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NEEDED!!! Bi Amp Pros out there that can give me some advice

Ive never Bi Amp'd before and I would like to try it out. I want to avoid costly mistakes so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Aragon 8008 bb would keep for the lows
Pass Labs Aleph 5 Amp looking to buy for the highs
Dunlavy SC 3's
PS Audio Perfect wave DAC no longer using a preamp
HSU ULS 15's sealed in Stereo two of em 
Tice Power block signature.


The 8008 BB is 200 at 8 ohms and the Dunlavys are 5.5 nom. The Aleph is rated at 60 wpc at 8 and 90 at 4. So I guess Id be running around 70 wpc with the PASS at 5.5 non load. Since Im running XLR out I would either have to y split the XLR's outta the PS Audio or use concurrently with RCA's that the PS audio will do. but I know that changes things on output impedance. So Im hoping some of ya guys been down this path and will help me out. Thanks in advance for any feedback
128x128haywood310
mikepowellaudio-old
38 posts
 
Yep, if you dont want an OCD rabbithole dont go biamp, because you know there is Triamp right ?  For sure youll want an active crossover to do it right and someone mentioned Room treatments, do not take this suggestion lightly. Rooms without treatment are for listeners not serious about their music reproduction. Rooms sound HORRIBLE with zero treatment. (no comments about my room has no treatment and sounds great, it just means you think horrible sonics sound great) I am about to Quadamp my rig in roughly 30 days when my custom 4 way hand built active crossover arrives. Because nobody makes them .. LOL talk about ignoring signs. Sometimes for me anyways I just got to pedal to the metal whatever I'm working on. Either way itll be one
hell of a ride !
cerrot's avatar
cerrot
1,700 posts
 
You do need an active, external crossover - and there is not much better.
clio09
3,343 posts
 
Rooms without treatment are for listeners not serious about their music reproduction. Rooms sound HORRIBLE with zero treatment. (no comments about my room has no treatment and sounds great, it just means you think horrible sonics sound great)
This is probably one of the most ridiculous statements I have read on here. Not that room treatments are a bad thing, but that can also be a rabbit hole waiting to happen. I have been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt with room treatments, and like anything else, if you plan carefully you can achieve very good results.

Now the idea of using a super amp is a sound one, but careful planning dictates that you need to get the amp/speaker match right. Not difficult really, some research and auditioning should get you there. Those who mentioned the use of an active crossover are providing sound advice when it comes to bi-amping. It is also the approach I took.

Roger Modjeski at Music Reference recommended the bi-amp approach to me with my Quad ESL 57 speakers. He actually sourced the 8" drivers for me and I built my own woofer boxes. I use a Luxman M-02 for the low end and a set of direct drive amps or OTLs for the top end. The active crossover is a Beveridge RM-3 that has low and high attenuators so you can adjust the gain accordingly. The low and high pass boards in the crossover are 100 Hz 4th order Linwitz-Riley. I have 4 small footprint woofers placed in an asymmetrical array around the room. Two can work as well. The array helps eliminate the room nodes. You can read more on the concept here:

http://www.audiokinesis.com/the-swarm-subwoofer-system-1.html

Also, please read the post by Roger Modjeski (ramtubes) on 9/2/2018 at 12:40pm in this thread:

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/autoformers-the-benefits-in-matching-amp-to-speaker

Roger is one of the best designers in the business and his experience in bi-amping has helped me achieve the best sound I have ever had in my system. Oh and BTW, once I set up my distributed woofer array I was able to ditch all my room treatments. As good as my room measured with treatments before the change, they measured better without them.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,413 posts
 

@clio09, really interesting to hear you are using a quad of 8" woofers with your Quads. Did you go sealed, or ported? If sealed, about a 1 cu.ft. box? I’ll bet it’s the same woofer Roger uses in his Music Reference ESL’s (which I’m dying to hear), ay? Ain’t it great to have Roger posting on AudiogoN of late? I REALLY miss his AudioCircle Forum (which can still be accessed).

By the way, Rythmik Audio and GR Research now offer an 8" model of their OB/Dipole Sub, which is the same as the 12" model but with less output. Great with planar speakers, of course. I have no doubt four 8’s is better than two 12’s, for the well-known reasons. Better to deal with bass modes acoustically than electronically! ---Eric.

clio09
3,343 posts
 
@bdp24 - Yes Eric I have what Roger now calls the Airspring woofer system. They are sealed 1.4 cu.ft. (internal) boxes with 1.4 cu.ft. Very small footprint in comparison to the Audiokinesis Swarm (which are also fantastic) and work quite well. When we exhibited at the Newport show a few years back Roger brought the system (he uses two woofers) and we were able to set up the room rather quickly. No monkeying with room treatments or anything else. Quite a difference from other rooms I have had to set up.

DSP was never an option for me. As Roger says why take an analog signal, convert it to digital and then convert it back to analog. I can understand why some folks like it and I'm not saying it doesn't work, just too many steps. It is good to see Roger posting here. Another voice of reason is just what this site needs to call attention to a lot of misinformation that exists here. Unfortunately his time is limited so he may not post as often as we might like. Fortunately for me I work with him and have good access to his knowledge.
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