What amplifier does the BW HTM6 S3 need?

Pick a speaker and tell us how loud you listen and how big the room is. We work out the power it actually needs, check which amplifiers can safely drive its impedance, and rank 292 amplifiers against it.

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Passive speakers only — a powered speaker already has its amplifier inside.
Changes the order only. Nothing is hidden for costing too little or too much.
BW HTM6 S3
BW HTM6 S3
Center Channel
87 dB · 8 ohm
dips to 4.3 ohm
$899 a pair
Full specs →
Power needed
15–120 W
per channel, into 8 ohms

To hit 95 dB peaks at 3 m from a pair of BW HTM6 S3 , you need at least 15 W a channel. More than 120 W is wasted here — that is all Bowers Wilkins rates the speaker to take.

Show the working
  • 95 dB target at the seat
  • +4.8 dB for 3.0 m of distance
  • -3 dB for a stereo pair
  • -85.0 dB effective sensitivity
  • 2 dB allowed for optimistic published sensitivity
  • Published sensitivity 87 dB, used as 85.0 dB per watt.

Onkyo Muse Y-40 with the BW HTM6 S3

Excellent match
7 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (75 W to 150 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Full Onkyo Muse Y-40 specs · Clear this amp
 
$90 $25,000

224 integrated amplifiers suit the BW HTM6 S3

Also show the 2 we do not recommend
1
Sonos Amp
Sonos Amp
Integrated Amplifier · Class D · 125 W into 8 ohms · $699
Excellent match
9 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (125 W to 250 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
2
AudioControl Rialto 600
AudioControl Rialto 600
Integrated Amplifier · Class D · 100 W into 8 ohms · $899
Excellent match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (100 W to 200 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
3
AudioControl Bijou 600
AudioControl Bijou 600
Integrated Amplifier · Class D · 100 W into 8 ohms · $899
Excellent match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (100 W to 200 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
4
SVS Prime SoundBase
SVS Prime SoundBase
Integrated Amplifier · Class D · 75 W into 8 ohms · $699
Excellent match
7 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (75 W to 150 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
5
Emotiva BasX TA2+
Emotiva BasX TA2+
Stereo Receiver · Class A/B · 135 W into 8 ohms · $1,299
Excellent match
10 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (135 W to 250 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
6
Marantz Stereo 70s
Marantz Stereo 70s
Stereo Receiver · Class A/B · 75 W into 8 ohms · $1,000
Excellent match
7 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (75 W to 150 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
7
Onkyo Muse Y-40
Onkyo Muse Y-40
Integrated Amplifier · Class D · 75 W into 8 ohms · $1,000
Excellent match
7 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (75 W to 150 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
8
Onkyo Muse Y-50
Onkyo Muse Y-50
Integrated Amplifier · Class D · 125 W into 8 ohms · $1,500
Excellent match
9 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (125 W to 250 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Costs more than the speakers - worth it only if you plan to upgrade them later.
9
Peachtree nova150
Peachtree nova150
Integrated Amplifier · Class D · 150 W into 8 ohms · $1,199
Good match
10 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (150 W to 250 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
10
Yamaha A-S701
Yamaha A-S701
Integrated Amplifier · Class A/B · 100 W into 8 ohms · $800
Good match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
No 4 ohm power rating on file, so we cannot judge current delivery.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
11
Yamaha A-S801
Yamaha A-S801
Integrated Amplifier · Class A/B · 100 W into 8 ohms · $900
Good match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
No 4 ohm power rating on file, so we cannot judge current delivery.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
12
Arcam A15
Arcam A15
Integrated Amplifier · Class A/B · 80 W into 8 ohms · $999
Good match
7 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (80 W to 120 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
13
Eversolo Play
Eversolo Play
Integrated Amplifier · Class D · 60 W into 8 ohms · $699
Excellent match
6 dB of headroom - enough, but at the modest end for this speaker, which takes up to 120 W.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (60 W to 110 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
14
Musical Fidelity M2si
Musical Fidelity M2si
Integrated Amplifier · Class A/B · 76 W into 8 ohms · $1,299
Excellent match
7 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (76 W to 135 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
15
WiiM Vibelink
WiiM Vibelink
Integrated Amplifier · Class D · 100 W into 8 ohms · $299
Excellent match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 3 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (100 W to 200 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Sensible value pick against these speakers.
16
Rogue Audio Sphinx v3
Rogue Audio Sphinx v3
Integrated Amplifier · Class D · 100 W into 8 ohms · $1,795
Excellent match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (100 W to 200 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Costs more than the speakers - worth it only if you plan to upgrade them later.
17
Naim CI-Uniti 102
Naim CI-Uniti 102
Integrated Amplifier · Class D · 150 W into 8 ohms · $1,499
Good match
10 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (150 W to 260 W).
Costs more than the speakers - worth it only if you plan to upgrade them later.
18
Marantz MODEL M1
Marantz MODEL M1
Integrated Amplifier · Class D · 100 W into 8 ohms · $1,000
Good match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Barely gains into 4 ohms (100 W to 125 W) - a modest power supply.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
19
Yamaha A-S501
Yamaha A-S501
Integrated Amplifier · Class A/B · 85 W into 8 ohms · $550
Good match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
No 4 ohm power rating on file, so we cannot judge current delivery.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
20
Cambridge CXA81 II
Cambridge CXA81 II
Integrated Amplifier · Class A/B · 80 W into 8 ohms · $1,199
Good match
7 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (80 W to 120 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.

