2-Channel help????? [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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speakeroligist_38
02-02-2006, 12:36 PM
Hey guys would anybody here care to explain how to bi-amp or bi-wire my Paradigm Studio 20's. I have a Yamaha RX-V757 rated at 100X7. Right now I do not have any other speakers in my system. Will it really make that much of a difference in bi-amping or bi-wiring the 20's???? Which way would give me better sound????? I will never go to 7.1 but will in time keep things no larger than 5.1 and I will never power Zone 2. Please keep in mind my preference is on sound quality and over all musicality. Please help.......

speakeroligist_38
02-03-2006, 05:34 AM
Surley someone out there can chime in and help a guy out. Would there be any real advantage bi-amping or bi-wiring since I will not use all 7-channels and will not power Zone 2. I am more than happy with 5.1 so could I use the other 2-channels to my advantage with respect to my Paradigm Studio 20's v.3???? Also, will not be using my "B" output as well.

Florian
02-03-2006, 05:46 AM
If you biamp by simple running the fullrange signal into both it might improve slightly since the amp only has to drive one section of the speaker. The absolut best way to drive a speaker is to junk the passive crossover. Get a active crossover and then use 2 4 or 6 amps and connect the amps to the drivers directly and bypass all of the passive components. Something to keep in mind the higher you go in audio.

On your situation i would simple try to different amps, mabye a tube amp on the top section and a good ss beast on the bass section. Give it a whirl and see what you like best.

N. Abstentia
02-03-2006, 10:23 AM
Yes definitley bi-amping would do wonders, as you would totally bypass the amps in your Yamaha. Like Florian said, invest in a couple of really good amps and a nice active crossover and you'll be ready to go. You'll also want to rewire your speakers to bypass the internal crossovers if you go active. Should sound great though.

topspeed
02-03-2006, 11:17 AM
Man, you guys read the OP completely different than I did :eek:.

First, let's make sure we're talking about the same thing:

1) Bi-amping: Using two amps to drive one speaker, usually one for the bass and one for the mids/treble. Tri-amping, as the name implies, is using three amps, one on each driver. The general idea is that by using multiple amps, there is less chance for cross talk and the amps will have more headroom as bass requires far more drive than mids/treble.

2) Bi-wiring: Using two pairs of wires from the same amp lead and connecting them to the dual binding posts on the speakers (again, one for the bass, one for the mid/treble). The general idea being you are bypassing the passive crossover built into the speaker and avoiding crosstalk.

Now then, if I read you correctly (and I might not be), you want to utilize the unused channels on your AVR, right? If so, read the definition of bi-amping again and then consider this: Your Yammie's 7 amps share one power supply. Not seven. One. By using the other amps to drive the same speaker, all you're doing is taxing the same power supply. This could, in effect, degrade your sound instead of bettering it! Not only that, but now you're out the extra cost for the speaker wire as well.

The only time I can see bi-amping as being beneficial is when you use a different topology (usually tube amp) for the highs than the one for the lows (usually ss). Either that or the speaker is an absolute monster to drive.

As for biwiring, Florian is spot on. Unless you're going to use an active crossover, don't waste your time.

Still, this is an easy enough thing to determine for yourself. If you have some extra wire lying around, plug in two more channels and see if you can hear a difference. Whatever makes you happy is the way to go.

Hope this helps.

Woochifer
02-03-2006, 01:28 PM
Given that you just purchased your system, why not enjoy it for a while and get familiarized with your system and its various functions before venturing off into potentially pricey tangents like bi-amping? With your receiver, you will need a separate amplifer to biamp the main speakers, along with a SPL meter to level match the outputs. (Some other receivers do allow you to reassign auxiliary speaker outputs to the mains for biamping, but yours is not one of them) People who biamp generally have a specific reason for doing so, and have an idea of what they're doing.

I'm also confused about just how many speakers you currently have hooked up to your receiver. Are you saying that you have a 5.1 speaker set, PLUS those Paradigm Studio 20s? Or are you using the Studio 20s with other branded center and surround speakers?

As topspeed said, biwiring won't cost you anything if you got extra speaker cabling lying around. All you do is join the two wire sets together at the main speaker outputs on your receiver, and connect one cable pair to each of the two binding post sets on your speakers. Just make sure that you first remove those jumpers that are included with the speakers to bridge the two sets of binding posts when using one set of speaker cables.

Generally, I would first get the speakers properly aligned, and take steps to control any acoustical problems with your room first before bothering with steps like biwiring or biamping. Getting your system setup correctly, and taking simple steps to minimize the echoes and reverb in your room, will go a lot further towards improving your sound quality than anything having to do with the cables. Once you've optimized your setup and tamed any big acoustical issues, then biamping is one of many next-steps that you can take at that point. Personally, as the next step, I would recommend matching your speakers all the way around in a 5.1 setup if you currently have a mismatched speaker set for multichannel listening and do a lot of 5.1 listening.

speakeroligist_38
02-03-2006, 03:14 PM
Wooch sorry for the confusion. Right now all I have are the studio 20's and in time hope to have a 5.1 system some time down the road. I just thought that I might be able to get some better sound with only eventually using 5(once I get the rest of my speakers) of the 7 channels my receiver has. And by not using Zone 2 thought the extra power could be assigned to my Studio 20's via bi-wiring. Sounds like I just need to leave it as it is. Thanks everybody for explaining this to me.

N. Abstentia
02-03-2006, 07:45 PM
Your receiver already works like you think it does. It cannot supply 100 watts to each of 7 channels all at the same time. It already sends all the power available to whatever speakers you have hooked to it, since all 7 'amps' are really just one amp. The more speakers you add, the more 'power sharing' you will be doing.

speakeroligist_38
02-03-2006, 08:21 PM
Yeah I been reading some reviews and it appears to be that way on a lot of receivers. Besides the 20's are rocking and every time I hear them I grinn from ear to ear. Very happy with my choice. Thanks for the info.