Can I bi-amp with the Denon AVR-8500H receiver using a external amp?

lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Hello HD, with due respect to everyone, I won't debate this topic any more but would still like to present other views, especially those base on facts not misconception, such as this one from Anthem. I don't always agree with what the manufacturer says either, but I do when it makes sense in terms of electrical principles, that I do know something about.:(

Here it goes

https://www.anthemav.com/support/faq.php

"Doesn't passive biamping waste the amp's power because each channel still has to amplify the full range signal and not just the highs or the lows?

No. With the jumpers removed on a biampable speaker, the impedance of each section is not the usual 4 or 8 ohms, but several hundred if not more at the frequencies that the amp is "not supposed to be amplifying". Higher impedance means less current draw. No meaningful amount of current, no wasted power.

According a recurring audio-myth, only an active crossover should be used for biamping, in order to split the band before the power amp instead of inside the speaker, thereby reducing the amount of work each amp channel has to do. While active crossovers do have their place in PA systems, it should be noted that equalizers are also a part of it.

A generic active crossover on its own merely divides the audio band into smaller ones. The carefully custom-designed crossover in a high performance home audio speaker does a lot more. It is responsible for correcting frequency response aberrations of the individual drivers, maintaining phase coherence between drivers, optimizing off-axis response, balancing levels between drivers, setting up impedance, at times improving woofer performance by rolling off not just the top, but also frequencies that are too low and cause it to misbehave, and other things that vary according to model.

Tearing out the speaker's own finely-tuned crossover to replace it with an active crossover with generic controls almost guarantees that, just for starters, frequency response will be altered. Different sound doesn't mean better sound. Using the passive crossover in the speaker is indeed the correct way to biamp."
I'm not advocating active bi-amping for a designed system with passive crossovers, I'm for getting rid of the feature in avrs as well as the dual (are there any sold with tri-amping terminals with passive crossovers?) terminals on speakers in general; an exception would be for speakers simply designed for such, particularly designed for an active external crossover (like the JBL M2) or designing ground up as highfigh mentioned.
 

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