Which amp would you use to power Focal Utopias? PPI Art Ax400, or US Amps 400x?

[bdonkersgoed 10+ year member]

Hey Guys,

I have the following gear, but I am wondering which amp I should use to power the Focals:

- Alpine CDA9835 HU

- Focal Utopia 165W 2-Way Components

- RE-XXX 6.5" (which are 2-ohm speakers)

- Image Dynamics IDQ12 (Dual 2-ohm)

- PPI Ax400

- Orion HCCA 225 G4

- US Amps 400x

Currently I have the Ax400 powering the Utopias and the XXX mids, and the Orion HCCA is powering the sub. I am now thinking about changing to one of the following two setups:

1.) Biamplify the Focal Utopia 165W's with the PPI Ax400, put the US Amps 400x on the XXX mids, and continue to use the Orion HCCA for the Image Dynamics sub.

2.) Use the US Amps 400x to power the Utopias, power the XXX mids with the PPI Ax400, and continue to use the Orion HCCA to power the Image Dynamics sub.

Which of the two setups do you think is better? Any suggestions?

Thanks!!

Bryan

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[bdonkersgoed 10+ year member]

Doesnt anyone have an opinion?

 

[ItalynStylion 10+ year member]

Utopias......//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/drool.gif.b5e863e893038027711d4402f340dad0.gif

 

[o. l. t. 10+ year member]

Better late than never....... the ART amp of course! The AX400 is a powerhouse.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

I would go with option 1. Gives you more flexibility and the option to go with an active setup if you desire. You'll want as much headroom on the midbasses as possible and the 200X will give you that vice the Ax400 bridged which also won't really like the 2 ohm bridged load.