Bridge,Biamp,or ?

[rrrhemi]

Hi. This is my first post to this forum so I apologize if this topic has been covered before. I just purchased three Halo A23 amps and I am looking for opinions on hook-up options. I am using a Denon 3803 receiver as my pre/pro and I have Energy Veritas 2.3's in the front, a Veritas 2.0 center, PSB Alpha SE's for surrounds, and one Acoustic Research speaker as my surround back. I have a Velodyne F1500 sub crossed over at 80 hz. I listen to music and home theater about equally.
So, should I bridge the A23 amps for my front three speakers and use the internal amps in the Denon for the surrounds and back surround? Should I use the A23's to bi-amp my front 3 speakers and use the Denon for the surrounds and surround back? Or, should I use the A23's to drive all 6 speakers? Any other options come to mind?

[Peter Nielsen]

Should I use the A23's to bi-amp my front 3 speakers and use the Denon for the surrounds and surround back? Or, should I use the A23's to drive all 6 speakers? Any other options come to mind?

Bi-amping is usually the best thing you can do if you can swing the cost of the crossover (Marchand Elec is probably one of the best choices when it comes to price/quality ratio. A DIY kit is less than $500).

I would avoid bridging...

Peter

[rrrhemi]

Thanks for the reply. I should have been more specific when I said "biamping" I meant to use one amp per speaker without any external crossover. Do you feel this is beneficial in my case?

[Chris D]

Hi, rrrhemi, and welcome to the Guide and Club Parasound! :banana:

Yes, for the sake of available power, if you're going to go with A23's, using two amps per speaker could be great. But then that only covers 3 speakers, so the issue is what your budget would allow you to be comfortable with. If you have to buy another amp(s) or such, cost could add up--I assume this is why you went with 3 A23's instead of one A23 and one A52, or better yet one 21 and one A51.

The concept of using receiver amplification for half a theater and separate amps for the other half seems odd, and for sure it's definitely rarely done. You lose consistency by mixing amp brand/types, much less mixing separates and receivers. However, I notice that your speakers are very mixed as a set, too. Will it work for you? You bet!

My bottom line recommendation based on what you told us is to start with each channel of the A23's driving one speaker so that the A23's provide all the amplification. If you feel that you're running out of power and encountering clipping or losing clarity, then next consider more amplification power options.

[rrrhemi]

Thanks for the welcome Chris. Appreciate your advice also. After speaking with Parasound's technical help person I have decided to bi-amp the front three speakers and utilize the Denon for surround duties. I'm pleased with the results so far. How much of an improvement in sound do you think I would realize by purchasing the C2 to replace the Denon 3803?

[Peter Nielsen]

Thanks for the reply. I should have been more specific when I said "biamping" I meant to use one amp per speaker without any external crossover. Do you feel this is beneficial in my case?

Getting rid of the passive crossover is what really makes a difference. Since you decided to bi-amp, I would highly suggest getting rid of the (internal?) passive crossovers and spend ~$400 on a Marchand Elec active crossover.

Peter

[Chris D]

Hmmm... I'm not sure, rrrhemi. I don't have experience with Denon receivers, just their DVD player. But if it's anything like me, upgrading from a good Yamaha receiver to the C1 and Halo amps, the difference is pretty dramatic. It's like growing up--the sound is so much more clean, refined, mature... (how many other ways can I complete that analogy?)

[rrrhemi]

Getting rid of the passive crossover is what really makes a difference. Since you decided to bi-amp, I would highly suggest getting rid of the (internal?) passive crossovers and spend ~$400 on a Marchand Elec active crossover.

Peter

Maybe I'm just hesitant about the active crossover because I'm reluctant to perform the necessary modifications to my speakers. Not ruling out the possibility in the future, just kind of chicken right now. Can you describe your experience with the active crossover and the results you achieved?