Passive Bi-amp questions.

[Seth=L]

I decided to try Bi-amping my Infinity Interlude 10 bookshelf speakers with the Insignia NS-R2000 (a rebadged Sherwood stereo receiver) and I have either lost the feeling in my hands, or this thing is running cooler with the Interludes being bi-amped. How could it be this would happen, doesn't doing this make work for the receiver more difficult? I was watching a concert DVD at fairly high levels of output and it is still lukewarm or cool (as if it wasn't even on). Normally at these levels for any period of time exceeding 5 minutes or so it gets a little warm.

I used the A and B speaker sections to bi-amp, this is not a bi-wire. For reference there is a picture below of the rear of the receiver.

 

[OttoMatic]

I believe that most receivers just have the A and B sections tied together in parallel. Are your A and B sections spec'd separately in the manual? Assuming your A and B are simply tied in parallel, you have successfully bi-wired your speakers. Since you presumably removed the jumpers on the speakers, the impedance seen by the receiver won't have changed (well, perhaps infinitesimally). I would expect pretty much zero difference in performance, sound and temperature.

To accurately measure temperature, you'd have to do some type of standardized test, even if it's just your own. Of course, your hand isn't a good gauge, and you'll need to use some type of thermometer instead.

 

[Seth=L]

It isn't running warm at all is the the thing, though it normally does. If it doesn't say in the manual about the speaker selector, how can I find out if it's bi-wired or bi-amped? I also used to have two sets of speakers connected at once, but it would get hot then (which made sense).

 

[OttoMatic]

If it doesn't say in the manual about the speaker selector, how can I find out if it's bi-wired or bi-amped?

Well, you could open it up and look at it, but it still might be complicated.

I believe you could use a DMM to test the continuity at the outputs, but there may be some caveats that I'm not thinking of there (perhaps some output buffer of some type that would make it appear to not the connected in parallel).

You could measure power output across a resistor (or perhaps your speaker), but that might require some special setup.

It's a two channel receiver. I really doubt that they put two extra amp sections in there for the the B section.

I also used to have two sets of speakers connected at once, but it would get hot then (which made sense).

Yeah, in that case, you're certainly dropping the impedance, and I would expect extra heat.

 

[PENG]

It it's specs say: A or B: 8 ohms min per speaker
A+B: 16 ohms min per speaker

then you are not bi-amping at all, just bi-wiring. In other words, like Otto said, the A and B terminals are connected together at the back.

I am actually quite sure you are not bi-amping because it looks like it is a 2 channel stereo receiver. As such it only has two amps, or one amp per channel. As you know, to biamp a pair of speakers you need 4 separate amps.

 

[Seth=L]

It it's specs say: A or B: 8 ohms min per speaker
A+B: 16 ohms min per speaker

then you are not bi-amping at all, just bi-wiring. In other words, like Otto said, the A and B terminals are connected together at the back.

I am actually quite sure you are not bi-amping because it looks like it is a 2 channel stereo receiver. As such it only has two amps, or one amp per channel. As you know, to biamp a pair of speakers you need 4 separate amps.

You are right, I have clue what I was thinking.

I guess it shouldn't be making a huge difference at all, if any. I think I figured out why my receiver wasn't running very hot as well, it was quite chilly in my apartment this morning. This could have contributed to it's running cooler.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

By the way, I have stopped bi-amping completely because I did not want to take any chances on causing any distortion or other possible harmonic errors.

 

[Seth=L]

Nothing changed sonically when I bi-wired them (now that I know what I was really doing I understand completely why and don't know why I would have thought I was Bi-amping).

Essentially it's wasted wire.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Nothing changed sonically when I bi-wired them (now that I know what I was really doing I understand completely why and don't know why I would have thought I was Bi-amping).

Essentially it's wasted wire.

It's a sin to waste wires. You should braid them.

 

[Seth=L]

I might.____

 

[PENG]

Nothing changed sonically when I bi-wired them (now that I know what I was really doing I understand completely why and don't know why I would have thought I was Bi-amping).

Essentially it's wasted wire.

Exactly, having seen many of your posts I was wondering if you were having a fever or something, or it was someone else posting for you behind your back.

 

[Seth=L]

Exactly, having seen many of your posts I was wondering if you were having a fever or something, or it was someone else posting for you behind your back.

Off my meds a guess.