2 Parasound 855 or 1 Larger Amp

[Jeff Aguilar]

Soon, I should be going the route of seperates. I would like to make this as inexpensive as possible. I was thinking of getting the 950 as a pre-pro but in the interm, I would use my Yamaha 992.

Would it be a good idea to get 2 Parasound 855's and bi-amp the front three or would it be a better idea to get a larger amp to push my speakers. Right now I have Energy Veritas 2.1's for mains, Energy Veritas 2.0 Center and a pair of Take 2's for rears.

When I get the Outlaw, I have rear center channels inwalls already installed. I plan to someday, when money permits, to upgrade the Take 2's to Veritas rears.

So, would it sound better to bi-amp the front three or just buy a bigger amp and not bi-amp. I can get both Parasound amps delivered for under $1000, so it would be $700 less than the Outlaw 770. And someday, I would want to bi-amp my speakers, so I would want a 755. So, I am comparing $1000 to $2800! What would your opinion be?

Thanks for the input,

Jeff Aguilar

[Lex]

Hmmm, you do know that to effectively bi-amp, it is recommended to disable the internal crossovers, and add external crossovers for your speakers, right? Bi-amping the right way is not really a simple thing, not as simple as taking the bridge off your binding posts.

Yes, you could gain some benefit, but maximum benefit is obtained by completely seperating the internal crossovers and crossing over with an external crossover.

However, bi-amping can have real discernable benefit, whereas the benefit from bi-wiring only, has always been somewhat debatable.

What are the power differences in these amps?

Also, you may want to consider searching for a used Aragon amp. Might be a real nice match for your speakers.

Lex

[Jeff Aguilar]

Lex,

Thanks for the reply. I am really new to this bi-amp thing, so to answer your question, I did not know that to fully maximize the benifits of bi-amping that I had to disable my internal crossovers.

The Veritas 2.1's are bookshelf speakers. A simple two speaker configeration, a tweeter and woofer. According to the manual, the crossover point is: 1.8kHz. By the way, this means nothing to me.

The frequency reponse according to the manual is:45-20,000Hz
+/- 3dB and the usabale bass response according to the manual is:-10dB Anechoic @ 39Hz .

I have paired these up with a pair of SVS 16-46pc's.
Where would I need to cross it over to benifit most?

The difference is the amps, sorry that I did not explain this before; The Parasound is 85 watts per channel and the Outlaw is 200 watts per channel. I know that there would be a difference between the two amps, but would it be that much of a difference?

I presently have my speakers bi-wired and to me and my wife, it does produce a difference.

I found the amps used on Audiogon. I really did not want to spend more than 500 for each amp right now. Would I benifit that much choosing a different amp?

Thanks for you input Lex. I kind of knew that I could count on you for some guidence in this area.

Jeff Aguilar

[Markj]

My personal feeling is to get a better single amp than to buy 2 lesser quality amp to bi-amp.

The cross over should be below 80 Hz. Above that the base can be localizable. I would set the system up and then try different cross over points to establish the cross over that works best for you. Every room and system is different so the best way is trail and error I mean listening.

[Lex]

Jeff, I agree with Mark, I would rather see you get a better amp than 2 cheaper ones. Especially given your heavy support on the low end. You really only need to focus on the highs and mids. Above 80.

You've got the low end covered. My best advice is to really forget bi-amping, and get the best single amp that you can. Again, the Aragon comes to mind as a wonderful solution. But not sure about price on that.

As to using both, bass is more a wattage hog than treble, so you would use the Outlaw on the low end, and the Parasound on the highs. My only concern here is that Parasound are fairly warm amps, and paired with a fairly warm energy speaker could make your sound someone subdued, and laid back. Now, some people like it this way. Myself, I like a little more pristine highs. To do that with a warm speaker, you need a very transparent amp. Again, Aragon.

Greynolds also posted in the Chalet about Bob's question on bi-amping. you may want to read that thread.

External crossover could still be beneficial. Use the sub out for 1 sub, and then cross over the mains with the sub, and give you a lot of flexibility for the main low end, and take away some of the heavy wattage requirements of low bass. (same could be accomplished with a good pre-pro with nice crossover points and then just split the subs on the same line)
the point is, by doing this, you don't need as many watts to the mains. Consequently, a higher quality lower wattage amp could take care of your needs.

Goodluck, and yup, you know you can count on me if I have the knowledge to draw on! Your welcome. :-)

Lex

[Jeff Aguilar]

Lex & Mark,

Thanks for your responses.

Lex, I check out some Aragon amps, and they are quite a bit more than I feel comfortable spending right now. Even used, it would be at least two times the amount I set aside for this. Of course, this is twice as much as my wife wants me to spend! 8O

OK, I will try and set bi-amping out of the picture right now.

I inquired about buying a B&K AV6000, is that a better choice than than the parasound? It is a little more powerful and runs 6 channels, so I could combine two channels into one and run 210 watts to my front three channels. I would need to get another one later on when I invest in the 950, so I could have 7 channels powered. How about that?

Thanks,

Jeff

[Markj]

Now this is just how I feel, but as lex said bridging amps could have some side affects. I think this is especially true with more economical amps. BTW the B & K and Parasound amps have gotten good reviews by owners on the net. I have not heard them so I can not say. You should get whatever amp that has the right power without bridging that you like and can afford.

Sound easy :roll: