Monitor Audio RX8 BiAmping

[PENG]

I agree with j, although I will add that what you're doing is passive bi-amping (fool's bi-amping). Passive Bi-amping has no measurable improvement over just connecting a single channel to the speaker. If anything it will be more of a placebo affect.

Active bi-amping has real and measurable improvements but you're not doing that. The short answer is the active bi-amping separates the hi and low frequency signals and distributes them to the appropriate drivers, creating less distortion among other benefits. The article below is an easy read and should help you understand the difference.

Bi-Wiring and Bi-Amping Loudspeakers

fuzz, fyi there are better articles to link that this one. Like many other articles on the www written by people who are not technically oriented, this one seemed to think removing the jumpers or not represents no difference, but there is clearly a difference physically/electrically though he is most likely correct to say/think there would be no audible difference. I prefer articles written by people who understand the theory, state the facts while offering their opinions (validated or not) on whether the effects would result in audible difference.

[fuzz092888]

I know there are better articles out there, and I've read a few of them, it was just one I had on hand. Links to the articles you're talking about would help so that I have them on hand instead would be terrific

[PENG]

No you are sending the same signal to each post and the passive crossover in the speaker still splits the frequency.

If you know the electrical theory, and I know you do, the amp is sending different signal to each post (literally) because of the different filters at the speaker end. Yes the speaker coils will end up getting the same signal practically and technically as each of them would have gotten with the jumpers in place because the filter characteristics remain unchanged either way. I know it sounds conflicting but it really isn't, it is perhaps a matter of semantics. I am not going to go through another round of pointless argument with anyone but just trying to point out to the OP why his manual might have said something different than we are telling him.

[GranteedEV]

Hmm....so what am I actually gaining? The receiver manual tells me that it is sending separate signals to each post...

Well you're gaining...
You're....
well...
thing is...

It totally sounds better. That guy over there says it does. Who cares about this "Why/what" nonsense

[TLS Guy]

If you know the electrical theory, and I know you do, the amp is sending different signal to each post (literally) because of the different filters at the speaker end. Yes the speaker coils will end up getting the same signal practically and technically as each of them would have gotten with the jumpers in place because the filter characteristics remain unchanged either way. I know it sounds conflicting but it really isn't, it is perhaps a matter of semantics. I am not going to go through another round of pointless argument with anyone but just trying to point out to the OP why his manual might have said something different than we are telling him.

Precisely, the signals are the same, but the current draws are different, because of the different impedance within the pass bands.

[climber07]

I have been looking at some receivers lately and found that they perform a crossover function when you select bi-amp for two of the outputs. The wiring inside the speaker should be separated after the speaker posts. I looked inside a set of speakers at my buddies house and the crossover for the sub was connected to the bottom posts and the mid-high crossover was connected to the upper posts.

I've been in electronics for quite a few years and don't pretend to completely understand balancing, harmonics, half power or 3dB points with regard to music, but if you crossover at the amp, you may not have a high end bi-amp setup but you do separate the channels. Especially if you have a high current receiver with overhead room.

[TLS Guy]

I have been looking at some receivers lately and found that they perform a crossover function when you select bi-amp for two of the outputs. The wiring inside the speaker should be separated after the speaker posts. I looked inside a set of speakers at my buddies house and the crossover for the sub was connected to the bottom posts and the mid-high crossover was connected to the upper posts.

I've been in electronics for quite a few years and don't pretend to completely understand balancing, harmonics, half power or 3dB points with regard to music, but if you crossover at the amp, you may not have a high end bi-amp setup but you do separate the channels. Especially if you have a high current receiver with overhead room.

The only crossover function in a receiver is the LFE to sub and the speakers set to small.

Here is a sample crossover.



Removing the jumpers makes the crossover look like this.



So when you connect the two amp channels to the two set of terminals, one amp goes to the tweeter high pass which takes very little power.

The other goes to the woofer low pass circuit, which takes almost all the power.

Even in three was designs, for some reason the manufacturers set it up that the top terminals just go to the tweeter and the lower ones to the bass and mid. That always seems obtuse to me as if it was split woofer/mid tweeter their would be a power advantage. But the arrangement is almost never set up that way.

In active biamping the amplifiers are connected directly to the loudspeaker drivers, there are none of the components shown above.

The crossover is and active powered circuit between pre amp and the power amps. However this can not be a generic circuit and has to designed the same way as a passive one, to provide the correct transfer functions for the drivers involved.

We get this question again and again to the point we are just plain tired of it.

[climber07]

We get this question again and again to the point we are just plain tired of it.

You know you don't have to respond to it if it upsets you brother. Hence the title of the forum thread. Some are just here to learn and not to be insulted by those who know too much.

[j_garcia]

You know you don't have to respond to it if it upsets you brother. Hence the title of the forum thread. Some are just here to learn and not to be insulted by those who know too much.

I think he just means that people seem to like to argue this one, so it can get tiring to hash it out again and beat that dead horse into the next life.

[fuzz092888]

I think he just means that people seem to like to argue this one, so it can get tiring to hash it out again and beat that dead horse into the next life.

I don't disagree with you or TLS guy at all, perhaps it would be smarter/easier/better to just bookmark the threads with the best explanations about it and simply post links if you feel the need to respond. Seems like that would solve all problems, the poster would get his or her answers and then no one has to beat a dead hors into the next life

Just a thought for you guys to think about if it's tiring (and it seems like it is given all the search results that come up for bi-amping here and on AVS).