Biamping B&W 802 with Musical Fidelity and Bryston


I’m using Musical Fidelity A3Cr (120 WPC) to drive B&W matrix 802. The source is Toshiba SD 9200 DVD player. Preamp is Audible Illusions L1. My system sounds a bit bright. I’m thinking about adding another MF A3Cr or Bryston 4B (250WPC) for bi-amping. Any thoughts?
Thank you.
alexv
Kal, I tried Bryston 4b sst in my set up and treble sounded a bit harsh. The bass was slightly tighter but not much deeper. I'm not sure if the problem was the source. Toshiba SD 9200 is considered a decent one but it is a DVD player. Single ended, class A MF did a better job with treble in my system.

Alex
To me Bi-amping is hard with two different amps, you have to keep in mind the different gains, and the input sensitivity of the different amps, to try to match the levels so it sounds right. Not to mention the different input impedences, and the output impedence of the tube preamp interacting with each input stage of the amps! Plus you are loading down a tube preamp with TWO amp inputs, as well, argh.

Its too complicated for me. I personally would sell the MF and buy monoblocks, or a big amp if you need more power. The idea of monos appeals to me as they are identical, you give each stereo channel a separate power source, and signal path, so there is no chance for cross-pollution, and maybe a better stereo image. Also I like shorter speaker cables. Also, you might experiment with an upgraded source. Maybe that is your weak link causing the brightness. try a few high end CD players in your system first. If your source cannot produce smooth sound and good bass, more power will just amplify a bright sound. I myself have always wanted to try tubes for the tweeters and mids, of my Revel speakers, and solid state for the woofers, but these variables drove me crazy.
IMHO, biamping rarely solves any problem except for marginal power issues. Buy the amp that does the job and sounds right to you.

Kal
I agree. This is why the idea of second MF looked to me very appealing. It would double the power and I would not have problems with different gains and impedances. MF is actually dual mono amp. I would technically have 4 mono amps to do both vertical and horizontal bi-amping.
Biamping with identical amps does NOT double the power because the energy spectrum of music is not uniform. The power gain, if any, is marginal. A single amp with twice the power is more but, still, not more than a few dB.

Kal