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How to amplify multiway active speakers?

How to amplify 4-way active speaker?

  • Plate amps

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 8-channel preamp and separate power amps

    Votes: 2 66.7%
  • Other, specify

    Votes: 1 33.3%

  • Total voters
    3

Jukka

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2019
Messages
341
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Location
Finland
Hi, as a DIYer of active loudspeakers, I'm interested in mapping my options for future projects. Please specify what you voted and why.

Prerequisites
If going for plate amps, I would require digital chaining to avoid noise and other analog issues, unless you can justify anything else very well. A plateamp would anyway have to run a DSP for the crossover.

If going for separates, a balanced line level signal is a strict requirement, and probably any kind of automatic power on/off (like signal sense or 12V trigger solution).

4-way speaker does not mean that all 4 of them are physically in the same box.

Background
I currently have my main speakers powered by Hypex FA and it works perfectly. I love their digital input board, because it allows for chaining many boards digitally. I also got miniDSP SHD as a preamp. I also got separate power amp driving a low frequency way, so currently SHD channels 1-2 are for mains and 3-4 are for bass. I'm going to add new LF speakers and I'm torn between deciding if I should get more FA's or scrap that idea and go for separates.

The Options
For plates the only plausible option seems to be the Hypex FA's. No other plate/solution allows chaining spdif or aes/ebu, that I know of for a comparable price. For my next addition I need 400-500 W of power, I was thinking of a bridged FA252, built into a separate enclosure. But I would be bound to a single brand, which is scary in a way. This would be considerably cheaper than going for a set of powerful Hypex/Purifi power amps.

If going for separates, I would need a DSP unit that can receive digital from my SHD, crossover and output total of 8 channels. This would be future proof if/when I build new main speakers and sell the existing with its amp. I was thinking of a Motu UltraLite mk5 and a Raspberry Pi with CamillaDSP (input to UL5, route to RPi via USB, do DSP and split to 8 channels, back to UL5, output through balanced), but I got no idea what kind of work would need to be done to make that happen. The RPi can be extended to generate 12 V trigger signal with CamillaDSP. Maybe the UL5 would be sufficient for simple DSP functions on is own. There is also the miniDSP Flex HTx, it's more expensive but has trigger out. In all cases this approach would increase cable clutter, complexity and probably delay too.

A third option could be to use PA multichannel DSP amps with my SHD, but they are usually analog only (could be tolerable once), they would need to be modded with quiet fans and there could be other unforeseen issues, like too much noise in output.

I still got my SHD, which gives me some room to maneuver between choices. I would not need to replace my whole system right now, just decide the future path from here on.

I would love to hear what you have done and what became of it, or what would you do next to amplify multiway active speakers.
 
Last edited:
Hi Jukka, my minimax solution is a RPI5 which makes the DLNA rendering and with Camilladsp the FIR Filtering for XO and DRC. The DAC is a hifiberry Dac8x studio with 8 sym analog Outputs. Then i have two Fosi Za03 for amping my two way speaker. There are no problems with 8 Channel output.
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Have you studied @dualazmak's stereo 5-way active system?

 
Regarding amplification I would suggest you to go icepower.
Get a 1200as2, hook a 300 or 400a2 to it and you have 4 channels at great cost, reliable as a rock, with all shorts of control to them (including your demand about auto-sense and standby) ,same gain so you don't mess with it, balanced all the way, etc.

Downside is that you have to DIY it, as easy as it may be.
 
Have you studied @dualazmak's stereo 5-way active system?

I've seen that threads opening posts before and briefly studied it. But unfortunately it's way too complex and takes too much space for my needs. It is a fine example of highly developed preamp+separates though. I probably should study it more to get ideas for a simpler version :)
 
Technically it doesn't matter.

But for practicality and convenience, plate amps or other internal amps and crossovers so you only need one signal connection and one power connection, and once it's built there's no chance of hooking it up wrong.
 
BSS 9088iis for DSP. QSC RMX amp, a Beringer amp and the unused zone amps in my AVR.
 
I've seen that threads opening posts before and briefly studied it. But unfortunately it's way too complex and takes too much space for my needs. It is a fine example of highly developed preamp+separates though. I probably should study it more to get ideas for a simpler version :)
Hello @Jukka,
If you would be still interested, you can find the details of my latest DSP-based multichannel setup here in my post #931 on my project thread. :D
 
If it were up to me I'd go with the plate amps.

I've thought about building some DIY speakers and I really didn't even consider other options, mainly because I don't want another heap of boxes sitting around for the crossovers, amps, etc. The only one that supports the features I'd want for a crossover that is sold to consumers is the hypex fusion line, so that's about it.

It's viable to go about it with other methods but I am not aware of one that's as tidy and as powerful.

The main drawback IMO is cost, they're not cheap.
 
Probably the cheapest solution:


Order the power supply unit, wiring harness and connections.
I'll build something with it at some point, simply because I'm interested in how such a cheap 4-way design sounds and works.

 
My friend has a DIY cardioid speaker with 15 drivers per speaker. Each driver has its own DAC channel and amplifier - 30 amplifier channels in total! To keep costs down, he DIY'ed his amps using Hypex modules. You can read more about it here.
 
My friend has a DIY cardioid speaker with 15 drivers per speaker. Each driver has its own DAC channel and amplifier - 30 amplifier channels in total! To keep costs down, he DIY'ed his amps using Hypex modules. You can read more about it here.
NC252MP are not available unless he's an OEM builder.
I know it's easy to find though but what happens with warranty and such for the simple DIYer?
 
NC252MP are not available unless he's an OEM builder.
I know it's easy to find though but what happens with warranty and such for the simple DIYer?

I believe he has an OEM account with Hypex. It was his intention to bring this speaker to market. I don't think he has sold any.

If 30 channels of hypex is "keeping costs down" I don't want to know what happens when your friend gets really loose... nations could be bankrupted...

I can't think of a 30 channel amplifier that isn't from the pro audio world and does not have fans.
 
I believe he has an OEM account with Hypex. It was his intention to bring this speaker to market. I don't think he has sold any.
That explains it then.
I believe he could get away with icepower modules though, lower cost, smaller footprint, better specs for 300/400a2 (for 2 Ohm loads as well as we saw at Trinnov review) along with their intended PSU to power multiple modules.
 
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