Am I wasting money on the theory of Bi-amping?


As a long time audiophile I'm finally able to bi-amp my setup. I'm using two identical amps in a vertical bi-amp configuration. 
 

Now me not fully understanding all of the ins/outs of internal speaker crossovers and what not. I've read quite a few people tell me that bi-amping like I'm doing whether it's vertical or horizontal bi-amping is a waste since there's really not a improvement because of how speaker manufacturers design the internal crossovers. 
 

Can anyone explain to a third grader how it's beneficial or if the naysayers are correct in the statement?

ibisghost

I'm in the camp of using an active x-over and horizontal bi-amping w/different amps, using tubes to power the top and SS on the bottom.  The woofers have been removed from the x-over and wired directly to the binding posts.  (Speakers were built bi-wireable so two sets of binding posts are present.)  I use an original Wavelet active x-over and just picked up a MiniDSP DDRC 88A/BM that I plan to substitute for the Wavelet as I want to see if DIRAC w/BM is an improvement over the Bohmer room correction. 

Never heard of horizontal and vertical bi-amping. 

My assumption for passive bi amping with speakers built for it always was that by removing the 'bridge', I get a low pass for the woofer and a seperate high pass for the mid/high. The use 2 amps to feed those. 

I now assume that horizontal/vertical deals with the option of using 2 stereo amp for the 2x2 'feeds'. Either one stereo amp for each SPEAKER or one stereo amp for the woofers and one stereo amp for the mid/high. If that is the case, what is considered 'vertical'?

 

 

I read a few posts claiming BENEFITS of passive crossovers (vs active), but none mentions issues like phase shift from those passive components. 

And can't those mentioned 'beneftis' of passive crossovers not 'simulated' or realized in active crossovers as well? 

@kraftwerkturbo wrote:

I now assume that horizontal/vertical deals with the option of using 2 stereo amp for the 2x2 'feeds'. Either one stereo amp for each SPEAKER or one stereo amp for the woofers and one stereo amp for the mid/high. If that is the case, what is considered 'vertical'?

'Vertical' bi-amping is one stereo amp driving one speaker, its two channels divided over the two pairs of terminals on that speaker. 

I read a few posts claiming BENEFITS of passive crossovers (vs active), but none mentions issues like phase shift from those passive components. 

And can't those mentioned 'beneftis' of passive crossovers not 'simulated' or realized in active crossovers as well? 

Active can do what passive does, and more - while not least getting out of the way between the amp and speakers. 

I knew 2-3 people would show up here to drop their snark-bombs on the topic of biamping, and I wasn’t disappointed.

It has been many years since I biamped, but when I did, it was a noteworthy success. It probably would have sounded even better if I’d had access to one of the excellent, transparent external crossovers that are currently available, but were not back then.

Obviously biamping isn’t possible or recommended for certain setups; but in the right setup, and with the right amps, it can take the sound way higher...