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Need more power, Bi-amping does it work or does it just sound wrong

I am wanting to pull some amps and speakers from storage and put a system together for another room. I have a PS Audio HCA-2 amp 150 watts, PCA-2 preamp with HCPS preamp power supply and LSA Statement towers 2.5 way with ribbon tweeter 87 db 6 ohm. I use to run the LSA’s with a 200 watt high current doubling watts amp with good results. The HCA-2 claims 150 watts but I’m not sure how true that is.

 It’s sounds nice but I would like more authority and drive. So I was going to find/buy another HCA-2 but my current HCA-2 has been modified by Audio Reference Mods, over $1000 in mods 10 or so years ago, does that matter?
I’m guessing one amp would drive the mid and tweeter and other amp the bass drivers. Wouldn’t one amp drawing more watts and through everything off? With one amp modded and the other being standard would that matter?  Would I be better off selling the amp and buying a more powerful amp, only problem it may be more trouble than I want to deal with and cost more than I want to spend. 


paulcreed
danager's avatar
danager
931 posts
 
In my experience bi amping made a huge difference, for the better.
I’ve done it with two amps that are similar and on a different set of speakers two amps that were very different. The biggest issue for me with different amps was matching the gain to make sure the mids output matched the output of the bass.
The two amps that were similar were two dynaco st-70s one with an updated driver board the other with the original.
The amps are going to see a different impedance driving mid tweeters than bass drivers anyway so I wouldn’t think an exact match would make that much difference.
fiesta75
1,378 posts
 
Multi-amping is the best, whether bi, tri or more. I prefer active crossovers, but even using a passive crossover, it's a big improvement. I've tried it on many different pairs of speakers with the same positive results. Active crossovers make it easier to match the driver levels and reduces the intermodulation distortion to non-existent.
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 


paulcreed
Need more power, Bi-amping does it work or does it just sound wrong

Do vertical bi-amping if you have identical amps
https://ibb.co/H4t1srH

Or if different and ones a grunter (bass) and the others a sweetie (mids and highs), then horizontal bi-amping, with a passive volume control on the one with more gain so you can equalize the gains, if they aren’t the same. https://ibb.co/vBqs7fm

Never bridge stereo amps, all you get is a **** load more watts, but everything that made the amp sound good the first place in stereo, takes a big hit when it’s bridged.

Cheers George
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