Bi-amping Rules


I wasn't sure if this question belongs in the amp or the speaker section but I figured I'll post it here. Those of you who have bi-amped your speakers, what's the general rule for deciding which amplifiers are better for low frequency vs. the high frequency drivers. I recognize an accurate answer will depend on the particular speakers and amp combinations but I'm looking for general rules of thumb from personal experiences and not application specific recommendations. For the sake of the argument, let's assume the amps are different but the gains on both amps can be adjusted if that matters. Thanks.
128x128kalali
At the minimum, you need to be able to control the gain of one of the amps in order to make the bi-amp approach work properly. Even then, the results can be very mixed. My NAD preamp allows for changing the gain on the second pre-out output. Some amps like my Mac MC2200 also have separate gain controls for left and right channels. But gain aside, I still don't quite understand the need for an outboard crossover to control the frequency between the HF and LF sections since both amps are feeding full range and each section of the speaker still operates within its own design frequency range.
russbutton66 posts07-29-2016 8:45pmWhen you bi-amp, you become a speaker designer, like it or not.

Can you share a number of your 'supply' dealer so I can try it too?

kalali
But gain aside, I still don't quite understand the need for an outboard crossover to control the frequency between the HF and LF sections since both amps are feeding full range and each section of the speaker still operates within its own design frequency range.
When biamping, the active crossover has separate low and hi frequency outputs, which then feed the amplifiers. The amplifiers don't run full range. This, imo, is the only way to get maximum benefit from biamplification.

czarivey
When you bi-amp, you become a speaker designer, like it or not.
Not necessarily. Some speaker systems are designed to be biamplified.

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