amp on bass - this is especially pertinent to this thread which is about bass performance. (The normal Naim recommendation of best amp on mid/top is for best sound quality for systems where that is lacking or for people most focused in that part of the spectrum.)
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Dear IB,
In the world of PC. When a motor is loaded up, it is said to draw current, which is measured by an ammeter (current tong testers). A speaker is a linear motor. When the applied frequency for a given volume setting is low, the impedance will drop as the frequency drops, which presents a lower impedance load (in general) to the amplifier and will require more current. Draw more current.
I do not wish to get involved with semantics
Warm regards,
Mitch in Oz.
Hi Mitch,
Whilst I don’t disagree with what you say about motors, my point was that although arguably an individual speaker driver is, or rather incorporates, a motor (indeed some manufacturers call part of the speaker driver the motor), usage and means of feeding a speaker is very different. What counts with a speaker playing music is what they can handle instantaneously without burning out or excessively distorting the music, rather than what current they might draw when subjected to their maximum voltage limit, while when talking about a complete hifi loudspeaker box the loading (air) is limited and cannot stall the motor, which is when a motor draws the highest current, and the mechanics of the driver suspension will only prevent further movement the speaker voice coil at for a fraction of each AC cycle, and that only if the combination of voice coil / magnet gap is long enough.
However whilst I still think that that your way of expressing it is inappropriate for a speaker, it is not something to argue over so we’ll just have to agree to disagree. Interesting side theme discussion and comparison, Cheers!
Dear IB,
Thank you. This is something that I had not taken into account.
Well said.
Warm regards,
Mitch in Oz.
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I still think a Naim 300 is not enough for those speakers. I have B&W 800s in two rooms. Both driven by 135s. I once compared the 135s with a 300 and the 135s were much superior. The 135s never heat up much, so they’re not being stressed in any way by the power- hungry 800s.
You could buy 350 mono blocks for a lot more money. Might be a bit better.
Hi All
I have read this thread with great interest. I too had a similar dilemma. I have a 552 hooked up to 300DR and loved it. I also have a a pair of B&W 803D3’s. I Have a Rega Isis CD player and a Clearaudio TT which is pretty good equipment in my opinion.
I have limited space for my equipment as it is in the main family area under a shelf but it fits nicely on two Fraim two tier racks.
Well at a show Saw the New Naim 350s and thought they sounded great.
I then thought with the introduction of the 350s the price of the 500 second hand might fall.
So without boring you with more of the details I now have a Pair of 350s driven by a 552.
I could not test drive them I just had to buy.
So to be honest I am a little under whelmed compared to my 300dr setup.
To be fair the bottom end is good it has that Naim punch and the main highlights of any recording are there but to me the magic is lost at the moment. For example on Dire Straits Private investigation the vocals now appear hidden in the back round. Notes which are plucked don’t have that sense of real.Is a bit like a blanket has been put over the speakers. This problem does not appear so obvious when the volume is cranked up but should you need to do that? Apologies but am not good at explaining sound. My hope is that these will improve when they burn in. I only have them since Friday. But Definitely not jumping round the room with excitement and now wonder should I have bought a Second Hand 500DR? Do bear in mind this is just my opinion.
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I’d give them a bit longer 
My recent purchase of a 250dr was disappointing until I had 100 or so hours running time
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Hi Steve how are the 350s connected to the 552. With the expensive naim legacy to NC cables ? Those also need to run in…
The 350s will easily be re sold by your dealer in case you don’t still like them… but I would give a bit of time… should sound good when run in and also these speakers needed the 350 monoblocs so that’s what I would have done
I’ve heard the 300 dr run out of steam driving Sonus Faber Amatis at higher volumes… wasn’t pleasant to hear
Thanks Tim
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Just a small point. Assuming the D4 has the same construction as the D3 my dealer told me a useful tip with these B&W speakers. Everything 3 months or so you should gently move the tweeter and mid housings from side to side and up and down. The tweeter housing moves easily but the mid needs a bit more effort. I believe B&W also recommends this procedure.
Thanks A
I had to get a pair of leads that connected to the power supply. they fit where the 500 connection is.
Cheers
Steve
ok not sure which leads you got, but these amps are sensitive to the cables used
I used a Third party DIN/XLR between my Hicap DR and 250DR, while it improved on the standard Naim cable, something was missing (sounded too soft at high frequencies), and I soon had to replace it with a Naim Superlumina DIN/XLR cable which was just perfect.
As an 803D3 owner, this wasn’t something I was aware of. What are the claimed benefits of the dealer please and any hands-on experience to back it up?
Hi Althepo
I do this every three months or so. Comparing before and after is always difficult but my impression is that the sound does seem a bit clearer. My dealer has been selling B&W speakers for over 30 years, especially the diamond series. His knowledge is a lot better than mine - he has a degree in physics and acoustics and with Roy Gandy set up the Rega manufacturing and loudspeaker factory. I would guess he got this advice directly from B&W. He did explain the physics that are involved but it was in one ear and out the other!
I seem to remember that other members on this forum know about/follow this procedure. I would think if you call B&W at their head office they could confirm (or not if I have got this all wrong).
Thanks for that, I’ll give it a bash. The tweeter anyway. The turbine looks like it may compaint at an upheaval from the bass section. Can only guess it gives some realignment of voice coils…maybe.
Tried this a little earlier and dammit, it did seem to make a subtle difference. In the mind? Expectation bias? Dunno! But I might be wiggling my Diamonds quarterly from here on too. Cheers!
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Hi sorry…
Just read the start of this thread so apologies if this has already been mentioned…
Just get a stereo pair of RELs… I’ve added S3s to my B&Ws and the bass is amazing… far far better than I’d expected…
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