OP:
If you are not getting the crossover upgrades, then rip out the woofer crossover in it's enitrety and use a miniDSP in it's place.
Gain control for low-pass bi-amp
Forgive my terminology as I'm not as savvy as I should be considering the equipment I run and what I'm trying to do. I'm probably in over my head but I'm learning a ton as I go.
I bi-amp Infinity Kappa 9s with a Peachtree GaN400 for the low-pass and an old Audio Research Dual 75 on the high-pass. For better or worse, I use a PS Audio DAC with the Bridge II to stream, also using it for volume control. So I guess it doubles as a line stage/pre-amp? I know this is not ideal and I'm ready to correct, upgrade or whatever you want to call it.
The biggest issue I have is that when I crank the volume to get the Kappa 9s singing, there is waaaay too much bass on a lot of the tracks I enjoy. Even with the bass extension on the Infinitys switched to normal, it's just too damn much, and I'm a bass head (hip-hop and many types of electronic music for casual listening).
I presume this is where a real pre or line stage comes in, but this is where I'm having a hard time figuring out exactly what I need and my knowledge of this game goes weak.
Whatever the solution is, I'd like to keep it in the $1,500 to $2,000 vicinity if that's at all possible. I don't mind used, but I don't have any buyer feedback/ratings, and I understand that can be a deal breaker for some sellers? Maybe TMR, which is local to me?
I appreciate all advice and guidance from all perspectives, and I'll likely have many follow up questions.
Best,
Richard
Showing 2 responses by erik_squires
Any passive volume control on the bass amp will work for you, no reason to make it very expensive, but if you wanted to spend a little money, I’d get a miniDSP AND bypass all of the low bass woofer’s crossover. This would take some careful measurements to ensure you set up the external crossover correctly but I suspect this will greatly improve the overall performance. For more check this thread on DIYaudio about those speakers. Alternatively, you might want to see if anyone has after market crossovers for these speakers. Like other Infinity designs, the impedance curve left a lot to be desired and was unnecessarily brutal on the amps. |