Bi-amping with 135's

Do you mean going active with the 135s? I think with biamping you would require two 135s, i don't think you could do it with four. I may be completly wrong.

For active you would require a cross over and another super cap, ouch.

For biamping you would use two leads from the super one for each channel for this you would not require a cross over.

Um thinking about it, I am pretty sure you couldn't biamp four 135s without a active cross over anyhow, simply banging a 135 into the treble unit would be a bad thing.

In conclusion you are going active with four or biamping with two and selling me two, real cheap.

Wait for the big boys to tell you more, I might be way off the mark.

Naim make custom Din4 to 2xXLR leads which at the XLR ends are R and L, allowing for instance one output to power L bass amp and R bass amp etc. This allows the use of 4 or even 6 135s passively when a Supercap is providing the power. The hicap having only 2 signal outputs can only handle up to 4x135.
I used the 52/SC/4x135 passively for several months into Sonus Faber Extremas with improvements that were far disproportionately better than merely doubling up on amplifiers. The harder a speaker is to drive, the better passive multi-amping is likely to work provided the crossovers are split and by design optimized for multi-amping. Just because it can be done, does not necessarily mean it will always be better. But when it works... does it EVER!

Ron
Dum spiro audio
Dum audio vivo

I'll get me coat

quote:

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Originally posted by Ron Toolsie:
Just because it _can_ be done, does not necessarily mean it will always be better. But when it works... does it EVER!

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Ron is quite right.

I have heard stunning improvements with hard-to-drive speakers (with two separate crossovers), and frankly worse performance with easy-to-drive models.

cheers, Martin

quote:

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I have heard stunning improvements with hard-to-drive speakers (with two separate crossovers), and frankly worse performance with easy-to-drive models.

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I neglected to mention (this time) that I also tried passively bi-amping a pair of Tukans with 2x250, having removed the link between LF and HF on the crossover. Result.. perhaps slighly worse than using a single 250 with the link wire. Easily NOT worth the effort or expense. However actively bi-amping them with even a mere IXO was a revelation. Whereas passively bi-amping can in some instances provide improvements that are literally staggering, this is not universally so. But I am yet to hear a speaker that is not radically improved by replacing its well-designed passive crossover with a well designed (and not necessarily overly expensive) active crossover. JV once posted that even good passive crossovers have distortion in the single to double digit percentages... an active crossover by comparison suffers from well less than 1% distorition, is far more linear and has none of the phase effects of even the best designed passive x/o (with the possible exception of a single capacitor first-order x/o). But many/most speakers, even great ones are voiced around passive crossovers with attendent DC losses inherent in inductor coils etc. Replacing those passive x/o with a same order, same x/o point active crossover can radically change the tonal balance, and not necessarily for the better either. Hence it may be disingenous to activate speakers that were never intended for such.

My experience in active speakers is confined to sundry models from Linn, Naim and ARC (NOT Audio Research). A friend of mine has also recently activated his Magneplanar II with breathtaking (literally) results, although this required considerable home-bru prowess on his behalf.

Ron
Dum spiro audio
Dum audio vivo

This is an interesting post ...

The hi-cap has three outputs.

Has anyone tried using 2x135 and 1x250. Is this possible and what is the result? After all you would not need the spliter cable.

Thanks, Andrew

ps. I'm still feeling the joys of changing from my 140 to 135s

Ron/Martin - thanks for the info.

I take it I would only need one of the custom XLR leads when powering from a Supercap:

Output 1 Left 135
Output 2 Right 135
Output 3 Custom Cable split L/R to 2*135s

Or am I off the mark and need 2 no custom cables. Speakers at moment would be Epos 11's so I think they should benefit from a four pack.

Stuart