|   Active Biamping Norh speakers | Mike
Mar 6, 2001 8:29 PM | | Hi guys - I need some advice.
I have a set of 2 way Norh 6.5s that are great speakers but I have the itch to squeeze a bit more out of them. I already own a Marchand XM-9 electronic crossover that I plan to use to actively biamp the Norhs by removing the passive crossovers and installing an extra set of binding posts. My amps will then be wired directly to the drivers (this worked wonders on my last set of Canton speakers).
I currently own a Sonic Frontiers Assemblage ST-40 (40W push-pull tube amp) and an NAD 912 (30W Solid State power amp). Both are great amps by themselves. Everyone I asked recommends putting the tube amp on the high end and the NAD on the low/mid but I am not so sure. The ST-40 is a much better amp in quality and it is also more powerfull. Would I not want the best amp on the midrange where most of the music is? Also I think the NAD is probably a bit more extended on top. Incidentally NAD classifies the 912 as a "specialty product" designed to work in a biamped application (presumably on the top because of its low power.
One more thing. The existing crossover frequency of the Norh 6.5 is 2600 Hz at 12 dB/ Octave. Since my active crossover is much steeper at 24 dB
per octave, would I be better off crossing over at a little lower frequency (say 2200Hz or so) to prevent distortion of the upper midrange from the rather large 6.5" woofer?
Thanks for your help. |
| re: Active Biamping Norh speakers | Tyson
Mar 6, 2001 9:22 PM | | I would sell the NAD & get another ST-40. Using different amps can be a real headache & the ST-40 seems to be a better amp than the NAD anyway. I also think you will be fine with the lower crossover point with the steeper crossover, but to make sure, I would definitely email Mr. Barnes at nOrh before I did anything like that. You might also want to see about upgrading the tweeter to the new XT tweeter from Vifa, which is supposed to be a signifigant upgrade. Best of luck. . . |
| re: Active Biamping Norh speakers | mbarnes
Mar 7, 2001 4:39 AM | | Setting an active crossover is a matter of using your ear. You can't really be sure that the active and passive frequencies will be matched. The reason is the passive crossover has a different filter for the woofer than the tweeter. An active will use a waterfall approach to make the frequencies fit just about anywhere.
You can play with the combination and see how it works. If you are going active, you might also consider upgrading the tweeter to a Scanspeak 9300. This will give you most of the performance of the 7.0. The 9300 is not that expensive. You can keep the Vifa tweeter if you go back to passive.
The XT tweeter is a good choice but it is not available to the public. |
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