As far as reliability is concerned, the tweeter is only exposed to 100 watts of power capability, not 400 watts, and the same goes for the woofer. Accidents or sudden overloads are much less likely to damage a driver, and the amplifier is likely to be less stressed than when in bridge mode operation, which does add some extra operating stress.

One thing that can be done with most amps used for biamplification is to double up on each band (channel), or load two biamp capable 8 ohm nominal rated speaker systems off of one amp. The load on the amp would then only be a four ohm load per channel. Two woofers can operate off of the low frequency amp channel, and two tweeters off of the high frequency channel. That extra speaker could provide an additional 3-6 dB more SPL, or more crowd coverage, all the while biamped and playing clean and loud. A bridged amp that is only rated down to four ohms per channel, eight ohms bridged, could only have one single 8 ohm speaker connected while in bridge mode.

Obviously, with biamplification, you can also mix and match amp capabilities to the drivers. If you have two power amps with different power ratings, use the bigger amp for the woofers, and a smaller amp for the tweeters, and as long as the tweeter amp was at least 1/3 to ½ the power rating of the woofer amp, you would still enjoy that increased output advantage over bridging. Remember, we still had about 3-4 dB of excess tweeter output, left over after the masking effect was overcome, so the tweeter amp does not have to have the same power capabilities as the woofer amp to keep up.

Biamplification does require an electronic crossover to operate properly, while most pro amps come already equipped for bridged operation. Some users may not want to deal with the additional complexity of an electronic crossover, most such stand-alone crossovers need to be adjusted, and the crossover settings are not always obvious or easy to make correctly for best sound. Peavey offers a pair of simple solutions to the electronic crossover "blues".

The new CS®-800S has provisions for different input modules to be inserted, and one of those that is available is the Peavey X1 crossover module. It has made biamplification a breeze for anyone. With it's crossover point cleverly set to a specific point, with jumper adjustment of polarity and mode, it can be used with a wide variety of Peavey sound reinforcement speaker systems. All EQ and crossover adjustments have already been made, and in most cases, equal gain for both amp channels will get you within a few clicks of nominal levels for the proper balance of highs to lows. The real plus is that the crossover output is defaulted to the two channels of the CS®-800S with the X1 module installed, so no extra patch cables are needed!

The speaker systems that work extremely well with the X1 are: The Peavey SP™-2 series, the SP™-4 series, the SP™-5 series, the new SP™-1G, the Impulse 500, the DTH™ 2 series, and the DTH™ 4 series. By following the set chart in the owner's manual, and using a simple system of movable jumpers on the crossover module, any of these speakers can be used with this crossover module, and biamplified precisely and correctly. Many other similar two-way sound reinforcement speakers can be used with the X1 module, where the jumper adjustments allow for fine tuning of another similar type of biamp capable speaker system. A similar type would be a 15" woofer in combination with a constant directivity horn driven by a 2" diaphragm compression driver tweeter.

The X-1 also has provisions for use as a subwoofer crossover, with the same easy hookup and set-up. And for that really all out stack, it has provisions for triamplification, with the subwoofer output going to another amp used in conjunction with the CS®-800S. Oh, and to make things even easier, the polarity of the subwoofer and the upper range output are both connected in the same (positive) polarity, and the blend between the sub and the top range cabinet is always correct! No frequency response suck-outs or bumps!

Now for the very best part: this X1 module for the CS®-800S only costs $74.99 retail!

The other electronic crossover option that is relatively painless is the tried and true Peavey PL™-cans. These $40 retail crossovers plug into the crossover island on the CS®-series, CS® X models and most prior models. For use with the mainstream Peavey speaker systems, the PL™-1200EQ is the recommended model, while the PL™-800EQ can also be used. For subwoofer biamping, there is a 150 Hz crossover version, the PL™-150, for use with subwoofers; or if you prefer a lower subwoofer crossover frequency, a PL™-100. In most cases, they can be hooked up all positive polarity, and levels adjusted, and you are up and running in bi-amp mode. Patch cables are required to get in and out of the crossover island jacks on the CS®-series amps.

So if you want to get the most from your system, and maximize the output SPL of your components, consider the minimal investment in a Peavey crossover module to put you into the biamp arena.

For those fans of bridged amp operation, there are a few tricks that may be of some help to you. There is one thing that a bridged amp that is capable of 2 ohm music operation can do that a biamped set-up can not do, and that is to drive a pair of speakers, one off of each channel, and then drive a subwoofer in bridged mode at the same time! All the speakers need to be an 8 ohm load. The sub should be an add-on type, one that has an inherent acoustic roll-off of the highs, or a built-in low-pass filter. A sub that dos not fit into either of these categories can be used by placing an inductor in series with the sub, to help roll-off the highs. This arrangement will have the subwoofer operating with 6 dB more gain than the two full range speakers, but this is usually not a problem, as most people run their subs at a level that is hotter than a flat match to the upper range speakers, and most subs are not as sensitive as the full range cabinets either, so the net result is a decent balance, and certainly not a problem for DJ, reggae or disco use if it is a little on the hot side.