Any benefits from going Bi-amp to Tri-amp?
- Thread starter qguy
- Start date
Bahamayellow
Super Member
I will agree with swech bi amping is what most will do on infinitys. I'm a big fan. I will say when I was trying to find more info on my K9s I not sure if it was another site or someone in this forum has 4 mono block Mcintosh amps hooked up to a pair of K9s. Seemed over kill but what do I know. Lol
Also are u trying to get more out of your 7.2s. I have the big brother to your speakers the 8.1s in a bi amp mode and just made my speakers come alive. One amp was good but 2 made the music sound 3 dimensional. Same with my 9s.
Also are u trying to get more out of your 7.2s. I have the big brother to your speakers the 8.1s in a bi amp mode and just made my speakers come alive. One amp was good but 2 made the music sound 3 dimensional. Same with my 9s.
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I have to agree with this. You could bi-amp the K7.2's using the built-in passive crossover. Triamping would necessitate an active crossover. I agree with swechsler, I don't think there would be much benefit to using separate amps on the mids and EMITs.
The only benefit I can see is driving each speaker directly without a passive crossover. Done correctly with a DSP you avoid the phase distortion at the crossover points and theoretically can couple better.
I agree with the above that from a power consumption standpoint there is no significant benefit.
I agree with the above that from a power consumption standpoint there is no significant benefit.
I bi-amped infinities for > 35 years. In the last year, I've gone to tri-amping. Actually, 4 amps if you want to count the self powered infinity subs. If they were not self powered, I'd be buying another amp to drive them.
Yes it does sound better. No doubt about it. But the costs are high with the crossover and the amps. They are far far more than the speakers cost. Then you have to factor in speaker cables. Interconnects. Power cables. Quite an investment we are talking about.
To me, it was worth it.
Yes it does sound better. No doubt about it. But the costs are high with the crossover and the amps. They are far far more than the speakers cost. Then you have to factor in speaker cables. Interconnects. Power cables. Quite an investment we are talking about.
To me, it was worth it.
Bahamayellow
Super Member
qguy
Super Member
One big, nope HUGE advantage for me with bi-amping is that I can adjust the amount of power that goes to the mid/high speakers, as you know Infinities can sometimes have too much mid/high energy with some amplifiers and in small rooms.
I have a Pioneer sx 1250 (160 wpc) and a 6 channel Rotel amp 60 wpc x 6 , 120 wpc x 3 or 160 x 2 and 60 x 2. So far the best combo is the Rotel bridge 2 channels at 160 wpc for the woofers and 60 wpc for the tweeters.
I have a Pioneer sx 1250 (160 wpc) and a 6 channel Rotel amp 60 wpc x 6 , 120 wpc x 3 or 160 x 2 and 60 x 2. So far the best combo is the Rotel bridge 2 channels at 160 wpc for the woofers and 60 wpc for the tweeters.
Modded rs1b.
Krell ksa for bass and on the top. Mark Levinson for the mids. Crossover is a custom one using Linkwitz Riley right now at 24db. Crossover types and the db spread is adjustable up to 48db. I set the parameters for the crossover points.
Benefits are comparable to going from single amp to bi-amping infinities. Similar overall improvements. But you are going to part with a lot of money to do this===much much more than the speakers set you back. But you do hear the difference.
I think if you folks ever get a chance, go and listen to a nice tri-amp setup. Hardly easy to do, but worth the effort.
I've heard Apogee's/Maggie's/infinity all tri-amped. Heard them all bi-amped at different times. Ironically, one of the best I ever heard was a bi-amped Accoustat setup. But these systems all had far more $$$ in the electronics than what the speakers cost. The speakers are the least expensive acquisition. To most folks, it's the most expensive.
I also heard one's I did not care for too much like a few martin logan setups---remember the monolith? Like a big brother to the 4.5? But then I was never real big on Martin Logan, so that might just boil down to personal preferences.
I've heard Apogee's/Maggie's/infinity all tri-amped. Heard them all bi-amped at different times. Ironically, one of the best I ever heard was a bi-amped Accoustat setup. But these systems all had far more $$$ in the electronics than what the speakers cost. The speakers are the least expensive acquisition. To most folks, it's the most expensive.
I also heard one's I did not care for too much like a few martin logan setups---remember the monolith? Like a big brother to the 4.5? But then I was never real big on Martin Logan, so that might just boil down to personal preferences.
Gibsonian
Super Member
Not hard to triamp the Infinity's.
I would bypass all passives and wire amps directly to drivers and use a high quality 3 way active crossover such as Ashly which was previously mentioned.
You can then use amps that perform well doing their part of the load. You can balance the sound to be flat or tilted slightly or whatever you like. Nothing like a quality analog signal going directly into a quality transducer with nothing but a wire between the two.
It's not that expensive imo but it's not free either.
I would bypass all passives and wire amps directly to drivers and use a high quality 3 way active crossover such as Ashly which was previously mentioned.
You can then use amps that perform well doing their part of the load. You can balance the sound to be flat or tilted slightly or whatever you like. Nothing like a quality analog signal going directly into a quality transducer with nothing but a wire between the two.
It's not that expensive imo but it's not free either.
audiomagnate
Addicted Member
I agree wholeheartedly. Sure it's a bit of a pain, but phase correct 24 dB slopes, the ease of fine tuning, getting rid of lossy passive components (especially big woofer coils) definitely make it worth it. There's a reason pros haven't used passive crossovers for decades.
Gibsonian
Super Member
An amp with DC protection should protect the tweets unless this circuit fails but can be sure no risk if placing a single cap between amp and tweeter, well below the active crossover range. In my system I do have a cap in there as I have a T filter to flatten out the response of my compression drivers. It's the only driver in my 3 way active that has anything but wire between amp and driver.
