What's so great about bi-amping passive components?

[skibumdc 10+ year member]

Picked up a pair of Germaniums and was informed it would be better to bi-amp them.

Problem is running new wires into the doors in the Audi is...lets just say not easy. The connectors they already have in place are big and full, let alone trying to sneak 4 wires into it or past it. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/pissed.gif.9f665f96bc89e98e708dabd4580bb591.gif

Is bi-amping with 60x4 to the passive crossovers REALLY THAT MUCH BETTER than sending 100x2 bridged? And why? I have an Alpine MRV-F407 I'm using.

Is it the distortion level people are worried about?

If you were to bi-amp, would it better to upgrade the amp to find 100x4? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

Thanks.

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[3.5Max6spd 10+ year member]

Bi-amping is just an 'option'. I wouldnt go to say its better, depending on the scenario it could be a better option for the installer given the needs. If you bridge that amp to them, technically both the tweeter and mid will see up to 100rms in their given frequencies.

 

[DejaWiz 5,000+ posts]

One thing I like about biamping passives is it gives you more control over how much power you send to the mids and tweeters individually. See the amp gain setting link in my sig, as biamping is in my examples.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Differing power and control over relative volumes to get them to blend in the particular install are pretty much the only benefits. If the crossover is well designed, it shouldn't be needed unless the install faces the tweets right at you and the mids way off axis.

 

[Gary S 10+ year member]

Is bi-amping with 60x4 to the passive crossovers REALLY THAT MUCH BETTER than sending 100x2 bridged?.

- No, but I bi-wire when I can.

 

[DejaWiz 5,000+ posts]

- No, but I bi-wire when I can.

Do you truly mean bi-wire (using the same amp channel for two wire runs into the two separate pass filters) or passive bi-amp (using two individual amp channels each with a single wire run into each of the two separate pass filters)?

http://www.home-cinema-guide.co.uk/biwire3.htm

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

 

[Gary S 10+ year member]

Do you truly mean bi-wire (using the same amp channel for two wire runs into the two separate pass filters)

- Yes, DejaWiz... A very well regarded speaker designer (Joe D'Appolito) once claimed that although it does not make sense from an electrical engineering standpoint, in practice, it eliminates or diminishes some type of distortion. Plus, it's so easy and cheap to run an extra zip cord while you are there, doing the install. And so many high end component sets have the bi-wire/bi-amp inputs built-in. So I do it.

 

[DejaWiz 5,000+ posts]

- Yes, DejaWiz... A very well regarded speaker designer (Joe D'Appolito) once claimed that although it does not make sense from an electrical engineering standpoint, in practice, it eliminates or diminishes some type of distortion. Plus, it's so easy and cheap to run an extra zip cord while you are there, doing the install. And so many high end component sets have the bi-wire/bi-amp inputs built-in. So I do it.

Just wanted to double check with your use of terminology... didn't want the OP to think bi-wiring and bi-amping was the same thing. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[skibumdc 10+ year member]

Thanks guys.

For now I'm going to just bridge the amp to get 100x2, but when I have the door panels off, I will look at how truly difficult it is to get a wire past the connector.

If I can manage, I will go ahead and run the wires and mount the crossovers in the trunk, and not on the door panel pockets like I thought.

hat would be ideal so that way I can switch from bi-amp to single amp with just a few turns of the screw driver.