InventiveAudio.com Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 Hi, I am very interested in bi-amping my K-Horns. I'd like to use a tube amplifier for the mids and highs and use my SS amp for the bass. I'm not an EE and don't have any experience with bi-amping. ANy advice would be appreciated. ------------------ My Klipsch Page www.nyonline.com This message has been edited by trader on 07-25-2002 at 07:53 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted July 24, 2002 Share Posted July 24, 2002 I suspect that you are heading for deep water here. Do you fully understand issues such as phasing,( Not merely between a pair of speaker systems but also between drivers within each individual speaker system? I sure as hello don't and I been an audio freak for a loooooong time),gain,(L pads deal with output not input by this I mean that an L-pad can reduce the signal coming from an amp but cannot control the input signal or the relationship between the input to itself or another amp. In any event an Lpad is not the best device for controlling input to speakers in a high fidelity application because that type of device introduces phase shifts - (due to the effects of the wirewound resistors/inductors used in them) to the signal which are within acceptable limits when one is dealing with widely separated speakers in a church or a hall and where fidelity is less important than even distribution of the sound. When one is dealing with a pair of speakers in a relatively confined space phase relationships become extremely important in terms of creating a realistic soundstage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InventiveAudio.com Posted July 24, 2002 Author Share Posted July 24, 2002 Lots of good things to think about. ------------------ My Klipsch Page www.nyonline.com This message has been edited by trader on 07-25-2002 at 07:53 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InventiveAudio.com Posted July 24, 2002 Author Share Posted July 24, 2002 I just spoke with Trey at Klipch. He said that I can easily bi-amp my K-Horns using the stock crossover. I didn't quite understand what to do. He said that I would have to give both speaker leads a common ground. I think that means I would twist the negative leads together on the speaker wire coming from each amps. Then I would need to remove the wire on the number two screw that goes to the inductor. Then I would install the positive speaker leads for the SS amp to the number 1 lead (woofer) and install the positive speaker lead for the tube amp on screw #2. Does this sound right. Trey said that he thought it would definetely be an improvement in sound. ------------------ My Klipsch Page www.nyonline.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBrennan Posted July 24, 2002 Share Posted July 24, 2002 Trader---I don't think you're really proposing bi-amping but "sorta bi-amping". Bi-amping is the practice of dividing the frequencies in the signal before it goes to the amps so that each amp is only fed the part of the signal the driver connected to that amp is to reproduce. This can be done actively, with an electronic crossover, or passively with passive filters between pre-amp and the amps. You have a passive low-pass filter ahead of the woofer amp, good, but are sending a full-range signal to the treble amp, not so good. Bi-amping gives a lowering of distortion and increase in dynamics and the cutting off of the lows from going to the treble amp is important in this. At the least you need a passive high-pass filter between the preamp and treble amp. Better yet would be to simply buy an electronic crossover; this will give you accurate filtering and the ability to adjust levels with the crossover's own level controls, very easy to use. Pro-sound companies such as DOD, Peavey and Behringer make excellent crossovers at very affordable prices. Sam Ash Music now has a DOD on sale for only $100, the DODs (I use one sometimes) have transparent sound and are reliable. My VOTs are currently bi-amped with passive filters with SS on bass and tubes on treble, this works very well though one of the best rigs I've heard lately was a big JBL horn rig bi-amped using a Behringer crossver and SS QSC prosound amps. This message has been edited by TBrennan on 07-24-2002 at 07:48 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InventiveAudio.com Posted July 24, 2002 Author Share Posted July 24, 2002 TBrenan, Thanks for the reply and clarifying what bi-amping is. It makes perfect sense. I looked into electronic crossovers and good ones can be quite expensive. How about using FMODS? Also, I would like to take the signal from the preamp and use a Y-connector and then use FMODS to remove all frequencies above 400 MHZ to the SS amp and then use an FMOD to remove all frequencies below 400 MHZ to my tube amp. Now each amp is only amplifying part of the signal. Now I would hook up my speaker wire, from the SS amp, directly to the woofer and then hook up my tube amp to the speaker's crossover for the highs and mids. I would have to remove the jumper on my crossover to isolate the woofer's crossover that wouldn't be used at all. Does anyone have advice on how this might play out. My tube amp woul dhave a gain adjustment so I could blend the two amps. This message has been edited by trader on 07-25-2002 at 08:00 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBrennan Posted July 24, 2002 Share Posted July 24, 2002 Trader---I've responded via e-mail www.chicagohornspeakerclub.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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