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I tried biamping, with tubes on the top and SS on the bottom. I've since come to the conclusion that (a) it is very difficult to balance out 2 different styles of amps without an active crossover(b) the passive crossover point in my speakers, at about 3K, is too high. Most of the midrange and treble fundamentals are still being driven by the SS amp.
A lower crossover point at about 150Hz would be about right IMO.
Quote from: BobM on 14 Aug 2009, 04:33 pmI tried biamping, with tubes on the top and SS on the bottom. I've since come to the conclusion that (a) it is very difficult to balance out 2 different styles of amps without an active crossover(b) the passive crossover point in my speakers, at about 3K, is too high. Most of the midrange and treble fundamentals are still being driven by the SS amp. The biggest issue in your setup seems to be the passive crossover. biamping with a passive is sort of like not biamping at all. You will hear a difference, but if you're going to do it, just go active, that way you can play a bit with the crossover point a bit (just make sure you don't blow a tweeter doing it!)
I have auditioned amps and preamps in different configurations and I tend to favor the SS amp tube preamp sound I heard at one of the listening sessions. Now as I settle down and enjoy my equipment and accumulate music, I would like to hear others taste in gear. Do you own a tube amp and use a SS preamp, are you an all SS guy, do you love the "tube sound" and what does that mean? Let us know what type of gear you have in your set up.Kirk
I don't understand this. Why is biamping with a passive like not biamping at all? There may be some attenuation prior to the amplifier due to a passive crossover, but with a well designed passive crossover this can be small. Any insertion loss is likely to be largely irrelevant if you have enough gain in your system anyway. Importantly, the passive crossover still ensures there's nothing between each driver and its channel of amplification, and this should be where most of the advantage lies.
As for varying the crossover point a bit: you can build either passive or active crossovers with variable crossover points. Regardless of whether it's active or passive, the extra circuitry required to give you that flexibility will degrade the signal. It's not clear that it's worth the tradeoff to be able to play with your crossover point. Certainly, after you've done all of your experimentation to determine your optimal crossover point, you're only likely to improve performance by tearing out the part of the circuit that adjusts the crossover point.Chad
The only way to go if you're going SS at all...IMHO.
Quote from: K Shep on 14 Aug 2009, 01:36 am I have auditioned amps and preamps... KirkKirk,Despite the flaws in reasoning...what has sounded best to me is a SS preamp and tube amp(s). So, keep an open mind to the opposite of what you are now thinking. Many others have reached the same conclusion as I have and are in nirvana now John
I have auditioned amps and preamps... Kirk
Sorry for the double post, but I have this great article from TNT I've had for a while that is incredibly relevant to the whole passive/active discussion we are having (albeit somewhat off topic to the original post, it is relevant to the conversation!) http://www.tnt-audio.com/casse/active_speakers_intro1_e.htmlAs an editorial side note by yours truly, while important and unavoidable sometimes, passive crossovers have become a major selling point for a lot of manufacturers. Including some on this site. While I do have an appreciation for the virtues of a well designed passive crossover, I cringe at the idea that manufacturers like Wilson, YG accoustics, B&W, etc etc, get away with espousing the virtues of there cutting edge passive crossover. One manufacturer goes as far as to incase the entire crossover in epoxy so as to "prevent patent and design infringement" While I'm sure many talented designers with a tremendous knowledge/experience base poured the better part of months into the conception of such designs, IT'S STILL A PASSIVE CROSSOVER!!! Yes, I bet their passive sounds great, but it will not sound as good as a well designed active setup.
Thanks John, I have auditioned the Parasound JC2 pre and Ayre's K-5x pre, both SS and both sound great in the system I listened to. If I were to veer towards a Solid State pre those two options are were I would start, because of there availablity to me and because I've heard them and enjoyed what I heard. Kirk