Biamping -- any good?

Biamping is good ONLY in the case of a speaker manufacturer purposefully including an electronic crossover as part of the integral design of the loudspeaker. A case in point is the Waveform Mach 17: John Otvös includes a Bryston electronic crossover in the price of the speakers specifically for biamplification. The crossover point and the slope of the signal are carefully controlled, the only variable being a shelving control to balance the relative level of the driver units. After having had tri-amplified systems with electronic crossovers, my current speakers also are adaptable, via passive crossovers, to bi- or tri-amplification. This system is NOT run biamplified, seeing no advantage with passive crossovers to biamplify (or triamplify) the system. The subwoofer has its own electronic crossover and integral amplifier, so technically this is a biamplified system, but not in the sense of driving a full-range speaker system with more than one amplifier per channel. So if your speakers do not come with an electronic crossover, then it is senseless to biamplify them, your sound will be no better.

I have a pair of Magnepan MGIIIA's that I want to bi-amp using the Magnepan supplied passive crossover. The configuration is as follows: preamp out to passive crossover, midrange/tweeter out to mid/tweet amp directly to mid/tweet connection on speaker. Bass out to bass amp to crossover(standard outboard Magnepan crossover) to bass input on speaker. This is the recommended Magnepan setup, also providing correct resistance in first passive crossover for mid/tweet and disconnecting mid/tweet capacitors in second crossover where bass amp is coming in. Anyone have any experience/knowledge of results? I am using two Krell KSA-50s to run. Thanks

I have a pair of Magnepan MGIIIA's that I want to bi-amp using the Magnepan supplied passive crossover. The configuration is as follows: preamp out to passive crossover, midrange/tweeter out to mid/tweet amp directly to mid/tweet connection on speaker. Bass out to bass amp to crossover(standard outboard Magnepan crossover) to bass input on speaker. This is the recommended Magnepan setup, also providing correct resistance in first passive crossover for mid/tweet and disconnecting mid/tweet capacitors in second crossover where bass amp is coming in. Anyone have any experience/knowledge of results? I am using two Krell KSA-50s to run. Thanks

The following is from B&W tech support is response to my question about BiAmping the B&W 801 & 802 speakers. "We did not make an external crossover for the Matrix series for use with bi-amping. Once again, bi-amping with an external crossover changes the characteristics of the speaker outside of B&W's design, effecting performance and voiding the warranty (and can cause damage if not done properly).

Is there any harm in using 2 identical amps to power the high and low section of a speaker already set up to be bi-wired. It was explained to me that this was simply the next step up from bi-wiring from a single amp.

Unless you have electronic crossovers, or just need an extension of your manhood, spare the costs and put it into a better single amp.

Bi-amping works well if speaker is designed for it. Works the least well using passive cross-over and best with active 24 db/octave. I currently run a tri-amp system that I am very pleased with. I recommend a 4:2:1 ratio for woofer:mid:tweeter amps. Getting the coils out the crossover reduces phase shift and gives a much clearer image. The direct connection to the amplifier makes the sound much crisper. The down side is 1) the drivers are defenseless from rogue transients. 2) A veritable wiring nightmare. 3) A lot more tweaking is required to optimize the sound. (some people think this is fun!) Most people doing this sort of thing are speaker builders rolling their own. Passive cross-over design is complicated and the engineering is usually what you pay for in high end speakers. You can circumvent the cost by buying "high end" drivers (Scan-speak, Dynaudio, Focal etc), building your own cabinets and investing in extra amps and electronic cross-overs. Gentleman, start your multi-amping!

Don't bi-amp. You'll get better sound (and a simpler hook up) for your money buying one better amp than two amps and an electronic crossover for the same price. The comment made in the one of the other statements from the B&W sales reps was succinct, concise, and correct.

I have a biamped system. I run a modified adcom on the bottom and a highly modified Musical Design D140 on the top. Speakers are Legacy Signature III's. The Adcom amp was modified to match the level of the MD140. The sound is spectacular, more detailed, dynamic and involving than with one amp. The best of both worlds, bipolars on the bottom, mosfets on the top. CS