HOW CAN I BI-AMP? - Rotel RC-850 Pre and 2 x RB-971 Power

[admin_exported]

Hi

I am a new comer to the hi-fi enthusiast world. I currently have this combination bi-wired. Trying to figure out how I can bi-amp this combination. The RC-850 pre-amp has only one L & R output. Currently I connect the LEFT OUT from the preamp and connect it to the LEFT INPUT of one power amp. (Nothing going into the RIGHT INPUT). I mirror this for the RIGHT channel using the 2nd power amp. So one power amp per speaker - i.e. bi-wired.

Can you please help me figure out how to bi-amp with this configuration, as each power amp only has input to LEFT or RIGHT channel, I can't see how I can use one power amp to drive LF (or HF) of both speakers. Hope I am explaining this properly. Can e-mail a sketch of current set up if needed.

I do realise Bridging Mono is another option I can try for improvement of sound.

Thanks in advance

 

[Andrew Everard]

You need some adapters on the preamp to split the signal, such as these

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew

Wow excellent, how simple was that. Thank you so much.

Rajiv

 

[cheyworth]

Does no one do a product like that but as a good quality cable?

 

[Andrew Everard]

cheyworth:Does no one do a product like that but as a good quality cable?

I'm sure one of the cable manufacturers would be able to do you a special

 

[up the music]

Y splitters on cable are available from Richers and Maplin for modest cost. I'd expect the stub typeas shown in the photo would be better as there are less solder joints. I suppose it also depends how good a contact those phono plugs give. Because of their shape the stub types can prevent access to adjacant phono plugs though.

Reading the OP it looks more like you're running each amp as a monoblock (one side being unused though ie not bridged) in single wire mode. For biwired you'd usually run 2 cables from the amp to each speaker. One for the tweeter and one for the bass/mid. I may have misinterpreted your post though.

Assuming your speakers are indeed biwireable and have 2 pairs of binding posts each, a pair of those Y adapters, an extra phono cable so you can run all four power amp channels and a second pair of speaker cables and four more banana plugs and you're away.

 

[up the music]

8 more banana plugs. sorry. I noticed quickly though.

 

[Andrew Everard]

This all-metal one may (or may not) be better

 

[Anonymous]

That's the ones I used to Bi-Amp my Quad 99 powers. Sounds excellent to my ears. caused a few access problems but nothing to bad. I've heard all sorts of things about splitting signals being bad but a technical guy at Quad explained to me how it doesn't make the slightest difference to the sound, though don't ask me to repeat it as it was a little involved!

Z4

 

[up the music]

I've had a couple of the all metal ones. I taped over the barrels to prevent them contacting one another. Was this a good idea or wouldn't it matter?

 

[Andrew Everard]

As long as you're still getting signal through, no problem at all.