Showing the best 20 of 224. Narrow it with the price range below, or a different budget split.

66 power amplifiers that would also drive them

Listed separately because they are not a complete system: a power amplifier has no volume control and no inputs to speak of, so you need a preamplifier or a streaming preamp as well. Worth it if you already own one, or if you want to buy the two halves separately.

1
Parasound NewClassic 2125 v.2
Parasound NewClassic 2125 v.2
Power Amplifier · Class A/B · 150 W into 8 ohms · $1,250
Good match
10 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (150 W to 225 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
2
Cambridge Audio MXW70
Cambridge Audio MXW70
Power Amplifier · Class D · 70 W into 8 ohms · $599
Good match
7 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (70 W to 125 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
3
Eversolo AMP-F2
Eversolo AMP-F2
Power Amplifier · Class D · ? W into 8 ohms · $799
Workable with care
12 dB of headroom, far more than needed. No harm in it. Well above the 120 W the maker rates the speaker for, so keep an eye on the volume knob.
Rated down to 2 ohms - stable into anything this speaker will throw at it.
No 4 ohm power rating on file, so we cannot judge current delivery.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
4
Schiit Vidar 2F
Schiit Vidar 2F
Power Amplifier · Class A/B · 100 W into 8 ohms · $799
Workable with care
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
This amplifier does not publish a minimum impedance. An 8 ohm speaker is a safe bet even so.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (100 W to 200 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
5
Audiolab 9000P
Audiolab 9000P
Power Amplifier · Class A/B · 100 W into 8 ohms · $1,499
Good match
8 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
No 4 ohm power rating on file, so we cannot judge current delivery.
Costs more than the speakers - worth it only if you plan to upgrade them later.
6
MOON 330A
MOON 330A
Power Amplifier · Class A/B · 125 W into 8 ohms · $4,400
Excellent match
9 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
Power nearly doubles into 4 ohms (125 W to 250 W) - a stiff supply that copes with hard loads.
Far more expensive than the speakers. Spend it on speakers first.
7
Cambridge Audio Edge M
Cambridge Audio Edge M
Power Amplifier · Class XA · 200 W into 8 ohms
Workable with care
11 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean. Well above the 120 W the maker rates the speaker for, so keep an eye on the volume knob.
Rated down to 4 ohms, comfortable with an 8 ohm speaker that dips to 4.3.
No 4 ohm power rating on file, so we cannot judge current delivery.
No current price on file for this amplifier.
8
Emotiva BasX A2+
Emotiva BasX A2+
Power Amplifier · Class A/B · 160 W into 8 ohms · $799
Workable with care
10 dB of headroom over what this speaker needs - peaks stay clean.
This amplifier does not publish a minimum impedance. An 8 ohm speaker is a safe bet even so.
Power rises usefully into 4 ohms (160 W to 250 W).
Balanced against the price of the speakers.
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Sensitivity and impedance figures are the manufacturer's own. We read sensitivity as dB at 2.83 V/1 m and take 2 dB off it, because published figures run high. Treat the result as a well-founded starting point, not a measurement. Full BW HTM6 S3 specs.