Two stereo (or four mono-block) amplifiers will be needed. Depending upon the type of music, the power required will be quite evenly split between the ribbons and woofers. It is not necessary to have two amplifiers which are exactly the same. If they are not the same, use the amplifier with the highest power rating on the woofer. If they are the same, you may use one amplifier for the left speaker and one for the right. Or, you may use one amplifier for the low frequencies (woofer(s)) and one amplifier for the ribbon. The choice you make here is entirely up to you--which is the better method can be debated. A four ohm power rating of between 60 and 400 watts per channel is recommended. BE AWARE that amplifiers driven into clipping or near clipping could conceivably destroy ribbons or woofers. Level controls, while not absolutely necessary, are useful in some situations especially if one amplifier has more gain than another. If you are buying new amplifiers, getting matching ones is the safest way to go. As an approximate comparison with a non-biamped Carver loudspeaker, add the power of all your four amplifier channels together. Now double this. The figure you have calculated is approximately equal to the amount of power needed in non-biamped configuration to achieve the same sound pressure level you will with the biamped system. In other words, if you have four 100 watt amplifier channels, this will produce the same level as a 400 watt per channel stereo amplifier (800 watts). There are two reasons for this. One is that there is no longer a lossy passive crossover. The second reason is the same one most large concert systems are multi-amped. Simply put, when there is a bass transient, power is not "stolen" from the amplifier which may be needed for a simultaneous treble transient, and vice-versa. With the CXR-4, the figure is not quite this dramatic but it is significant.
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Copyright (c) 1997, by Rudi A. Blondia, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Last update: April 27, 1997.