Greetings, friends. I've been aware of Bi-Amping since I was a broke teenager with Hi-Fi dreams. I still don't have a fancy amp with a Bi-Amp button, but I do have a DSP-enabled Class D amp, DIY of course, and a small single-ended EL84 amp, also DIY. The DSP is from 3e Audio and is running Sigma Studio software, of which I am mildly proficient.
Speakers in question are Polk Monitor 60. They're cheap and old, but the bass is nice and there's dual binding posts on the back for Bi-Amping.
The plan is to use the DSP as an active crossover and use the class D amp to drive the lows and the EL84 amp for the highs.
I can't find any info on the crossover frequency for these speakers. Google searches have revealed 2,250Hz as a possible number, but that seems high. I also can program a large overlap, or even implement different crossover curves, if appropriate. But I don't really know what any of that means, so any advice would be welcome.
Thanks for taking a look!
w
Speakers in question are Polk Monitor 60. They're cheap and old, but the bass is nice and there's dual binding posts on the back for Bi-Amping.
The plan is to use the DSP as an active crossover and use the class D amp to drive the lows and the EL84 amp for the highs.
I can't find any info on the crossover frequency for these speakers. Google searches have revealed 2,250Hz as a possible number, but that seems high. I also can program a large overlap, or even implement different crossover curves, if appropriate. But I don't really know what any of that means, so any advice would be welcome.
Thanks for taking a look!
w
Not sure I fully understand what you are trying to do. Audiophile biamping does not require any DSP since the passive crossover in the speaker remains in place and unchanged. You simply connect different amplifiers to the separate HF and LF passive crossover circuits rather than the same amplifier. The pros and cons of doing so are pretty much negligible which may be why audiophiles used to value it highly although I think it has gone out of fashion a bit these days.
If you want to use DSP and an active crossover then you will have to get into the speakers and disconnect the passive crossovers. This has the potential to bring about more significant improvements depending on the performance of the passive crossover being replaced. It usually isn't cost effective but as a learning exercise with some old speakers could be worthwhile.
If you want to use DSP and an active crossover then you will have to get into the speakers and disconnect the passive crossovers. This has the potential to bring about more significant improvements depending on the performance of the passive crossover being replaced. It usually isn't cost effective but as a learning exercise with some old speakers could be worthwhile.
There are 2 pairs of binding posts on the back of each speaker. I was curious as to how the internal crossover would be bypassed.
Goal is to explore active crossovers.
Goal is to explore active crossovers.
The passive crossover is almost certainly bypassed by cutting/desoldering and reconnect wires within the speaker.
after playing with the crossover settings in Sigma Studio, I'm pretty sure these speakers have individual Hi-pass and Lo-pass networks at the inputs instead of a traditional 2-way crossover. No matter how low I set the HF point, nothing below 2kHz came from the upper speakers, and the lower section could go up to 3kHz using a simple tone generator. Crossover point is prob close to 2.25kHz
So I guess that's that.
So I guess that's that.
Maybe I don't see the same images of a Polk 60. Seems a screwdriver and a flashlight will get you 90% of the way.... Did you remove the screws then remove the rear binding post panel to look inside and trace the wiring to the crossover components and drivers? I agree playing around with DSP and separate amps would be educational/enjoyable.