Deleterious effects of bridging ??


I am considering the following two options for purchase, both being approximately equal in price.

(1) NAD C370 integrated and C270 power amp in bridged mode (300 wpc @ 8 ohms, 70 amps peak)

(2) Parasound PLD1100 pre and HCA1500A amp (205 wpc @ 8 ohms, 60 amps peak)

I cannot biamp with the NAD amps because my Magnepan SMGa's are not biampable nor biwireable. Thus, the NAD's must be run bridged.

According to the salesman, bridging stereo amps has undesirable consequences by "trashing the damping factor of the amplifier." Thus, he suggests going with the Parasound separates.

Given that I believe in so little that I hear in regard to either audio or politics, my question is simply is there any foundation to the salesman's claim, or is he just talking out of his ass, so to speak?

The remainder of my equipment is as follows:

Adcom GDA 600 DAC
Monarchy Audio DIP Super Drive
Pioneer Elite PD-F27 CD Changer
Apogee Wyde Eye 75 ohm & 110 Ohm digital cables
MIT T2 interconnects and speaker wire
Monster Power HTS2500 Power Center

Any feedback that you can offer would be most graciously appreciated.

Mil Gracias
Ag insider logo xs@2xdocwarnock

Showing 1 response by richm

Bridging will mean that because each "channel" of output is seeing only half of the loudspeaker load (the + or the - terminal), the amp will see the loudspeaker as half of its actual impedance if both channels were driving it. This means that if your Maggies are a nominal 4 ohm load, the amps will see them as nominal 2 ohm loads. This can strain the power supply, since it has to deliver a pretty healthy amount of current without any voltage increase. This is why higher impedance loudspeakers are a better match for bridging. Be careful to make sure that the amps are up to it, especially at higher listening levels. If the speaker dips lower at any point, you'll be straining the amps quite a bit.