Bi-amping question


Well after reading numerous articles on bi-amping, I still haven't figured this out. I have a pr of Totem Sttafs I'm running with a 15wpc tube amp. It would probably be better with more power and was thinking of adding an old Yamaha 50wpc receiver or even an old Realistic 25wpc receiver, with the tubes running the highs and the receiver running the bass. Some articles make this sound like a useable thing, others insist the amps have to be identical or damage can occur. Anyone have any practicle advise a neophyte could understand. I don't want to just try it and then have to replace damaged speakers. Thanks
chrismontez
Done properly a subwoofer will increase dynamics, soundstage and detail. You should not know the sub is even turned on until you turn it off.
Concur 100% with this. When set up properly it is wonderful. Just last night I moved my system out of my dedicated room (daughter returning from school for summer) and was listening to Beck's "Sea Change." The bass was overwhelming so I turned the sub off. Things were better but definitely lacking so I went to work adjusting the sub for its new placement and before Beck was finished the sub was dialed in. Now if I turn the sub off it is only noticed in the very lowest register, more of an ambiance thing.
This is with a pair of Proac 1.5s which aren't exactly bass shy speakers. I don't think I'll ever be without a sub in my system again.
I agree with Bob Reynolds regarding the sub.
However, I do not remember if you mentioned what speaker cable you were
using. I might think, i your cable manu, has a product that is alike in the highs and mids, but is thicker, you'll get more bass. 14 gauge, verses 10g. But, that is if they swear the other characteristics are the same.
*Maybe a less expensive solution. I'd go for the sub, generally having
a contour control to be just where you want it, including "hardly
perceivable" if that's how little addition you need.
count me as one more in total agreement with Bob reynolds.

It's not about more powerful bass at all. It's about deeper bass which does wonderful things as Bob indicates.

If you don't want to make this investment, another option may be to upgrade to an amp with a little more power. You don't mention which amp you're using, but a Tube amp with 30-50 w/c will be plenty IMHO. 15 w/c is perhaps just below what you really need for the Sttafs.

Sorry is it sounds like we're trying to get you to spend more money . . . I guess that's the truth of the matter though given the problem you're saying you want to solve.
If you're using the sub for a home theatre and want the hosse to shake when the bombs are blasting, that's one thing. However, if you want to supplement your speaker for music, then you shouldn't really notice the sub. If you do, then you probably have the crossover or volume set too high.

I would suggest that a sub should do two things. One is to extend the bass a little deeper than your speakers are presently capable of. As a result, a sub is often good with a small monitor in situations where the monitor doesn't go as deep as you would like.

The second thing a sub can do is add headroom. In other words, the sub can supplement frequencies the main speaker is already producing. Smaller sopeakers can usually go down fairly deep, it's just that the volume is too low. For example, a speaker spec may say 50 Hz, plus or minus 3 dB. This doesn't mean it can't reproduce lower than 50 Hz. It just means that when you go below 50 Hz, you will be more than 3 dB down. So the apparent volume of the speaker at frequencies below 50Hz will be so low that it isn't rteally noticeable. A sub can add the extra volume to frequencies the main speaker is already producing. This is a slightly different thing than just adding lower frequencies that the main speaker can't reproduce at all. This is one reason why you might use a sub with a floorstanding speaker that already goes down farily low. This is why some subs are set up to run in tandem with the main speakers, rather than relieving the main speaker's bass driver totally of the low frequency signal and sending it to the sub.

And in either application of course, there are potential integration issues.

So, as the posters above suggest, a sub isn't necessarily just to add more "powerful" bass, as it might be for home theatre applications, but to "supplement" your existing bass, either by adding bass frequencies you don't have, or by supplementing existing bass already produced by the main speaker. Supplementing doesn't necessarily mean more powerful. It means adding headroom to add to dynamics, although there is certainly the option of making it more powerful by increasing its crossover frequency or volume relative to the main speaker if that's what you want

If you're carefull in how you integrate the sub, it can add wonders to your main speakers without you even knowing that its there. I would rather have a main speaker with good bass response, rather than a speaker/sub combination. However, it's usually less expensive to go the main/sub route than it is to find a truly good main speaker with very good deep bass response at a reasonable price.
I do not disagree with those who describe the benefits of adding a subwoofer. I do add a word of caution. I know several audiophiles who have added a subwoofer(s) to their system and never achieved a satisfactory integration. I am talking about their satisfaction, not my judgment of the success or failure.