Monitor question

[arracadi]

Can someone explain to me what the advantage of biamplified monitors as opposed to ones that have the power amp for both speakers in one place? I'm trying to narrow down my options and I see people say "biamplified is better" a lot but they don't say why. Thanks!

 

[tedluk]

Well, I'm VERY unqualified to respond to this, but, and someone with real knowledge please help me out, the idea of bi-amplification is that by dividing the frequency spectrum into two bands and using a separate amplifier for each, you can then design each amplifier to work specifically on those frequencies thus making it more efficient and better sounding. It's the same logic as using a woofer and a tweeter with a crossover rather than one full range speaker.

Ted

 

[mshilarious]

It's the same logic as using a woofer and a tweeter with a crossover rather than one full range speaker.

Another advantage is the use of an active crossover rather than passive--the necessary parts are vastly cheaper. Good quality passive crossover parts are expensive--a decent crossover often has over $20 of parts.

Having said that, I use passive crossovers. They're kind of fun to make.