SC-LX85 too powerful to Bi-amp my MA Silver 8is?

[admin_exported]

Current Amp Speaker setup: Monitor Audio Silver 8is at the front, Silver 5is at the back and a Silver centre with Arcam A85 driving the 8is in stereo (Bi-Wired) and Yamaha E800 using the Arcam as a slave amp and providing surround and centre channels.

I've got the upgrade bug and am thinking of changing the Arcam/Yamaha for a Pioneer SC-LX85. You can Bi-Amp most of the speakers but I think it'll be a bit much for the Centre and probably the surrounds but can I Bi-amp the Silver 8is at the front? The Pioneer pushes out 140W, I believe the 8is have a max of 175W but am having trouble finding that out.

Would it be too much for the front speakers to be bi-amped? Would it sound alot better?

I love the speakers, spent ages running them in and don't want to trash them. Any cash I might find I'd prefer not to spend replacing my fronts but will add a long awaited B&W PV1 (now PV1D) to the system which I've heard and sounds fantastic.

Thanks

 

[scene]

Hello, and welcome to the forums. I've got Silver 8i fronts and I was considering getting a SC-LX82 a while back. I too was concerned about the official rating (which is 175W BTW). I got re-assured (and I think I may even have had an email from MA themselves) that they had a lot of head room and they could handle 200W-225W with reasonable ease.

So the Pioneer shouldn't hurt them.

As for bi-amping. You'd need to demo your set up. With an amp with sufficient power output, I wouldn't like to say whether the 8is would sound better bi-amped or not. Bi-amping with an A85 does improve them, as the A85, although a lovely amp (I have one) is a little on the under-powered side for really driving big speakers, like the MAs, hard and loud. Hence why a lot of people get a P85 to keep the A85 company. With the SC-LX85 it's going to be a matter of personal choice / taste / extended demo to decide whether bi-amping makes a huge difference.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Current Amp Speaker setup: Monitor Audio Silver 8is at the front, Silver 5is at the back and a Silver centre with Arcam A85 driving the 8is in stereo (Bi-Wired) and Yamaha E800 using the Arcam as a slave amp and providing surround and centre channels.

I've got the upgrade bug and am thinking of changing the Arcam/Yamaha for a Pioneer SC-LX85. You can Bi-Amp most of the speakers but I think it'll be a bit much for the Centre and probably the surrounds but can I Bi-amp the Silver 8is at the front? The Pioneer pushes out 140W, I believe the 8is have a max of 175W but am having trouble finding that out.

Would it be too much for the front speakers to be bi-amped? Would it sound alot better?

I love the speakers, spent ages running them in and don't want to trash them. Any cash I might find I'd prefer not to spend replacing my fronts but will add a long awaited B&W PV1 (now PV1D) to the system which I've heard and sounds fantastic.

Thanks

Hi scully_global

Bi amping generally leads to better performance and as long as you keep the volume in check then an SC-LX85 can be safely used with Silver 8i's. Fwiw, i've used amplification such as a Plinius Odean and Chord Electronics SPM3005 with Silver RX8's without issue.

http://www.pliniusaudio.nzld.com/products/odeon.asp

http://chordelectronics.co.uk/products-info.asp?id=18

As good as the SC-LX85 is however i would not recommend pairing Silver i's to an SC-LX85 as i feel tonally it will not be a suitable match and that the Silver i's will end up sounding upfront. As an alternatively Yamaha Aventage RX-A3010 will be far better match with Silver i's.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Frank Harvey]

Welcome to the forum scully_global

Bi-amping doesn't increase power. So the Pioneer will still be the same power when you do. You can use any amplifier. Regardless of power or price, any amplifier can be used with any speaker, it's just a case of staying within the limits of both of the products, and keeping a good match quality-wise between the amp and speaker.

The Pioneer SCLX85 will work fine with your MA's - there are many MA/Pioneer owners on this forum, and they're all happy. The Pioneer has a unique feature called X-Curve, which can decrease the HF of all speakers in the system by up to 3dB in 0.5dB steps. This can be used to combat reflective rooms, or speaker packages that are a little on the bright side, although Pioneer's MCACC room EQ will do all the work for you and give you as flat a response as it can. The reason for people describing the Pioneer's sound as 'forward' is due to it's high efficiency Class D amplification - it lacks the warmth of normal Class A/B amplification, which in turn produces a neutral, more accurate response. Since moving to Class D amplification for home cinema myself, I've enjoyed a more detailed, informative sound.

The Yamaha RXA3010, and indeed the Onkyo TXNR3009, are both worthy competition. The Yamaha has a smoother, slightly more relaxed sound, which will definitely suit those who feel the Pioneer is too detailed for them. the Onkyo has the best room EQ, so if you have an awkward room, the Onkyo should definitely be on your shortlist.

Its just a case of having a listen and see what you think of the products with your speakers - a recommendation is just a (subjective) opinion.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the comments, I do intend on auditioning both the yamaha and the pioneer but my BDP lx-55 leans me toward the pioneer:

I am a little confused by 'Bi-amping doesn't increase power' though I think you're right and I'm probably wrong, hence asking for help in the first place

I pressumed that when bi-amping you'd be providing 140W in effect to each half of the speaker (for the want of a better description). But without biamping you'd be providing the 140w to control the whole speaker. Therefore I pressumed that the specification provided by the manufacturer would have a limit based on the amount of power to used control the whole speaker???

Thanks again for the help.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Some people think that bi-amping with 140w amplification gives them 280w. It doesn't, and the power available will still only be 140w. Bi-amping does usually bring about some quality improvements though, so usually worth trying out