Does biamping w/ SS + tubes work?

It usually doesn't work well, but with some careful choices and work it sometimes can. Though there are exceptions, typically I wouldn't recommend it.

Thanks a lot guys. I live in the middle of nowhere so it's hard to try a lot of different combos.

I don't know what active crossovers are or how it will help?

Would I be better to just run a SS amp to a sub, instead of biamping full ranges? Seems like the upper bass would still be soft and I'd still have integration problems.

Thanks again, your help is invaluable esp. since I am in nowhere land and it's hard to listen.

Jim

PS - I've just pulled the system out after 6 years storage, glory! But I plan to take them all in for checkup at Soundquest in El Paso.

Your last posts suggests that you might be getting in over your head if you try bi-amping with different types of amps. Though it might appear to be in contradiction to the previous advice, using a ss amp on subs and tube amps on the main speakers (if they're tube appropriate), is actually the typical arrangement.

I've been actively bi-amping my systems(tubes/SS), since 1980. Was using a modded Dahlquist DQ-LP1 crossover MOST of that time. Now using a modded TacT RCS 2.2X. Always with transmission line woofers(very fast), and mostly planars(Acoustat & Maggie). Never had any problems at crossover points, when proper slopes were applied. Always has worked well for me.

I've been biamping my Von Schweikert speakers using a pair of Double Kronzillas on the top and monoblock Spectron Musician III Mk2 amps on the bottom. The Spectrons provide a very high damping factor on the bass drivers and the Kronzillas do their SET thing on the top. I've never noticed any sense of discontinuity in between the two. I'm passively biamping them, connecting to the M/T and bass modules without any other crossovers other than those in the speakers. The only additional item needed is an attenuator inline with the higher sensitivity amp. In this case, it's the Spectron, which is good since I don't need to put anything in the signal path with the Krons. If you have a beefy solid state amp to start with, this path lets you use a lower powered tube amp for the top. Horses for courses.