Amp for B&W 606 speakers - Please help!

[Mr_Rob]

Hi.
This is my first post here. I discovered this forum and the technical measurements which is a great alternative to trying to make sense of all the audiophile adjectives.

I'm hoping to get some recommendations on an Integrated amplifier or separate components.

Facts:
-B&W 606 speakers rated at 120w @ 8ohm each. These are about £350-500 speakers. Which is about $500. Room size is a 5mx4m small carpeted living room.
-Use case is mainly music and movies from my Sony XH90 TV. TV Has optical and ARC.
-I listen to all sorts of music from clasical, jazz, pop, rock etc and watch movies on the tv. Music source is always Spotify or Youtube, so no hi-res files(yet).
- I'd been running them on my old NAD D3020v1 which was only 2x30w which was going fine until the remote stopped working. I would frequently run it up to 0db but had no need to go further.
-I need Digital input. Ideally 2 so I can also connect my Chromecast Audio but I barely use that. No need for analogue.
-Remote control required for volume as it appears the volume control from the tv isn't possible over optical (Can ARC control volume via my TV control volume? that would be ideal).
-Budget - £300-£600 seems reasonable. £800 possible. I don't mind spending a bit more to have an amp I can use with a larger room one day
-£1 is about $1.25
-I'm in the UK
-I have plenty of space under the TV for a component level system.

Questions
-Should I be looking for a high powered amp to match the speaker rating ?

Amps I've considered the following amps. Rated at 8ohm
-NAD D3045 60w x2 Hypex Class D £600 Has optical and ARC.
-QULOOS QA690 FDA Power Amplifier 100 x 2. but around 800 euro. Is a bit pricey but not impossible for me. I'm not used to spending more on my amplifier than my speakers...yet.
-Audiophonics MPA-S250NC 2x 150w . 500 euros. But then I'd need a DAC. I plan to visit France next month which is where Audiophonics are.
-Marantz PM6007 £425 x2 45w class ab

Considered the PA5 but it has no remote or DAC and power seems a bit low at 8ohm. Is there any recommended solution with remote ?

Would I be insane to just connect the headphone out from the TV to an analogue amp ? I guess the TV DAC is probably crap so probably a bad idea.

Cheers
Rob

 

[twsecrest]

You might also try posting these questions on the website AVforum, it's located in the UK, so hopefully someone there can point you to the best local deals.

 

[MarkS]

- I'd been running them on my old NAD D3020v1 which was only 2x30w which was going fine until the remote stopped working. I would frequently run it up to 0db but had no need to go further.

So 2x30W is all you need.

All amps sound the same. This cannot be said often enough or loudly enough. People here know this, but still mostly like to spend big bucks on amps that measure especially well. If you (like me) only care about sound, ignore this. All amps sound the same.

So I would jut buy a basic receiver from one of the majors (Sony, Yamaha, Denon, Marantz, etc) that has the inputs and outputs you need. My own system is based around a 10-year-old Marantz stereo receiver.

 

[HarmonicTHD]

Yes as MarkS said.

This gives you some help maybe to determine your individual power requirements. Most people who see it the first time are surprised how little is needed for domestic listening. See link (ignore the stuff about the Kef speakers)

Post in thread 'Is the Keces S300 power amp a good match with Dynaudio Audience 42 speakers?'
https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...audio-audience-42-speakers.33580/post-1174773

 

[HarmonicTHD]

… and here is some background …. Most modern halfway decently engineered amps are not adding any coloration to the music and even AVR fulfill this requirement easily nowadays (eg Denon X3700, even up to 100dB SINAD, but also cheaper ones break the 85dB inaudiability threshold guideline for music reproduction as described here

Audibility thresholds of amp and DAC measurements

Introduction A recurring theme on ASR is whether or not the various measured qualities of the devices are audible. In this post, I'll present some clear and visual thresholds for when those imperfections can be considered a potentially audible concern. I will not explain the basics of amp/DAC...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[MarkS]

Those alleged audibilty thresholds have NOT been verified by double-blind listening tests. They are based on some unsourced claim in Stereophile.

I mean, c'mon. If we're serious about the "science" part of "audio science review", you can't just pull numbers out of a hat and call them "audibility thresholds".

The plain truth is that no one has ever been able to consistently hear differences in amps in a double-blind listening test.