Bi Amp question

[andrewmr]

Hello all....

I have a pair of Boston T1030's speakers which have the typical bi-wire/bi-amp hookup on the back. Currently it's configured with one cable running to the speaker with the strap running between the upper and lower posts. All good so far.

Currently I'm driving those speakers with a Sony ES receiver (DA777es) with 120 watts per channel and they sound fine. I have an extra Sony ES amp (100 watts per channel) sitting unused and wondered if I would get any benefit in using that amp to help power the speakers.

So, is it worth hooking up the amp in a bi-amp configuration? And if so, should the receiver drive the bass or the upper frequencies?

This room is setup solely for music.

Thanks in advance for your help/opinions.

[Kal Rubinson]

Hello all....

I have a pair of Boston T1030's speakers which have the typical bi-wire/bi-amp hookup on the back. Currently it's configured with one cable running to the speaker with the strap running between the upper and lower posts. All good so far.

Currently I'm driving those speakers with a Sony ES receiver (DA777es) with 120 watts per channel and they sound fine. I have an extra Sony ES amp (100 watts per channel) sitting unused and wondered if I would get any benefit in using that amp to help power the speakers.

So, is it worth hooking up the amp in a bi-amp configuration? And if so, should the receiver drive the bass or the upper frequencies?

This room is setup solely for music.

Thanks in advance for your help/opinions.

First, it is extremely unlikely that this has any potential to make a difference in performance. Biamping with the speaker's built-in crossover limits the potential of biamping to an slight increase in power output (<3dB).
Second, unless the two amps have identical sensitivity/gain, you will need a way to balance them and I doubt your system has a way to do that. Does the extra amp have gain controls?

I recommend you not bother unless for amusement.

[JonMarsh]

I'm pretty much with Kal on this one. IF, and this is a big if, one of your amps is basically very clean but does't have a power supply quite up to the low end, splitting the signal so that one amp is only loaded on the low end, and one on the top, MIGHT reduce IM slightly... but that doesn't describe the DA777ES.

The 1030 was last produced in 1994 and was quite well reviewed in Audio magazine, it corrected a lot of issues with it's predecessor model. The ES series receiver you have is a great piece for it's time- my suggestion is to just relax and enjoy the music, maybe sell the amp and upgrade your source gear, if desired.

[andrewmr]

Thanks for taking the time to confirm what I suspected.

I have been looking to build a new system....

Perhaps it's time to get serious with a new system and move this to the basement.