Problem with bi amping speakers

12-21-11: Manitunc
So, if everything is hooked up as I say with no shorts, then you say the only cause of my problem could be a connection between the woofer and the mid/high in my PSB Golds.

More precisely, it's the only one I can think of :-)

Best regards,
-- Al

Almarg's choice seems to want to get rid of the risk, of having these two amps outputs, that may be tied together in the speaker some way. If this is happening, it could be a recipe for disaster. Checking with the meter should answer that easy enough.

Another possibility I'm thinking, is mechanical feedback. This would be similar to a guitar, or a microphone picking up the vibration from the speakers, and causing that feedback. The same happens with records. I've had this problem over the years (all size rooms) with vinyl. If the speakers are close enough to the speakers, the record will get the vibration. The result, feedback. I remember this happening is a big Disco, and it sounded like that large building was going to fall apart, until they turned the volume down.

So, the OP has a lot more bass now (higher power solid state), and most likely less treble and midrange (low powered tube), with this new mis-matched level combination. If you don't hear enough highs and mids, you turn it up, and also receive more bass. This is a possibility that I'm thinking might be happening. Try a CD at your risk, to see if this is the problem.

Then another possibility. I'm assuming both of these amps are using feedback. This is taken off at the speaker output area. This output is signal is then fed back into the front end (input area) of an amp.

If either of these amps is doing something a little strange (odd), it may handle that (odd signal) in its own feedback loop, and play fine by itself.

Now if one of these amps is doing something a little odd itself, and that odd signal (that doesn't bother the amp with it) is being fed right back to its input tied right to the RCA area. And, bonding this amp with a different one may give that little odd (feedback) signal to the other amp, that its (RCA) inputs are tied to.

So, if this is happening, that little odd signal in the one amp (that doesn't mind it), can be driving the other crazy, so to speak. And, these two amps may not ever work together, if one these amps is wired this way, and being the problem.

If the speakers are close enough to the speakers, the record will get the vibration.

Correction for my second paragraph. It should say, if the speakers are close enough to the record, the record will get the vibration. Sorry.

If we had a diagram for all of the things involved, it would be a lot easier for a hypothesis, that may solve the problem.

I dont know how to post a diagram, but its pretty simple. From the preamp out on the SS amp I have a y connector with two male and one female ends. One male goes in the preamp out jack, the other male goes in the amp in jack and the female connector takes an interconnect cable which runs to the tube amp for that channel.

Speaker connections run from the SS amp to the woofer connection and from the tube amp to the mid/hi connection. The jumper between the two is removed. This is the way the PSB manual shows it should be hooked up, and the only way that makes sense.

I will try to reconnect it all again this weekend and see if the problem repeats.