I’m going to try bi-amping for the first time with some DIY Altec Santiago speakers I’ve recently acquired because of the current crossovers (N800-D) don’t have any control over the efficiency of the horn drivers versus the woofers. Here are the speakers/specs:
Altec 902-8B Horn drivers on 811B’s
Pressure Sensitivity:
104db SPL measured 4’ mouth of Altec 511B horn with 1 watt input of pink noise, band limited from 1200 Hz – 5000 Hz.
Frequency response:
500 Hz to 20 kHz
The 902-8B is fitted with a loading cap to permit operation at crossover frequencies from 500 Hz to 1200 Hz.
Altec 411-8A Woofer drivers:
Pressure Sensitivity:
93db SPL with 1 watt input of band-limited pink noise from 250 Hz to 1000 Hz measured on axis 4’ from the cone when mounted in a suitable airtight enclosure.
Frequency response: 250 Hz to 1000 Hz
I will be using a BBE DS26 Speaker Management System for the crossovers for each amp.
So my question is what should I be setting the frequency limits to each?
Example:
LF - 250 Hz to 800 Hz
HF - 800 Hz to 20 kHz
Or should I have some overlap between LF and HF?
Or am I completely off base?
Any other suggestions from the experienced bi-ampiers will be appreciated.
I know I’ll need to adjust the gain between the HF and the LF because of the 11db difference of efficiency which is the reason I’m attempting this in the first place. The HF drivers just over-power the woofer in a big way. I think the Altec 30904 crossover bridge is what brought the efficiency levels closer together on the original factory Santiago’s.
Thanks,
Doug