Bi-Amping Question

Mike

Mike

Audioshark
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My ARC DS450M's arrived yesterday. I plan to bi-amp them with my REF250's. The DS450M's will drive the bass and the REF250's will drive the mid's/highs. My question is this: am I better off to have a second 45 foot XLR run off my preamp (my preamp has two sets of preamp outputs) OR am I better off to use a Y connector off the first 45 foot run and then a short XLR cable from the Y connector to each of the amps? Which will ultimately sound better and result in less signal loss?

Thanks.
 
Since you must have an active crossover to do this properly, you might as well use one long cable from preamp to crossover and short cables from the crossover to the power amps unless you want to keep your crossover with your source components on the other side of the room. My cable from preamp to crossover is 50 feet and then I have 6 foot cables from crossover to power amps.

You don't need separate long cables from preamp to crossover and power amps and doing so offers no benefits.
 
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That's music to my ears Gary. Another 45 foot XLR run of high quality cable was going to break the bank. The first time around was bad enough!
 
Howard - no active crossover for me. The 250's are barely breaking a sweat, so I'm not concerned with overtaxing the amps.

All I need to know is whether there is a difference with single XLR pair to Y connector vs two pairs of XLR connectors from preamp out to amps.
 
Mike if I understand you correctly you have 2 Main XLR outs on your pre ? if so i would run separate XLR's 1 to each amp. If only 1 Main XLR out you should run an XLR that Y's to both amps. I don't see where your going to lose any signal buying pair of Y XLR and attaching them to your existing single XLR cables.
 
Yes. That's what I'm wondering. Y connectors are less expensive than another 45 foot run of high quality XLR cables!
 
Mike, I talked to 2 dealers and 1 Audio Manufacture when considering buying another pair of amps and bi amping my speakers. All of them told me to use Y XLR . No signal loss
by doing this. Hope this helps.
 
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