BI AMPING - TUBE + SS -

I added a tube pre to my system a while back. I have a Krell ksa-250 mated with the tubed pre...sounds great IMO. You can pick up a used tubed pre-amp for not a lot of money and re-sell for little or no loss if it does not bring your high/midrange response towards what you are looking for.

Dave

A good active crossover will run anywhere from $1,000 to $4,000. You don't want to skimp on the crossover because _everything_ in your system will be going thru it. You will be adding another link to the chain on the signal path so you want to take care that the link is "pure" and doesn't take away more than it benefits. _Everything_ you put in the signal path will have some effect, so you want as high a quality crossover as is comparable to the quality of the rest of your system.

The active crossover will take care of gain matching and crossover duties.

Generally, one of the major benefits of active bi-amping is better control of the transducers and flatter impedance ( and ensuing flatter response) without the passive crossover components in the signal path.

You did not mention your specific speakers and drivers, and crossover points. I am uncertain as to the benefits you would have from bi-amping your current speakers _grin_ Depending on your configuration it may well not be practical in terms of costs to benefits ratio.

For more on biamping go to AA and search for John C Aussie biamping FAQ

Regards

Ken L

Super response!

you folks win. i give up. I'll do the tube preamp, with a solid state amp, thing.

if that does not get it, i'll go all tube.

probalby, B.A.T.

NOT SURE YET IT'LL BE A WHILE BEFORE I FIND OUT OR GET THE SCRATCH FOR MY ITCH.

Hey Blindjim,

I have walked the path you're on. I started by vertically bi-amping Aerial 10t's with a pair of Classe CA-301's. Note that in this configuration I do not run the amps bridged. (I found by experiment that what I heard was true, bridging does take away the smoothness and detail.) This allowed me to run very short, 2 foot, speaker wire. A small step to getting more air around things.

Next I added a BAT VK50SE tubed pre. Another improvement in the 3D nature of the soundstage. Since then I have added/upgraded to Rhea tube phono stage and a VKD5SE CP player. More improvements in soundstage in the direction I want to go in.

Now I am considering what you inquired about. That is, is it better to bite the bullet and change out the speakers and amps or try to add tube amps to the tops? The Aerials are power hungry so it will take a very high dollar tube amp to get even close to the power they like if I just go to tube amps. Thing is I like the way SS handles the bass. But if I just add lower powered tube amps to the tops then as people have posted here it may cost almost as much by the time I buy the crossovers and other things.

This hobby is fun but not always easy!