Bi-Amping with 2 different Parasound Amps

Shicks18

I have a pair of Polk LSi9 fronts, a Parasound HCA-1000A, and a Parasound HCA-806. I am wondering what yalls opinions would be if bi-amp the LSi9s with these 2 amps.

My set up would look like:
Parasound HCA-1000A (200W at 4ohms) powering the mid/sub part of each LSi9
Parasound HCA-806 (120W at 4 ohms) powering the tweeter part of each LSi9

I know that the mid/sub part of the LSi9 demands more wattage than the tweeter, but didn't know if different amounts of power from 2 separate amps would cause problems.

Thanks.

blakeh

In the configuration you state above, you would be passively bi-amping your speakers. This means that you would still be using the internal crossover. To really reap the benefits of bi-amping, you must disconnect the internal crossover and use an external active crossover. Here is a good article that explains why this needs to be done:

http://sound.westhost.com/bi-amp.htm

Obviously bi-amping your speakers using a passive crossover will work, but many people don't find a difference in the sound. YMMV.

Shicks18

This just went over my head =P. Guess the HCA1000A will have to do. Its done a great job thus far.

blakeh

I don't want to rain on your parade! It's just that I went through the process of researching bi-amping my system and most of the resources I came across said the same thing: passively bi-amping may make an ever so slight difference in sound reproduction, but chances are you won't hear a difference. On the other hand, if you actively bi-amp your speakers, it seems the difference is nearly unilaterally jaw-dropping.

Mine is just one opinion. I haven't personally tried to bi-amp my system because of the research I did. That doesn't mean someone else in the forum won't chime in with his/her personal experience. I'd be interested to hear their opinions.

Shicks18

No no, it's fine. I am mainly just bored and have the itch to upgrade, I am sure you know the feeling =P. Especially when I just checked my Paypal account and found $200 in there that I didn't know I had. Was going to buy the Parasound 806 locally for a great price, but will pass and spend it on something else. Any suggestions?

Dawgfish

Schicks18,

I say give the passive bi-amping a try. The only thing you have to worry about is the two amps having different gain rates and thus when you turn up the volume, one amp gets louder, quicker thant the other. The two amps should be similiar in timbre.

I tried passive bi-amping using a set of RTi-12s, an Adcom GFA-555, and a Monster Power MPA-3250 with great results. I noticed a wider and deeper soundstage, greater detail and imaging, and much more bass impact. It really woke the 12s up for two channel stereo. I believe the results I was seeing were due to the increased wattage though, and not as much to do with the bi-amping. I say give it a try and see if you like it. Who knows it may not do anything, but then again it might. You'll never know unless you try.

hearingimpared

I passively biamped my 1.2TLs with Adcom 565s on the lows and a Parasound HCA-1000A on the highs. It sounded awesome.

jimmydep

I have my LSI-15's bi-amped through the crossover and I see very little difference in the sound. I get a little more low end detail, but thanks for the link, I'll be reading it.

Since many LSI owners are modding their crossovers, maybe an external crossover will make a difference, and possible be a better choice over modding the XO.......any thoughts....

blakeh...very interesting post, thanks for opening my eyes to new possibilities.



Jimmy