How to biamp?

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J

Johnd

Audioholic Samurai
Joe Schmoe said:
Even if I were interested in crossovers, I would not have the technical knowledge to use one effectively (bypassing the speaker's own filters and such.) I am also not a DIYer, and would not want to risk opening the speakers and changing the internal wiring in any event.
I have pretty much given up on the experiment anyhow, as I don't think I can adjust the output level of the Carver. If I do decide that more power would be a benefit, I might try adding a separate power amp (or two, the Emotiva BPA-1s are tempting.:))
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Thank you Joe. It was readily apparent to me that you wanted to invest minimal effaort in order to just "try" biamping. Some here seem to think you can just go to the grocery store, get an external crossover, wire it, and kaboom...perfection. Besides, you also made it perfectly clear that your BA's specifically prohibit external crossovers. It would be a shame to fry those nice speakers. Hopefully, this thread has not been too painful or uninformative for you. Cheers.
 
OttoMatic

OttoMatic

Senior Audioholic
Joe Schmoe said:
Even if I were interested in crossovers, I would not have the technical knowledge to use one effectively (bypassing the speaker's own filters and such.) I am also not a DIYer, and would not want to risk opening the speakers and changing the internal wiring in any event.
I have pretty much given up on the experiment anyhow, as I don't think I can adjust the output level of the Carver. If I do decide that more power would be a benefit, I might try adding a separate power amp (or two, the Emotiva BPA-1s are tempting.:))
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Hi Joe,

If you think you're running out of power when using the receiver as an amp, you could still get more power out of the Carver. Just skip the bi-amping exercise while using the pre-outs of your receiver. You'll be then using your receiver as a pre/pro (at least in 2-ch mode), and the carver as an external amp. If you think you're running out of gas on the Denon's amp section, you may realize a benefit when configured this way.

Just a thought.

Good luck!
 
J

Joe Schmoe

Audioholic Ninja
OttoMatic said:
Hi Joe,

If you think you're running out of power when using the receiver as an amp, you could still get more power out of the Carver. Just skip the bi-amping exercise while using the pre-outs of your receiver. You'll be then using your receiver as a pre/pro (at least in 2-ch mode), and the carver as an external amp. If you think you're running out of gas on the Denon's amp section, you may realize a benefit when configured this way.

Just a thought.

Good luck!
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I did think of that. When I switched from the Carver to the Denon, however, the sound seemed much cleaner and more detailed. I don't know how much of that was the preamp section and how much was the power amp section. I fear that using the Carver this way could come at a cost in clarity.
I am not sure what benefit (if any) the higher power would give me anyhow. Stronger bass, perhaps?
 
OttoMatic

OttoMatic

Senior Audioholic
Joe Schmoe said:
I did think of that. When I switched from the Carver to the Denon, however, the sound seemed much cleaner and more detailed. I don't know how much of that was the preamp section and how much was the power amp section. I fear that using the Carver this way could come at a cost in clarity.
I am not sure what benefit (if any) the higher power would give me anyhow. Stronger bass, perhaps?
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Hmmm. While amps can sound a little different from one another (IMHO), I wouldn't expect there to be a drastic change for the worse. I suppose it's possible that some wires were crossed, or something's wrong with the Carver (or perhaps the Denon's outputs).

More power will give you a couple things, especially at higher volumes. Greater absolute volume (assuming your speakers can handle it), better speaker control (might translate as better bass), higher peak power at large transients (more headroom). If you're listening at lower volumes, these would be less important, but still available.

Good luck!
 
J

Joe Schmoe

Audioholic Ninja
I have put the Carver up for sale here. If nobody buys it, I might try it as a power amp just to see if I hear any difference (it would be easy to hook up.)
 
Z

zumbo

Audioholic Spartan
Johnd said:
Why do you keep quoting me with all this hullaballoo? Regardless of what Seth or you write, I stand behind my original statement. The op did not question the differences or benefits in passive vs. active biamping. He also wrote that he simply wanted to "try" biamping...leading me to believe that he was not remotely interested in crossovers.;)
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Seth quoted you. I quoted Seth. Then, to explain why my reply was to be agreeing with Seth, I posted his reply to your post. I hope this clears things up.;)
 
J

Johnd

Audioholic Samurai
zumbo said:
Seth quoted you. I quoted Seth. Then, to explain why my reply was to be agreeing with Seth, I posted his reply to your post. I hope this clears things up.;)
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Thanks Zumbo. I realize that's what ocurred, ironically I did the same thing...most of my message was not intended for you, you were just the one I quoted. Either way, thanks for the clarification. It looks like Joe Schmoe has resolved his issue.
 
J

Joe Schmoe

Audioholic Ninja
I tried the biamping. I didn't hear much difference, and it didn't give me the stronger bass I wanted. I concluded that my VR2s are a bit bass-shy, so I added a 10" Boston sub. I have had less than positive experiences with subs in the past, but I am happy with this one. The sound is now very full and rich.
It is so powerful, though, that I have to keep it turned way down (about 1 out of 10, in fact), and still worry about the neighbors complaining.:eek:
 
F

fmw

Audioholic Ninja
The original concept of bi-amping was to provide more amplifier power to the low frequencies since they move more air and need more power. The real flaw is that the mids and highs require so little power in comparison to the bass that, if you have the bass properly powered, you normally have enough power for the full frequency spectrum. That's why bi-amping has always been more valuable in theory than in actual practice. It is no surprise that you didn't hear a difference. It would be a very unusual set of circumstances under which one would hear a difference.
 
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