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My feeling is there are 2 primary issues.
1) the frequency of the crossover - I use a class d bass amp but only for bass below 100Hz. I have mixed this with valves for the rest of the frequency range and have been pleased with the result. Whether I'd be so pleased if crossing over at say 500Hz or 1kHz is another matter.
2) we don't all have the same priorities, it might be that you don't notice some differences in sound as the music transitions between the amps. It might be that at first you don't notice it but then some smart alec on a forum tells you what to listen for and you then can't enjoy the sound any more!
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Oddly enough I was thinking about this subject last week long before I saw this thread.
I do wonder if I would spot this lack of cohesion that some people talk about, or if I would not be aware. Small things tend to jump out at me where audio is concerned- and then there is the further question, would I in fact like the fact that the disparity would give room to "tune" a system to my personal taste.
As usual it is all about having the equipment to try it out- and there are no valves here sadly.
I'd imagine a low crossover point is best, say less than 120Hz. Even a little higher than around that is, to me, far too high into the normal/fundamental range of most material/instruments for me to imagine sonic satisfaction to be forthcoming.
I'm not really adding anything here am I?
In short though it is something I'd like to try.
Yes, my experiences are with biamping the tweeters and woofers. I would think sub 120hz is a different ballgame, with clearer benefits.
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Yeah, once you start reproducing the fundamental frequencies of instruments with one amp and the rest of their harmonics with another, it doesn't sound like it would be a great solution. Of course with a lot of instruments it can hardly be avoided....
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Location: Seaford UK
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I'm Dennis.
Our own sensitivities and sensibilities have to come into this.
I've seen so many designers say that certain frequency ranges should not be divided across different drivers, and then another designer blatantly breaks those rules.
For eg., B Woodman states that the human voice must all be covered by one driver, (with the exception of fundamentals I suppose), which is about 300 to 3000Hz with his mid driver.
Then another designer of a new speaker has a Xover right in the middle of the vocal range, and it doesn't stand out as sounding particularly wrong.
I have pondered a similar situation with my big Legacy Focus’s. I had a decent Forte’ Model 3, putting out 200wpc. But my bass was weak, and it lacked punch and drive. The highs were quite pleasant, but it wasn’t cutting it. So, I borrowed a Crown, D class amp from the band’s PA putting out 450wpc, and bi-amped the speakers. The Crown has gain knobs on the front, so I used them to balance the bass and treble. Nice because I could adjust it for different recordings. But, alas, it still wasn’t what I had hoped for, still lacking punch and slam.
So I bought a Krell FPB-300, NOW! Now I’ve got it all! And am super happy with how these speakers are performing. I know that doesn’t answer your question, but I’m getting to that.
I’ve seen some multi amped speakers in the past, I can’t recall who made them, but I remember they used a digital crossover made for PA systems, a DBX or Behringer digital crossover to balance their tri-powered speakers. Between the preamp and amps. And they seem to have had great success. Showing these speakers at Audio shows, in high priced setups.
Also, there are RCA attenuators made for car audio, for this very purpose. Just resistors I assume? But you just select the amount of attenuation and insert it in line with an RCA interconnect. I don’t know what affect it may have on sound quality, but there are resistors in most internal crossovers anyway, so it may work just fine? And a fairly cheap experiment either way. Surely less affect than a potentiometer?
One thing is certain, if there’s a will there’s a way. I too have considered driving my bass with the Krell, and using a nice tube amp for the highs, just to experiment. And there is always the idea of driving your speakers with the tube amp, and having a powered sub woofer in the room, which is designed to be adjusted to match the mains. I’ve heard some very successful setups done this way. I hope this gives you some ideas!
Russell
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I run my 4 way OB’s with a mix of amps via a miniDSP 4x10hd. Works extremely well to my ears. A few folk here heard them at a previous NEBO and seemed to like what they heard, though they were only 2 way at the time. Going 4 way with different drivers has made a real improvement to my ears.
I just tune by ear to music I know well- each channel’s gain and delay is adjustable with the miniDSP software.
Probably will get round to measuring them at some point, but I’m happy with the way they sound.
“Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel. I have always needed fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio”
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