Bi-amping KLF-30's with Pre for Volume Control

[mrparisi]

Hi,

 

I have a Sherbourn 5 channel monoblock amp powering a klf20 center, Corns fronts and KLF-30's for the rear channel.  I also am running an Anthem AVM50 preamp.  I wanted to run my Sherbourn amp to all my speakers and to the highs of the KLF-30 and then use a BK 202 amp for the low end on the 30's.  I can adjust the output of each channel by 24db using my preamp controls so I'm pretty confident that I can tune the speakers to my liking.  In a nutshell the Sherbourn would power the highs of the 30's and the BK amp for the lows. The idea is to increase the output to the lower end to wake up the two big 12" drivers.  Does this make any sense? 

[jjptkd]

1 hour ago, mrparisi said:

In a nutshell the Sherbourn would power the highs of the 30's and the BK amp for the lows. The idea is to increase the output to the lower end to wake up the two big 12" drivers.  Does this make any sense? 

 

 Makes sense I would be concerned that changing the balance too much will make the speakers sound off because of the high crossover point at 800hz. I would double check settings on the preamp make sure they're not set to "small" or otherwise out of tune also placement of the speakers can add or take away bass listening position plays a factor you could be seated in a "dead" spot bass wise in relation to the 30's. Another thing to check be concerned about is the cabinets some need to be re-sealed if they have leaky panels that will cut bass output by a lot. Another thing to consider is adding a sub and or a rear sub.

[mrparisi]

15 minutes ago, jjptkd said:

 

 Makes sense I would be concerned that changing the balance too much will make the speakers sound off because of the high crossover point at 800hz. I would double check settings on the preamp make sure they're not set to "small" or otherwise out of tune also placement of the speakers can add or take away bass listening position plays a factor you could be seated in a "dead" spot bass wise in relation to the 30's. Another thing to check be concerned about is the cabinets some need to be re-sealed if they have leaky panels that will cut bass output by a lot. Another thing to consider is adding a sub and or a rear sub.

I'm married so there is only one place for the monstrous 30's. Lol. Cabinets look good and they came with Crites ti tweet upgrade. I might try a fabric tweeter to tame the highs a little. Right now I have treble 3db lower on my preamp.  I have the original poly diaphragms but they look spent and not the best. I do run two subs. A homebrewed 15" monster and a ksw15 which is surprisingly good. The sub is in the corners. I was hoping to get more midbass from the 30s. I have the amp so not much to lose. I was thinking of trying a k55v driver for the mids too. My Corn 1's with Crite tweeters just sound warmer and nicer to my ears. I also may upgrade the caps in the crossover. I would have bought another set of Corns but I needed a tower speaker to fit the room. Thanks for the suggestions. 

[Coytee]

I'm not familiar with your equipment so pardon me if I butcher this.

 

Not sure what you have.....but, what you WANT is one leg of your signal to each part you want to 'biamp'.

 

Line out goes to an active crossover.  The crossover splits the signal as appropriate then the crossover has several output lines.  THESE are what go to your respective amps.  So, lines 1-2 might go to the HF section of your speakers (with you having disconnected the passive) and lines 3-4 go to your other amps inputs and those go to the woofers of your speakers.

 

Doing this will keep things in balance volume wise.  What I'm wondering is, would your idea work?  (probably) BUT, would you be constantly changing the volume to get the woofers & tweeters in balance?  If so then that would drive me nuts.

 

You can certainly biamp and mix/match amps.  Just a matter of putting the right parts of the puzzle into the right locations to make it work.

 

I would have thought that a "mono-block" would be one chassis = one amp.  If you have a 5-channel amp it might be a PENTA-BLOCK amp.....  as contrasted with a "Mono-Block"  (just being OCD) 

 

 

[OO1]

  the  klipsch poly tweeters were  great  quality , they sound exceptional with Ferro-fluid , they can handle up to 200 wpc ,  

 

 klipsch   titanium diaphragms for the Heresy / Cornwall 3-4  ,   fit the KLF-30 , and they sound waaaaay better than Crites chinese aftermarkets  .

 

if you want to have the ultimate sound for your crossovers  ......klipsch capacitors are the way to go .......unfortunately , klipsch does not sell these parts direct  

you can buy these   via https://jemperformanceaudio.com/capacitor-kits  

[mrparisi]

The 1500/a Sherbourn is a 9b Bryston for a lot less in 2001. It has 5 monoblocks in one chasis. This works well for HT and music in general. The BK 202 is a nice amp. BK did a lot of oem amps when in business. There amps are siljy smooth. I read your post. Are u saying I need an active crossover in addition to the crosses in the 30's? My plan was to use the rear outputs on my preamp to drive the lower end of the 30's. In my mind a full signal would reach each set of speaker terminals. I was under the assumption that the signal from each speaker terminal would run through the speaker's crossovers and then to each respective driver? Is this not correct? First time biamping so...

[mrparisi]

24 minutes ago, OO1 said:

  the  klipsch poly tweeters were  great  quality , they sound exceptional with Ferro-fluid , they can handle up to 200 wpc ,  

 

 klipsch   titanium diaphragms for the Heresy / Cornwall 3-4  ,   fit the KLF-30 , and they sound waaaaay better than Crites chinese aftermarkets  .

 

if you want to have the ultimate sound for your crossovers  ......klipsch capacitors are the way to go .......unfortunately , klipsch does not sell these parts direct  

you can buy these   via https://jemperformanceaudio.com/capacitor-kits  

Great information. Have you compared the poly with the phenolic vs Klipsch ti? The Crites ti is a little too much more me. 

Edited April 8, 2023 by mrparisi

[OO1]

2 hours ago, mrparisi said:

Great information. Have you compared the poly with the phenolic vs Klipsch ti? 

   the Titanium is a tad sparklier versus the phenolic or  poly  ,  but not as bright as the Asian  aftermarkets                                                                                                                                     

[derrickdj1]

Lots of work for little reward, especially for HT.