What Does Bi-amp Mean?

[theitalianrob]

I've been shopping around for a new bass amp and i keep reading stuff about a bi-amp feature, and the amp i have now also has this. I am just unsure as to what bi-amping is.

[Prostheta]

I believe that it means the speakers are driven by independent amps - the low end load dealt with by a meaty amp which is more suited to that power, and a seperate amp for the mid to high frequencies. It's like moving the crossover section in a speaker cabinet before the amp and having two amps power the two seperate bandwidth channels. In theory.

I may be wrong, but bi-amping could equally mean a number of other things such as an A/B switch to route your signal between two totally different amps and speakers.

Edited March 3, 2008 by Prostheta

[erikbojerik]

What Prostheta said....the frequencies are split by a crossover before going to separate power amps that drive separate speaker cabs, one for the low-end and one for the higher freqs. So (for example), you could rig up one power amp to drive a subwoofer, and send the high-side freqs to a guitar amp.

The reason for doing this is twofold: it takes more watts to drive a low-freq cabinet to the same apparent loudness, compared to (say) a guitar amp. It also tailors your sound specifically to what the cabinets are best designed for; it keeps the high-freq information out of the subs, and the ultra-low freqs away from 10" or 12" speakers that will just fart out below 20Hz anyway. So you end up making better use of your watts at both ends of the freq spectrum.