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B&W 800D2 - Bi-amping vs Bi-wiring

Hello folks,

I am looking for feedback on bi-amping these amazing speakers. I currently own a CA-2200 amp and it seems 200w per channel may not be adequate to realize full potential of 800D2. So i was thinking of bi-amping two classe ca-2200 for L/R speakers, thus feeding 400w each to Left and Right speakers. Or am i better off buying a pair of CA-M600 for each speaker? I would like to stick with Classe amps only... love the way they sound.

Next question is about bi-wiring. There seems to be bit of confusion (atleast in my head) on the best way to bi-wire speakers. The true shotgun cable is terminated with two split(+ and -)on amp end and 4 splits (2 + and 2 -)on speaker end. I have seen illustrations where bi-wiring is done with 2 identical runs of cables between dual binding posts on amp and speaker ends feeding seperate signal to LF and HF speaker inputs. I have read about the advantages of two single runs but my cable manufacturer doesn't seems to agree with this configuration. He is still recommending shotgun configuration.

I hope to gain some insight before i make an investment in a amp or new cables. I currently own a bi-wire cable in shotgun configuration.
128x128lalitk
lalitk's avatar
lalitk OP
5,058 posts
 
"The improvements from bi-amping are obvious in improved both sound-staging precision and detail, while bi-wiring improvement in detail is only marginal"

As per Classe manual, the benefit is a subjectively improved level of clarity and details from the speaker, as a result of being able to feed the two separate sections of its crossover and driver complement with identical, yet separate signals.

What is the point of having two sets of binding posts if you don't use them for bi-wiring?
zd542
5,339 posts
 
"What is the point of having two sets of binding posts if you don't use them for bi-wiring?
Lalitk (Threads | Answers | This Thread)"

Most people will use the extra set of binding posts to biwire. You can also use them to get signal to a sub that has speaker cable inputs for signal.
almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
While adding a second CA-2200 in a passive vertical biamp configuration MIGHT prove to be sonically beneficial on some musical passages, as Kr4 and Tls49 indicated it will not provide much in the way of a useful increase in power capability.

That is particularly true given the impedance characteristics of the 800D2, assuming they are similar to those of the 800D as it existed in 2011, shown in Figure 1 here. At frequencies between approximately 50 and 100 Hz, where lots of power is often required (for example, by drum beats), the speaker's combination of low impedance magnitudes and highly capacitive (negative) impedance phase angles will be especially challenging for an amplifier. Biamping two CA-2200's will provide a near zero increase in power capability at those frequencies, compared to what you have now.

Regards,
-- Al
zd542
5,339 posts
 
"08-02-15: Almarg
While adding a second CA-2200 in a passive vertical biamp configuration MIGHT prove to be sonically beneficial on some musical passages, as Kr4 and Tls49 indicated it will not provide much in the way of a useful increase in power capability."

I don't understand why that would be. You go from 1 amp powering 2 speakers full range, to 2 of the same amps powering 1 speaker each. The amp is required to do half the work it did before. In my system it seems to make a big difference, but my components are different than the OP's.
mark_nz
48 posts
 
While passive bi-amping does not provide a theoretical increase in dynamic range, subjectively it does.
If the amplifiers driving the woofers are stressed (close to clipping), the amplifiers driving the tweeter and mid will not be, resulting in significant less tendency for the sound to harden and imaging to congeal.
Hence you can maintain higher volumes without wanting to turn it down.
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