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Bridging amps to mono

B

bully

member
Both Toasted Almond and I use a pair of bridged amps in our big stereos.
I am lucky to have four preamps that provide the capability to bridge stereo amps to mono (Soundcraftsmen DX4200 & 4000, and a pair of Yamaha C-80).
I also picked up recently a Nikko BTL-1 external bridging network, like new in the box.
Bridging amps designed to be bridged is no problem.
Not all amps are stout enough to be bridged, though. A 4 ohm impedence power rating is a good sign things won't meltdown.
For kicks, 'cause I could, I bridged the pair of Kenwood KM-208 amps through a Yamaha C-80. These amps run 150 wpc, so I just figure bridged they should have been pushing 300 to 450 (conservative to typical figures when bridging; in an ideal world, bridging would quadruple the one channel output).
The KM-208's weren't fazed in the least. That experiment led me to believe those amps really were decent little guys.
Anybody else done the bridging thing with home stereo amps?
 
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Soon, bolly, soon! The HPM-100's are gonna love 250 wpc. I know that from experience with my 900's. Yep.
 
Pete... You, Are The Man!

The wife and I are sittin' here almost flabergasted. Now all we have to do is keep our fingers crossed and pray for the safety of both those beasts!

Greg
 
Well, the BA-5000 is certainly an amp that can be bridged for 600W+ operation, though realistically, since I only sit not much more than 6 ft away from my speakers when listening, I really dont require anywhere near that amount of Power. (I wish I could push my couch back a few more feet in my basement but there's a drywall enclosure around the house's heater and water heater tank that prevents me from doing so).

My main reason to use two BA-5000's simultaneously would actually be so that they both, well... are put to use. I dont think its a good idea for a vintage amp, receiver, etc.. to sit inactive for long periods of time. So being able to use two amps together takes cares of that problem.

However, when it comes to using two amps together, I think perhaps Vertical Biamping is preferable to bridging. V.B. meaning, one amp drives the left speaker, and the other amp drives the right speaker, thus each amp is driving the woofer of only one speaker, not both as would be the case with horizontal biamping. My preamps, such as the CA-3000, CA-2000, and C-2301 all have two pairs of Output terminals with a 1+2 output selector control, so hooking the preamp to two amps simultaneously is quite simple.

B/F
 
Hey B/F, You have 2 BA5K's in use in a VB configuration, Awesome! Why wouldn't you bridge them each to mono as well. Or is that the same as the 1+2 selector?

Greg
 
Hi Bolly:

In case you didnt read about it in 'Exclusively Sansui', I now have 3 BA-5K's.

As for the various biamping methods and bridging, you can do a Google search and read more Info on the various pros & cons of each configuration.

In my case, I just have too many amplifiers all in the same room. Probably the best approach is to use the Audio Authority switchboxes, but the drawback to that is all the cables required to hook everything up. Its not a wireless technology, all amps must obviously be physically connected to speakers (or an amp/speaker switcher) via cables, so the more equipment you use and switch between, the more wiring thats required. When I did have my AA switchers hooked up, I had a ton of cables lying on the floor behind the audio equipment, it was just very cumbersome. For the time being, its almost easier for me to just move the cd player cables to whatever Sansui amp or receiver I feel like listening to and also moving by hand, the speaker cables to each individual amp/receiver.

B/F
 
Another Solution

3- BA-5K's :eek:

BF you the Sansui Man.:)

Now you know there is another solution to having too many cables - have less fine Sansui equipment to hook up. :D
 
Hi Mac,

I was thinking more along the lines of hitting it big in the Lottery and having the $$$ to buy a huge house with nice loft-size rooms for all the hi fi equipment (and setting up the guitars too) :D

Option 2- having a woman of obscene wealth fall madly in love & marry me, and buying that huge mansion. And I'm willing to be flexible,- heck, I dont need the rich wife to buy me a fancy new car and so forth, as long as I have the huge rooms for my hi fi equipment I'm quite content to drive my '87 Accord :)

Regards,

B/F
 
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