What are your thoughts on "Bi-amping"?

K

Kaspian

Enthusiast
Just wondering how many of you Bi-amp your speakers. On my manual it sounds like its the way to go.

Thanks in advance.

Kas
 
bandphan

bandphan

Banned
Searching this and the speaker forum will yeild the answers your looking for :)
 
basspig

basspig

Full Audioholic
I highly recommend it if you can afford the components. It's like effectively quadrupling the headroom when you segregate bass from everything else because of the way signals sum together. There are articles on this topic, if you want to know the physics behind it.

Short list of benefits:

Reduced intermodulation distortion
Less stress on amplifiers and speakers
Better damping due to elimination of inductors in series with woofer
Better control over crossover points and slopes.

I've been an avid proponent of bi-amping since 1984, when I made the leap.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Audioholic Jedi
I highly recommend it if you can afford the components. It's like effectively quadrupling the headroom when you segregate bass from everything else because of the way signals sum together. There are articles on this topic, if you want to know the physics behind it.

Short list of benefits:

Reduced intermodulation distortion
Less stress on amplifiers and speakers
Better damping due to elimination of inductors in series with woofer
Better control over crossover points and slopes.

I've been an avid proponent of bi-amping since 1984, when I made the leap.
In order to get those benefits you have to have an active electronic crossover and a low crossover in the 400 Hz region.

The OP is talking about passive biamping, which has no benefit and just provides opportunity for error and damage.
 
lsiberian

lsiberian

Audioholic Overlord
I highly recommend it if you can afford the components. It's like effectively quadrupling the headroom when you segregate bass from everything else because of the way signals sum together. There are articles on this topic, if you want to know the physics behind it.

Short list of benefits:

Reduced intermodulation distortion
Less stress on amplifiers and speakers
Better damping due to elimination of inductors in series with woofer
Better control over crossover points and slopes.

I've been an avid proponent of bi-amping since 1984, when I made the leap.
In order to get those benefits you have to have an active electronic crossover and a low crossover in the 400 Hz region.

The OP is talking about passive biamping, which has no benefit and just provides opportunity for error and damage.
Yeah I think this guy is talking about just pumping more power in his speakers. problem is that it requires a huge jump in power to make a big difference in volume. You can't acheive this with bi-amping. Even if you could it would not be the way to go. For high volume needs I suggest sensitive speakers or pro-audio level. You could also go the custom audio route of myself and TLS Guy.

Science is our friend don't forget that.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Audioholic Jedi
Yeah I think this guy is talking about just pumping more power in his speakers. problem is that it requires a huge jump in power to make a big difference in volume. You can't acheive this with bi-amping. Even if you could it would not be the way to go. For high volume needs I suggest sensitive speakers or pro-audio level. You could also go the custom audio route of myself and TLS Guy.

Science is our friend don't forget that.
Yes, we have addressed this issue many times.

I summarized the issue two months ago. This covers all the basses.

This question comes up eternally. So what are the pros and cons of biamping. First there is biamping via the speakers internal crossovers, and there is biamping with active electronic crossovers ahead of the amplifiers.

Advantages of biamping.

1). Reduces insertion loss of passive crossovers. This is negated unless active crossovers are used.

2). Reduces distortion and problems of reactance of passive crossovers, especially with lower crossover points. Again this advantage is only gained with active crossovers.

3). Increases power available to the speaker as long as the crossover point is around 400 Hz. 400 Hz is the area of the power divide. As the crossover point is raised the power advantage is rapidly lost, as the power required to produce those frequencies rapidly diminishes.

4). Theoretically biamping can reduce inter modulation distortion. However this is a non issue with competently designed amplifiers.

Disadvantages of biamping.

1). Requires a complex electronic crossover that has to be designed to the drivers just like a passive one. So advantages of biamping are only truly realized with a design done from the ground up with active crossovers.

2). One amplifier with twice the power versus two amps of half the power biamped is less likely to clip. The reason is that program is variable. Say we have one 200 watt amp versus two one hundred watt amps biamped at 400 Hz. If the program calls for 150 watts below 400 Hz, then the HF amp sits idly by while the LF amp clips. The 200 watt amp might well not have clipped.

3). If different amps are used there is great opportunity to introduce serious phase problems at crossover, unless the amps phase responses are known and corrected.

4). Generally costs will be increased as well as complexity.

In general the advantages of biamping are only realized with crossover points below 500 Hz using active crossover as part of a total design solution.

The reason being that passive crossovers in the 1.5 to 5 kHz range are far less deleterious than passive crossovers below 500 Hz. In my view crossover points below 350 Hz are best accomplished with active crossovers.

This comes up so often, I wonder if we could make this post a sticky.
 
K

Kaspian

Enthusiast
I thank you all for your input. I did search the forums and found good information in the subject. I do have to apologize because I should have been more specific on my question. With my onkyo receiver I can use the surround back speakers connectors to bi-amp the front speakers. So if you had the option of having the surround back speakers or bi-amp your front ones...which option will you go with? I just put together a 5.1 with tSc speakers. I was about to buy another pair of speakers for my back surrounds. But now I dont know if I should sacrifice the surround back speakers for the bi-amping option.

Thank you again!
Kas
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Audioholic Jedi
I thank you all for your input. I did search the forums and found good information in the subject. I do have to apologize because I should have been more specific on my question. With my onkyo receiver I can use the surround back speakers connectors to bi-amp the front speakers. So if you had the option of having the surround back speakers or bi-amp your front ones...which option will you go with? I just put together a 5.1 with tSc speakers. I was about to buy another pair of speakers for my back surrounds. But now I dont know if I should sacrifice the surround back speakers for the bi-amping option.

Thank you again!
Kas
We understood your question. You want to passive biamp, which will not significantly increase the power to your speakers. It will provide no audible benefit, but provide opportunities to do serious expensive damage.
 
K

Kaspian

Enthusiast
We understood your question. You want to passive biamp, which will not significantly increase the power to your speakers. It will provide no audible benefit, but provide opportunities to do serious expensive damage.
I was not concerned about the "more power" part. I was wondering if it actually made a difference in sound quality since its the "recomended" method in the manual. You guys gave me alot of reading material and I think I'm going to keep the speakers hooked up the way they are and get me another pair of speakers for my back surrounds.

I do apreciate all of your input.

Kas

Question answered :)
 

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