Miltiple amps for stereo Matrix 801's

@ Ngjockey,

Why do B&W and hundreds of other manufacturers provide two sets of binding posts on their products?

Consumer demand, to sell more amplifiers, for bi-wiring?

Ideally, all speakers would either be active or come with an external crossover for use at line level. Westlake Audio and Naim provide external x-overs with their speakers, to name a couple.

In the pro market they use monitor controllers with adjustable x-over points. Most studio monitors are active these days but the bigger stuff typically isn't.

I assume that's a rhetorical question.

No, I'd like to hear what you have to say on this.

Ten or fifteen years ago it was popular to bi-amp large speakers by using a SS amp for the LF and a tube amp for the HF.

In better active designs such as ATC's studio monitors one amp is used for each driver. Meridian also does this.

I'm not suggesting that I will get the same results by bi-amping through a passive x-over, but I do think I will achieve better results than a single amp would give me.

Don't remember that ever being popular. Probably more talked about than done, much less accomplished successfully. That said, a friend biamped with Manley Snappers and a Coda System 100 on Dunlavy SCIII's with fairly good luck, although it wasn't all luck for a guy that builds his own DAC and preamp.

There was a time when low impedance, 12 and 15 inch woofers ruled the land and were inexpensive enough to tempt partnering with cheaper amplification.

There was a time when many big amps were clumsy.

That time was called "The 80's" and the world has evolved, except B&W ;). Not all for the better. Perhaps the 80's should best be remembered for life before HIV.

As I said, it can be done. I've done it and learned a lot. Even with MOSFET amps of similar character but different qualities and a xover at 90Hz, matching was difficult. Tried a decent pot on the bass amp but was constantly fiddling with different volume settings and recordings and it never did sound right. Custom made an attenuator (23 step, 2 to 4 Kohm, SE additive) and that was leaps better. How's your soldering?

I've evolved to Genesis 350's with factory servo bass amp/adjustable active low pass (avoids passive inductors). Added an active high pass (NHT X2, simple, fixed 12dB/octave) at 30 Hz higher than stock passive. Next step would be full DSP, 3-way active with real time analysis and removing the passive completely and intact.

So you don't recommend bi-amping because of gain problems between the two amps and/or because each amp will perform differently based on the passive crossover points?