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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!decwrl!hall@beta.DEC (Dan Hall)
From: hall@beta.DEC (Dan Hall)
Newsgroups: net.audio
Subject: Re:  To Bi-amp Or Not To Bi-amp
Message-ID: <216@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 28-Aug-85 17:49:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.216
Posted: Wed Aug 28 17:49:54 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 30-Aug-85 11:29:25 EDT
Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 39


>  KENNEY SMITH
 
>  THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS I HAVE.
 
>  1. WOULD IT HELP TO BI-AMP?
Yes!
>  2. ACTUALLY, WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BI-AMPING?
Many!
>  3. WITH THESE SPEAKERS, DO I NEED ANOTHER 4B, OR WOULD A 2B DO IT? 
The more, the merrier!
>  4. IS THERE A POINT WHERE THE SPEAKERS WOULD CLIP BEFORE THE AMPLIFIERS?
No, sort of.

I bought a pair of Snell Type A's 8 months ago, and shortly thereafter was
given such a good deal on a Snell electronic crossover that I couldn't pass
it up even though I didn't have another amp.  Two weeks ago I ran into another
great deal:  A McIntosh MC275 75 watt tube amp for $100!  Now the McIntosh
drives the upper cabinets (tweeter and mid-range) and my Phase Linear 400
drives the woofers in the lower cabinets.  There is much more to be gained
from bi-amping than just increased volume.  The bass is MUCH tighter and more
controlled, and the treble is more fluid and less restrained.  The imaging is
improved markedly, especially the depth of the soundstage, though that may be
more attributed to the tube top-end.

I don't recall the power rating of the Bryston amps, and I'm unfamiliar with
Chapman's speakers, but there shouldn't be any need to have crazy amounts of
power for the treble.  Unless of course you have the money to blow, then by
all means, go for it!  As far as your last question, speakers don't really
clip so much as they run out of excursion, i.e. the voice coil slams into the
magnet or goes in the other direction and tries to send the speaker cone
across the room.  If you are bi-amping, this is ear-bleeding volume we're
talking about here. 8^)

Bi-amp!  Do it!  It is one of the most audible improvements you can make in 
the sound of your stereo system and besides, it looks impressive as hell!!

Dan Hall
decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-beta!hall