About 9 years ago I bought a Classe CAP-101 integrated amp for my 2 ch. living room audio system. At the same time I bought a pair of B&W CDM 7NTs to go with it. The sound was great and all was well. The CAP-101 is rated at 100w/ch into 8 ohms, and the speakers are rated at 50 - 150w.

When I decided three years ago to build an HT system with an Outlaw 1070 I moved the speakers upstairs to go with it. A neighbor was selling a pair of B&W 703s at a reasonable price, so I put them in the living room. The 703s are rated at 50 - 200w. The problem is that I have always thought the 703s were a little less clear sounding than the smaller CDM 7s. It's not that they're unpleasant, but music is not as tight. Drums and other low frequency sounds tend to be a little fuzzy.

The question: is it the speakers themselves, or is it that the amp has to work harder to drive the larger speakers? If it's the speakers then I either live with them or replace them. If it's the amp, I could use it as a preamp and fix the problem with a bigger power amp?