Tri-amping speakers - Which amps


I am seriously looking at running a tri-amped system with an active crossover and 6 channels of amplification (the speakers will not use passive crossovers). The speaker designer suggested 100-200 watts for the woofers.
With that in mind an obvious choice would be a 6 channel amp from someone like ATI or others. Another alternative would be to find 3 used stereo amps. Something like the B&K ST140 would seem like a readily available possibility, but that model is fairly old and repairs may be expensive. I guess I am 'testing the waters' with this setup and do not want to spend a fortune on amplification. I can always sell the active crossover and have the passive crossovers hooked up in the speakers, but a 6 channel amp would be hard to find other than new and I don't think the demand would be great to try and sell used. Any sugggestions/
cnut

Showing 4 responses by cnut

As Jerry mentioned I have considered bi-amping due to the advantages such as cost, space, & simplicity to name a few. But that would seem to be a compromise. Think I would always wonder if bi-amping was an improvement, wouldn't tri-amping be better. Have not totally discarded the idea however.
Sean, you mentioned most of the things I have had to consider if I go this route. I have thought about Class A or tubes for the tweeters and mids and bipolar amps for the woofer. Obviously you cannot have this with a multi channel amp. With 3 stereo amps you have to consider compatibility issues with the system. I am not totally familiar with an electronic crossover, but as I understand it cannot totally correct for all mismatches between power sources. Any suggestions on actual amps to consider? (I am serious about doing this but don't want to just throw money at it. I like a noticable improvement, and not to quickly reach the diminishing return category.)
In your last section you mentioned 'electrical resources'. Were you talking about available power from my wall socket? If so I think the increased efficiency of tri-amping will allow amps of about 50% the usual power requirements.
The monitors with mids and tweeters are an MTM design with 4 ohm impedance and 90 db sensitivity. The wooofer cabinets have a 10" active driver & 12" passive, 8 ohm and 84 db. The sensitivity of the woofer cabinet is low but the designer has told me that 100 quality watts should do fine.
Any more discussion would be greatly appreciated.
As Sean mentioned this will take a lot of 'homework' to properly think it through. That is why I asked for help on this board. I have already talked with the speaker mfg at length on a couple of occasions to get his input on amplification etc. He suggested getting a multi channel amp of my choice with a minimum of 60 watts with 100 being better. I think he was trying to lower the chance of me screwing up by removing at least one of the variables. He also said his speakers did not need mega watt amps that cost what you would pay for a new car to sound great. Howvever, he did say the better the source and amplification the better the whole system would sound. I believe the Linkwitz Orion 'package' uses a 12 channel 60 watt ATI amp. This is actually what started my interest in the active system but my wife said it looked too 'odd' for HER living room.
I had not thought of contacting the amp manufacturer to discus setting the bias higher for the mid/tweeter amps. That is a great idea.
I had thought of active speakers such as the ATC. I am hoping my project will cost less and allow more control flexibility over the sound than ATC.
Jerry mentions the 'flat response' being the speaker designer's intention (in some cases). Doesn't flat depend largely on environment. As I understand it, ideally you test a speaker outside to determine how it truly measures. Tri-amping with an outboard active crossover is the recommendation of the designer of the speakers I am considering. He has several designs of 2 way monitors (with passive crossovers) that he can match with his own designed passive sub(s). The builder has indicated to me that for the 'best' sound from his design you need to leave out the passive crossover from the monitor and go the active tri-amp route. You take measurements of the speakers output in your listening room using a Radio Shack meter and aided by pc software use the controls on the crossover to 'tailor' the sound to correct any problems with the room.
While this would take some work and time, it does seem to me to be the best way to get the most out of your equipment. This route would add some expense such as an active crossover, more cables, and more channels of amplification, but if done correctly would appear to have a lot of benefit. Yes, I know I said "if done correctly". It is common now for the more expensive subs, and some of the cheaper ones, to have a built in amp & equalizer to correct for any bass nodes in the room. Bass problems are supposed to be the most common and problematic but why not address problems at higher frequencies as well? Some speaker mfg put controls on the back of their speakers for basic adjustment particularly for the tweeter. Is this merely for personal taste or are they helping to taylor the sound to the particular room?