Poll: Active Bi-amping....

[SWL]

I'm curious to know how many of you guys are bi-amping........and how are you doing it with what kind of results?

Also, guys that are active bi-amping......what kind of active crossovers are you using presently? Crossovers used in the past? Good ones.....Bad ones....and why?

Thanks,

Scott.

[Deang]

Less is more.

[Guest " "]

currently using a DIY tube crossover. also have some op amp versions, but don't use them much.

[colterphoto1]

yeah sure I bi-amp, even tri-amp

my PA

[TNRabbit]

Let me share something different I tried recently with my Sunfire system & Carver AL-III speakers:

I am now actively bi-amping (with stock AL-III crossovers still in
place) my AL-IIIs through my Sunfire Theater Grand-IV preamp by running the Mains with a
150 hz crossover as small speakers out to two of my Sunfire Cinema Grand (400~7) channels and
on to the RIBBONS ONLY. Then I run the Sub 2 & 3 output (below
150 hz) to two more 400~7 channels and on to the WOOFERS ONLY. I have a Klipsch RT-12d sub running off the Sub 1 output from the TG-IV which I've adjusted down -12dB from reference, crossover set at 40 hz w/ a 48 db/octave slope. I'm running the woofer outputs on the TG-IV at -3 dB from reference. I've
been using this setup for about 2 weeks now and let me tell you it's
INCREDIBLE how much more headroom I've gotten out of this setup (at least 6
dB). I can drive it to MUCH higher levels now with less distortion and
don't blow fuses as often as I used to. I can actually feel "puffs" of
air from the forward firing port of the woofers up to 15 feet away (over 20 feet with the cannons on SACD of 1812 Overture~)!

Thoughts?

[SWL]

Bi-amping solves some problems and introduces some new ones.

Now you know where I'm coming from.

[Edgar]

I am currently in-transition and therefore without a system of any kind, but when I was set up I had a pair of Legacy Focus actively triamplified. Crossover was a Merlin ISP100 (great-granddaddy to the EV DX38) with both analog and digital inputs (according to type of source); amplifiers were ancient but wonderful-sounding GAS Grandson, Threshold SA100, conrad-johnson MV50. Crossover topology was my own design.

Based upon the results, I'll never go back to passive.

Greg

[Don Richard]

I'm tri-amping modified Khorns, currently with a Behringer analog xover and Crown power with Xtis on MF and HF and XLS on LF. The Xtis are used so that I can delay the horns for time alignment.

This setup is working well for me, though in the future I may go to a DSP xover and other amps. Not in any hurry right now.

[Islander]

I'm running bi-amped JubScalas, with a 24-bit EV Dx38 processor feeding 2 Yamaha MX-D1 stereo power amps, one for the woofers, one for the tweeters. The Dx is the same processor that Roy Delgado uses and recommends with the Jubilee speakers. It's a pro unit with 26 parametric EQs in it, plus several delay units, of which I'm using two to delay the tweeters to time-align them with the much longer woofer horns.

The EQs are set per Roy's lab-tested settings and allow updates to be easily done, as well as correcting the speakers' FR to a degree that's not possible with typical passives. The first settings were punched in last March, then in the fall I saved the latest (Sept 2008) settings on a separate program, so it's easy to switch back and forth to compare them. The new settings gave a noticeable improvement in the sound, and the Dx can save up to 30 user programs. Much simpler than swapping passive crossover components.

I'm a newby to bi-amping, and I'm seeing benefits, but no drawbacks so far, other than expense and complication. Since the receiver/pre-amp and the power amps have 12V triggers, one button powers all three on and off, so no inconvenience there.

I'm really happy with this setup.

[SWL]

currently with a Behringer analog xover

What model Behringer x-over?

[Don Richard]

currently with a Behringer analog xover

What model Behringer x-over?

CX3400 2/3 way stereo, 4 way mono. 24 dB/oct Linkwitz-Riley slopes, phase inverting and mute switches on each output. I like it because it has knobs and I'm messing with different drivers and horns all the time. I can make quick adjustments on the fly and immediately hear the changes.

[SWL]

currently with a Behringer analog xover

What model Behringer x-over?

CX3400 2/3 way stereo, 4 way mono. 24 dB/oct Linkwitz-Riley slopes, phase inverting and mute switches on each output. I like it because it has knobs and I'm messing with different drivers and horns all the time. I can make quick adjustments on the fly and immediately hear the changes.

I'm usng a CX2310. I'm finding that setting the input gains as low as possible (-6 in my case) has given me the least amount of noise and best results overall.

I realize that by eliminating this link in the chain would probably yeild a cleaner sound........but being able to make these adjustments is giving me the sound I want.

[RockOn4Klipsch]

i was passive bi-amping for a while with my onkyo 805. I've since traded and no long bi-amp. I have them bi-wiried now, not sure if there's much difference but I had the wires hooked up already so I figured "why not". So i left them bi-wired with the new setup, sounds better than ever....I think most of it's the new components and not attributed to the bi-wire.

[Clipped and Shorn]

Rane AC23 active crossover is good solution for my homebuilt Altec based 4-way tri-amp speaker system. JBL 2404H tweeter uses a passive. I enjoy the flexibility and instant control over a very wide range of vinyl recordings. Time delay feature allows for further alignment. I also enjoy other two channel systems using single amps with passive Xvr, and also an open baffle full range with simple L-pad for woofer. They all can be enjoyed in their own way. The primary system is the tri-amp with active crossover because I am hooked on the ability to control parameters on impulse as needed. Totally quiet.

c&s