amp: from bridged to unbridged

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SlowcarIX
SlowcarIX Posts: 887
edited September 2008 in Electronics
going from bridged to unbridged, keeping the same gain/sub, will the sound level decrease?

thx!
my 7.(1x4) HT setup
TV - Mitsubishi WD-65734
AVP / Amp - Onkyo PR-SC885P / D-Sonic 2500-7
Front - Emerald Physics CS2
Center - JTR Triple 12LF
Surround L/R / Back - Polk RTi4 / Polk FXi A4
Sub - 4 X Hsu ULS15 playing nearfield
DVD / CDP - Sony PS3/40GB / Sony SCD-XA9000ES
Belkin PURE AV PF60 / UPS
Buttkicker

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60612
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited September 2008
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    It has for me.
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 20,275
    edited September 2008
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    Yes/probably. It did with my gear.
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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  • Systems
    Systems Posts: 14,872
    edited September 2008
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    SlowcarIX wrote: »
    going from bridged to unbridged, keeping the same gain/sub, will the sound level decrease?

    thx!
    In theory the only difference should be the maximum power available so using a single channel (unbridged) it will reach its clipping point sooner .
    Testing
    Testing
    Testing
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  • skykeys
    skykeys Posts: 102
    edited September 2008
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    SlowcarIX wrote: »
    going from bridged to unbridged, keeping the same gain/sub, will the sound level decrease?

    thx!


    Slowcar, how do you like your D-Sonic 2500-7? How is the sound quality and the reliablilty? Does it run as cool as you expected an ICEpower amp to be?

    Thanks.

    skykeys
    Speakers:
    . 5.2 surround config:
    . . . In-wall L & R Fronts and Center: Polk LC265i, LCi-RTS-C. In-ceiling L & R rears: Polk LC80i
    . . . Floor Subs: Polk DSWPro 500, Paradigm PDR-10
    . Zone B: very old pair of Polk M 5's
    . In Storage but still favored: Paradigm Monitors

    AVR:
    . Yamaha RX-V863

    Universal DVD:
    . Oppo DV-980H

    TV:
    . Sony Bravia XBR LCD 40" 720P (2005 vintage)
    . Comcast Cable, Motorola box
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited September 2008
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    GV#27 wrote: »
    In theory the only difference should be the maximum power available so using a single channel (unbridged) it will reach its clipping point sooner .
    It may vary by amp them. I find myself having to adjust the gain after playing with bridged and unbridged modes on my Mac MC-126.
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • ShinAce
    ShinAce Posts: 1,194
    edited September 2008
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    GV#27 wrote: »
    In theory the only difference should be the maximum power available so using a single channel (unbridged) it will reach its clipping point sooner .

    The biggest difference is the load. Bridged usually means you're driving the channels harder(2 or 4 ohm versus 8 ohm), therefore, you often get free power at the expense of the amp heating more.
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  • unc2701
    unc2701 Posts: 3,587
    edited September 2008
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    Depends on the amp. Some adjust the gain down when you engage the mono switch; others just just set both inputs to the same channel and reverse the polarity on one -which will give you twice the voltage.
    Gallo Ref 3.1 : Bryston 4b SST : Musical fidelity CD Pre : VPI HW-19
    Gallo Ref AV, Frankengallo Ref 3, LC60i : Bryston 9b SST : Meridian 565
    Jordan JX92s : MF X-T100 : Xray v8
    Backburner:Krell KAV-300i
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  • Systems
    Systems Posts: 14,872
    edited September 2008
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    Face wrote: »
    It may vary by amp then. I find myself having to adjust the gain after playing with bridged and unbridged modes on my Mac MC-126.
    Yeah ,looks like your Mac doesn't change the relative gain differences between the bridged/unbridged setting.Some manufactures like Bryston (atleast in their ST and SST 2 channel models) do change the gain appropriately to match the two.
    This is nice if you are running a multi amp setup consisting of bridged and unbridged units as the gains will be matched.
    Testing
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    Testing
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  • SlowcarIX
    SlowcarIX Posts: 887
    edited September 2008
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    skykeys wrote: »
    Slowcar, how do you like your D-Sonic 2500-7? How is the sound quality and the reliablilty? Does it run as cool as you expected an ICEpower amp to be?

    Thanks.

    skykeys

    they are very neutral sounding amps...7 monoblocks in one chasis, any coloration pretty much comes from the speakers. I leave mine on 24/7 in the everwarm state with a 12V trigger. This is my 2nd d-sonic amp and no issues so far...shorted the outputs many times, no harm done.

    i leave the cover off...the 1000ASP blocks run much warmer than the 500ASPs...to a point where they are too hot to touch after a movie at very loud levels with 4ohm speakers.

    check them out!
    my 7.(1x4) HT setup
    TV - Mitsubishi WD-65734
    AVP / Amp - Onkyo PR-SC885P / D-Sonic 2500-7
    Front - Emerald Physics CS2
    Center - JTR Triple 12LF
    Surround L/R / Back - Polk RTi4 / Polk FXi A4
    Sub - 4 X Hsu ULS15 playing nearfield
    DVD / CDP - Sony PS3/40GB / Sony SCD-XA9000ES
    Belkin PURE AV PF60 / UPS
    Buttkicker

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60612
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  • SlowcarIX
    SlowcarIX Posts: 887
    edited September 2008
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    ok...i went from bridged to unbridged on the face 1200 sub amp and w/o changing the sub/gain, there was a very significant drop in output - the speakers were overpowering the sub and had to redo a calibration.
    my 7.(1x4) HT setup
    TV - Mitsubishi WD-65734
    AVP / Amp - Onkyo PR-SC885P / D-Sonic 2500-7
    Front - Emerald Physics CS2
    Center - JTR Triple 12LF
    Surround L/R / Back - Polk RTi4 / Polk FXi A4
    Sub - 4 X Hsu ULS15 playing nearfield
    DVD / CDP - Sony PS3/40GB / Sony SCD-XA9000ES
    Belkin PURE AV PF60 / UPS
    Buttkicker

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60612
    · Share on Facebook