B&W Matrix 800: Bi-amping thoughts?
One of these days I'll be able to unpack and set up the B&W Matrix 800's my pop left me. Our current home just isn't the place for them but we'll be taking care of that in the not too distant future.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/bw-matrix-800-loudspeaker
Anyways, pop was using Jadis electronics with them and they were heavenly. However while the Defy7 at 100WPC worked well, I've been thinking bi-amping and powering the woofers with a SS amp of similar caliber and power instead. My thinking is to enjoy the air and musicality for mid's and tweeters that the tubes render but to have the bottom end punch and extension that SS seems to provide for those four 12" polymer woofers.
So my question is, what might be an appropriate SS amplifier for this set up?
The preamp will be a Jadis JP80 MC. Thanks much and...
Happy listening.
I can only speak about my own experience. My N801s are 91db. The recommended power range is 50 to 1000 watts. Using my 300 watt amp, volume levels would go high (SPL) but the bass just didn't keep up. I think a high power high current amp is what will bring those woofers to life. However, YMMV. Bill |
@knotscott You said: "From what I can find, the woofer crosses over to the midbass at around 300hz". Would you direct me to where you found that please? Thank you.
Happy listening. |
@musicfan2349 It was initially Meta AI. The B&W Matrix 800 speakers have separate crossovers housed in the three separate cabinets. Each woofer enclosure has a low-pass crossover dedicated to the driver inside, and the central cabinet houses the mid/high crossover boards. The crossover points are approximately at ¹:
It’s worth noting that some users have modified their B&W Matrix 800 speakers to use active crossovers, allowing for bi-amping. One option for this modification is the KBX crossover designed by Dan D’Agostino, which includes custom crossover points and a bass alignment filter ² ³." I found that Aurel Hifi as well as hifiwiki.com called them "transitional ranges" of 300hz and 3,000hz. https://hifi-wiki.com/index.php/B%26W_Matrix_800 I also saw another AI blurb on Google that stated 380hz and 3,000hz that referenced DIYAudio.com and Stereophile.
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