• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Single, Bi-Wire, Bi-Amp ... Latest Opinions

Before people go down the wiring/amping rabbit hole they first need to place their speakers in their optimal position as best they can. Once that is done you can evaluate what tweaks you want to try.

As @sqlsavior mentioned pay attention to what the speaker designer says about this topic as it relates to the specific speaker. The reality is that for some speakers that second set of inputs are dummies or an after thought with the intention of making people believe the speakers are high end. If the owner's manual does address the wiring options with nothing more than a mention that the speakers are capable of being bi-wired or bi-amped it is probably a good sign that they did not put much effort into the wiring options beyond adding the second set of inputs. However if the speaker designer/manual goes into great length and depth about the wiring options then you can have some confidence that they may have designed the speakers for the purpose of bi-wiring or bi-amping.
 
Sweet spot for me is tubes configured in triode mode handling mids and upper bass, SS for low bass (80hz and below), and SS for HF. Cant envision ever going back to single regime amping.
 
I'm currently bi-amping a pair of Polk 2-1/2-way home theater boxes for music, and I think it's working surprisingly well . A pair of 125watt monoblocks for the low/mid bass, and a 125wpc stereo amp with level controls to the MTM arrays for the mid/highs. Letting the speaker crossover do most of the work. I simply dial back the mid/highs to balance the low end. Works well enough for me.
 
I ran single amps for years, and the MA-500s are just bass amps. I'm not after perfect, just enjoyable, and my lack of budget has a lot to do with my choices. If I had better speakers, I'd probably look at better amps.

Edit: In case that's too cryptic, I was replying to a post that has since been removed. Thank you, Moderators, but it was not necessary, I put my big-boy pants on this morning. Carry on....
 
Last edited:
I just sold a set of bi-wire cables after not seeing any difference at all. Biggest difference was bridging my amp and doubling the power going to the speakers......everything got better.
 
Passive bi-amping .

It is completely simple and and takes complete advantage of having the sonic characteristics of two different amps ...

It makes no attempt to redesign, re-guess, or "improve" the crossover and design of a talented speaker designer's crossover ...

But then I'm a fan of tube amp mids and tweets and strong SS amps on the woofers ...
Best of both worlds and it's much simpler than picking through hybrid amps ..
 
Last edited:
This is what's in the technical manual for my Mirage OM-7s regarding bi-wiring.

y4mCT2hIKlONI6X-KJAmls29UZJacX4we_7yaXGjU8M3k1nVpN4eYYk5BRy5KyIQ_Ci1JxGCHqVRQpK840g25pAz1-LtQvVpRj2tRnpFFnS71acny8hJ6oM2H0seQmUwzwAfebeKp5RKyMhSfLVxQ2T1nyR87nx_ZeW3cGKo_HV_AAZ9Re19thmHahVDo8iVT0B
 
bimasta said:
What are the different "types" of cable? Anything simple, like solid core for bass, stranded for higher freqs?
Click to expand...
Audioquest Rockefeller solid-core copper cables on the woofers and Nordost Blue Heaven silver-plated copper cables on the mids/tweeters.
 
I wonder if there is bulk 4 lead cables that are made with two each of cables designed for the highs and the lows...? I bought bought some basic Monoprice 4 lead cable to make my bi-wire cables out of, but I don't remember seeing any bunk cables that have the two different kinds of wires.
 
3 way stereo full active system for me. 6 identical modified Rotel power amps and transmission line speakers designed and built by me. Works beautifully. No passive crossovers at all so the amps have full control over the speaker drivers.
System set up using REW (and other processes) and a calibrated microphone, and fine tuned by ear.
Would i go back to passive speakers - doubtful.

Negative points:
1. It's complicated to wire up and setup.
2. You can destroy the tweeters if you connect it up wrong.
3. You can't switch and swap speakers and amps easily..
4. It's expensive initially and you have to commit - You can't really 1/2 do it.
5. It took me over 5 years of playing with system options to reach this point.
6. Very low WAF. There's a lot of gear in the living room that she doesn't understand and it looks more like a recording studio than a hi-fi.

Positive points:
It sounds bl**dy amazing. Of course I'm biased, but other people have said the same to me as well after hearing it.
 
^^Nicely articulated above. Multi-amping is a lot of work and requires a commitment. But it is worth the effort.

I recently put together a bi-amped 3-way system with stereo woofers playing up to 150Hz or so, and passively crossed bookshelf speakers for mid and highs. My system is far from its projected final configuration. Currently the mid/high speakers are only getting 35wpc, and both the speakers and their amp are planned for upgrading. And the Rane crossover will be replaced at some point.

But the improvement in sound is significant even with this cobbled together system.
 
Easy bi-amped open baffles. The unfiltered full range drivers run straight off a flea watt tube amp. The bass woofer uses a low pass filter and is powered by a regular solid state amp. A preamp with two outputs feeds the signal to both amps. Output or level matching is not an issue as both amps have volume controls as does the preamp.

PB230008.jpeg
 
oldflame said:
Like so much in audio, almost any circuit, output class, tube/SS, source, cable, and speaker design ... just about anything can be made to work well, even though manufacturers and audiophiles may disagree.

Some very expensive speakers have one set of inputs, while others have two - serving split crossovers. When bi-wiring, consideration must be given to the two cables so their characteristics don't create discontinuity in driver response. The same for using compatible amps when bi-amping.

Bi-amping generates some questions: is it really the best route or does that depend on each situation? This method invites using a smaller amp for the higher frequencies and more power for the woofers. Even using amps from the same manufacturer, different amps for treble and bass drivers might not mesh properly.

Bi-wiring a bi-amped system is another ball-o-wax to wrestle with. Different hi & lo frequency cables may hinder or compensate for using two different hi & lo amps. This seems like it could be endlessly complicated, involving a lot of testing and comparing.

Is there much agreement about going "bi" or keeping it straight and simple when there's a choice?
Click to expand...

apparently you've never tried vertical bi-amping with two identical amplifiers, one per side.
 
Grenadeslio said:
apparently you've never tried vertical bi-amping with two identical amplifiers, one per side.
Click to expand...
Well, in both cases he mentioned using different amps. As one who highly values coherency, I would not prefer you using one amp for the top octaves and a completely different one for the lower octaves as soundstage continuity could suffer - unless the second is used for subwoofer frequencies only.

indeed, a vertical approach with identical amps addresses that challenge.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom