Active or Bi-amp?

[got-one-eight 10+ year member]

I currently have my Morel Elates Bi-amped off the 450/4. Giving 150x2 to the mids and 75x2 to the tweets. Is there any advantage to going active at this point? All I would have to do is run one more set of RCA Jacks.

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[krainium 10+ year member]

Time alignment would be the main advantage

 

[got-one-eight 10+ year member]

Time alignment would be the main advantage

Hell didn't even think about that one. Any other reasons?

 

[dtbrown 10+ year member]

Seems like most people can't tell much of a difference if you have a good xover.

 

[ciaonzo 5,000+ posts]

When you bypass the passive components that make up the crossover, you remove some reactive elements that affect the amplifier's ability to damp or control the driver. To put it another way, with only two wires between the amplifier and the driver, the amplifier has a better grip on the voice coil and this will yield lower distortion and less ringing or overhang. As was stated above, sometimes the passive systems are designed so well to work with the high quality drivers, that there is little difference to be heard but those systems are few.

If you want to read more on this topic you can start here.

http://sound.westhost.com/biamp-vs-passive.htm

http://sound.westhost.com/bi-amp.htm

http://sound.westhost.com/bi-amp2.htm

 

[James Bang 5,000+ posts]

Time alignment would be the main advantage

You CAN still time align each speaker separately when bi-amping.

 

[FJF 10+ year member]

deleted, double post.

 

[FJF 10+ year member]

I currently have my Morel Elates Bi-amped off the 450/4. Giving 150x2 to the mids and 75x2 to the tweets. Is there any advantage to going active at this point? All I would have to do is run one more set of RCA Jacks.

How comfortable are you tuning a system? Do you understand the intent and the effect of a given change on the sound of the system before you flip the switch? Do you hear anything aside from the tonal balance? As mentioned earlier, an active config does have some advantages. Only you can decide whether those advantages are geared for your needs. Good luck.

 

[its_bacon12 10+ year member]

Being able to adjust the crossover's slopes, -3 dB point and individual speaker levels are the great advantages. The possibilities are really endless and you can adjust the crossovers to what you like, rather than a one size fits all passive.

Ofcourse for many people, passive is good enough. For me, I'm a SQ enthusiast but there are too many uncontrollable factors in a car to make it worthwhile the investment. I'll stick to keepin my big bucks for home audio where the differences are apparent and worthwhile, but that's my opinion.

 

[James Bang 5,000+ posts]

You can get pretty far with bi amping. Imo, its one step below going active. Each speaker has their own channel of amplification. The passives can have tweeter attenuation. If you bridge the the speakers, they can have separate level adjustments. Time alignment can still be used for each speaker, but if you have t/a capabilbities, then it means you most likely have active xover capabilities.

 

[got-one-eight 10+ year member]

I would have to say my hearing isnt what it used to be so my tuning will probably ****. I may just stick with the bi-amp for a while and continue to play with tweeter location.

 

[FJF 10+ year member]

I would have to say my hearing isnt what it used to be so my tuning will probably ****.

One's hearing, as an ultimate state, and aural acuity aren't the same. It's a matter of knowing what to listen for. Not unlike a sonar operator on a submarine who has to be taught to identify given aural queues, an audiophile does the same when listening to a system. When it comes to tuning, understanding the effects of a given change before flipping the switch is driven by learning about audio. Essentially, one listens to the system, identifies the weak points, and then uses tuning to minimize the problem areas. It's all interrelated.

If you want to get started, perhaps sometime in the future, I'd suggest doing two tings: listening to a lot of music and using the available resources to learn about the technical relationships at play, then correlating the two. This will take a bit of time, but you will also learn a lot in the process.

I may just stick with the bi-amp for a while and continue to play with tweeter location.

That's probably the best way to go.

 

[James Bang 5,000+ posts]

Indeed, one needs to learn how to listen (or what to listen for). Sounds funny, but it's true.

As for tuning or what not, there are also tools/tracks out there to help you. Track 3 + 12 of the iasca disc helps me most, with staging at least.

Being able to tune at your finger tips from the listening position helps to, as you can just flip phase or T/A back and forth and listen to what happens.

 

[smgreen20 10+ year member]

You CAN still time align each speaker separately when bi-amping.

X2, was my first thought when I read it.

 

[James Bang 5,000+ posts]

X2, was my first thought when I read it.

Stuart,Floriduh