2 x Bryston 3B NRB or 1 x 4B NPB should I Bi amp or single amp

[PK Vintage]

Hello,
I have 2 3B's and a 4B all are NRB. My Wharfedale Mach 9's are bi-ampable. I am not interested in loudness just detail. Should I bi amp with the 2 3B's or go with the single 4B.

My pre amp is an SAE 2900 parametric equalizer/pre amp with 2 mains.

oh...and I am new to the hobby.

Thanks

 

[A/D/Slover]

Wharfedale Mach 9's biampable ? Have pics. I don't believe mine are......

 

[PK Vintage]

I Had them re worked.

 

[twiiii]

Bi-amping means that you are bypassing the passive cross over in the speakers and are using an electronic cross over to drive your amps to replace the passive which can rob the speakers of power from a single amp. I f you are talking about bi wiring when you run two lines from amps to separate sections of the speakers using the built in speaker crossovers you won't gain a thing. The problem with Bi-amping is your speakers need to be calibrated in order to maintain the proper relationship or balance between drivers. Low and High. Its not easy, you will need a dependable sound level meter and test signal set at the crossover frequency.

 

[PK Vintage]

Hmm. We'll I run one amp to the highs and mids and one amp to the low side using the modified existing covers to allow this. This is not bi amping? And I might as well just run one amp?
So I am clear this is what your saying.

 

[bhunter]

Hmm. We'll I run one amp to the highs and mids and one amp to the low side using the modified existing covers to allow this. This is not bi amping? And I might as well just run one amp?
So I am clear this is what your saying.

This explains the basics of biamping:
http://sound.whsites.net/bi-amp.htm

As Twiii mentioned, you do need a way to balance the output from the now separate drivers.

 

[whoaru99]

Hmm. We'll I run one amp to the highs and mids and one amp to the low side using the modified existing covers to allow this. This is not bi amping? And I might as well just run one amp?
So I am clear this is what your saying.

Twiiii is talking about biamplification where there are no crossovers inside the speakers. The crossovers (low pass filters and high pass filters) are put before the amplifiers to limit the range each amplifier has to amplify.

If the modification to your speakers was just to split the existing speaker crossover into separate low and mid/high inputs then, while an interesting read, about 99% of the article linked by bhunter does not apply to your situation.

Since it sounds like you already have all three amps you mentioned why not try it both ways? Biamped with two 3Bs and run conventionally with the single 4B. Then you can decide which way you think works better.

When using the two 3Bs you do not need anything special to adjust the signal since the amps have the same gain. This is presuming the only modification to the speakers was just splitting the crossover.

 

[nedseg]

Aren't those nice amps?
I'm stepping into bi-amping too - passive first (with existing xovers), then will go on to active if that suggests improvements.
Took me a while to 'realize' that the mid/high amp needs to have level adjust to allow for matching the LF amp levels.
Might be fine with identical amps, might not be.
Otherwise, some kind of buffer for the HF amp might be needed...lots of options for that.
FOr example, this caught my eye today:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/282477822433?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
(no affiliation).
Not having a spare 3B, I'm now looking for other possible amps (see my post yesterday on that topic).

 

[whoaru99]

There is no might about if. If the amps have same gain then the low to mid/high ratios will be correct per design voicing of the speaker within the capability of the smallest amp used.

If one wishes to alter the design-intended ratios of low to mid/high that's a different matter, of preference and, of course, requires adjustability. Preferably both amps would have gain/level controls to cover all the bases of one amp having higher or lower gain than the other.

 

[nedseg]

I bow to your experience, of course,
What I was thinking is that since each amp will be presented with slightly different impedance responses over the (now different) frequencies, (and different loads than with the combined impedance/load of both crossovers on one amp) even identical amps might need minor level tweeking.
Having said that, however, I am now considering matching amps, so may find out soon enough.
Thanks!

 

[PK Vintage]

Twiiii is talking about biamplification where there are no crossovers inside the speakers. The crossovers (low pass filters and high pass filters) are put before the amplifiers to limit the range each amplifier has to amplify.

If the modification to your speakers was just to split the existing speaker crossover into separate low and mid/high inputs then, while an interesting read, about 99% of the article linked by bhunter does not apply to your situation.

Since it sounds like you already have all three amps you mentioned why not try it both ways? Biamped with two 3Bs and run conventionally with the single 4B. Then you can decide which way you think works better.

When using the two 3Bs you do not need anything special to adjust the signal since the amps have the same gain. This is presuming the only modification to the speakers was just splitting the crossover.

That makes more sense to me now. Yes the cross over's were split. One of the 3 b's has 2 gain control knobs on the back (chromed handled one) The other has the black handles.

 

[whoaru99]

That makes more sense to me now. Yes the cross over's were split. One of the 3 b's has 2 gain control knobs on the back (chromed handled one) The other has the black handles.

If one has gain/level adjustments but the other does not, presumably the correct starting point for the adjustable version would be with the gain/level adjustments "wide open" / fully clockwise.

 

[PK Vintage]

If one has gain/level adjustments but the other does not, presumably the correct starting point for the adjustable version would be with the gain/level adjustments "wide open" / fully clockwise.

That's how I have it set. I am going to do a blind test on the weekend with the help of my wife. At least I am going to try. LOL. To try and put this question to rest. I will report my findings.

Thanks all for you input. Your expert advice is invaluable to my long learning curve.

 

[A/D/Slover]

That's how I have it set. I am going to do a blind test on the weekend with the help of my wife. At least I am going to try. LOL. To try and put this question to rest. I will report my findings.

Thanks all for you input. Your expert advice is invaluable to my long learning curve.