Are You (bi) Wired?

Bi-wiring. Who's for it, who's against it?

Did it change your life?
Did it change nothing but your bank balance?

What are the pros and cons of bi-wiring?
How did it change the sound of your speakers?

 

rofl. I'm definitely for it.
For me, there is a noticeable improvement in SQ(2-3 on a 10 scale). A bit more dynamic, detailed. Not big but there.
Life-changing, iono. I went on to passive bi-amping and bi-wire not long after and the bigger difference was there.
Like a 3.5-4 on a 10 scale, in muscle, presence, detail, scale maybe. Bass is more muscular and musical. I can hear most of the notes it takes to make bass instead of just boom. Mids have a fuller presence with more detail. An uptick in midbass. Highs are sharp without harshness. Snares ting deliciously.
I' m pretty pleased with what I'm getting out of my system. It went from sounding good to really good over the past year or so, from bi-wire/bi-amping and speaker placement.
All pros no cons unless you consider the extra wiring and of course, a second amp. Blue Jeans Cable made me a 4 ft bi-wire cable for like $125 or so for the pair.
Works perfectly. Looks good.

 

Another bi-wire thread.... Seems those that are using bi-wiring love it and those that are using single wiring don't agree that it makes any difference or detracts from the sound.


By the way, my system is tri-wired

 

My speakers can either be straight or bi.

 

Whatever about the merits of bi-wiring, for the past 30 years or so there seems to have been an agreement among amplifier, cable and speaker manufacturers that their products should at least provide the user the option of bi-wiring or bi-amping. This no longer seems to be the case, at least at the high-end of the market.

My opinion for what it’s worth? I’ve never been convinced of the merits of this approach. I’d rather spend my own cash on a better quality single wire than to bi-wire with a lesser cable. But I’m sure than many people think differently and if it makes them happy then good luck to them.

 

What are ya doin'? Are you trying to start another war around here?? Wire War 12!

Yes, I am biwired. Richard Vandersteen recommends it and I agree.

 

I don’t use bi-wiring and I’ve tried it but didn’t hear any difference.
However, it’s useful in the sense that you can use multiple thinner wires instead of one set of thick wires.
Makes them more flexible and easier to route neatly.

 

Um, I've always just liked girls.

 

I use single driver full range ear speakers with no crossovers. No need or way to bi-wire.
So no. I don't bi-wire.

 

yes
No additional comment

 

Nunya damn bizniz.

 

Any audiophile who's not quad-wired isn't really serious about music...

 

Of course! Doesn’t everyone?

 

Yes. Sounds better with my speakers. YMMV.

 

$30k
Blade Ultimate High Performance Loudspeaker | KEF

$63k
Model Seven Mk II | Vandersteen Audio

$30k
https://www.bowerswilkins.com/sites/default/files/2018-08/800-D3-manual.pdf

$300k
M9 — Magico Loudspeakers

 

It depends on the amp / amps and speakers, for me.

Looking in this thread the OP doesn't have anything that will work or benefit with bi-wiring so I can assume this thread is for other reasons.

Sure they have a pair of speakers that you could bi-wire, but not the amp that's listed in their profile. What good would it be to bi-wire when one you don't have multiple resistant taps on the amp? or two you don't have multiple amps?

If your using one amp that doesn't have multiple resistant taps and you're running two wires to your speakers from it you'll gain or loose nothing.

What bi-wiring is for, is add or subtract db gain to the mid/high and low frequency drivers.
You can do this a few ways....

1) Multiple Power Amps + Active Crossover + Bi-wire Speaker Wire + Bi-wire capable Speakers
1a) Multiple Power Amps with built in gain controls and multiple resistant taps + Two Pairs of Speaker Wire + Bi-wire capable Speakers

2) One power amp with multiple resistant taps + Bi-wire Speaker Wire + Bi- wire capable speakers with a passive crossover

3) Speakers capable having a passive crossover that has the ability to change db settings + or - . In this case some may have a switch, busbars with straps or add resistors on the line, all will change db gain to the mid/high and low frequency drivers + or -.

4) Bi-Wire Speaker Cables that have built in resistors. This type of cable will use one tape on the amp having one set of leads at the amp end, and two sets at the speaker end with a built in resistor on one of the pair of leads. This one will in fact work with what the OP has, if that is what this thread is about, doubt it though.

With that said if you can't hear these 3db + or - changes Bi-Wiring correctly you could go the the ear doctor. I think many people don't grasp how to do it right.

 

Nope; useless to me.

 

As it says on the tin, "Are You (bi) Wired?"

That said, I'm grateful for the info. I had no idea that my speakers wouldn't benefit from bi-wiring due to the nature and/or limitations of my amp.
Maybe I'll try it, since I have the cables handy. Just to test the theory.

 

To be honest, quad-wired is a bit of a compromise you need quin-wiring!

My previous speakers were 5 way, the 3K array containing midrange, tweeter and super tweeter. You also had upper and lower bass.






As far as I know you cannot buy 5 way wiring, so I used Linn K600 tri-wire


And K400 bi-wire cable.



Did quin-wiring make an improvement?

Believe me, after very carefully removing the outer insulation, stripping and soldering 40 plugs on, the improvement was staggering!!

The Linn speaker and amplifiers of this era were super flexible. I actually started with a 5 way power amp, so had quin-wired, bi-amped. Then added a second 5 way amp giving quin-wired, quin-amped.

The final stage which really did make a staggering improvement, was to fit a set of Linn Aktiv cards designed specifically for the Linn Akurate 242s inside the Linn 5125 amps, giving a stunning sounding 5 way fully active system.


Example of Linn Aktiv card inside Linn AV5125


Can bi-wiring improve your speakers. Yes, depending on design.

Did it change the sound. No, not really,

Did bi, tri, quad, quin amping improve the sound? Yes, but not massively.

Should everyone in an ideal world use active speakers, a passive crossover being a lossy item the work of the devil?

Absolutely!

A well designed and installed active system on a good room, fed via excellent sources is a thing of audio beauty, which can be a quantum leap over passive. Comparatively, bi, or even quin wiring is, a splash in the ocean, but you need that cable I conventional active systems.

@raye_penber, it didn't change my life, pushed the bank balance in a less positive direction, but gave me many hours most days, listening pleasure. I would probably have listened almost the same amount if those speakers were driven passive with a single pair of cables.....

Unfortunately marriage and a child means I no longer have an active system, but yes, giving a small improvement, I am bi-wired, using Linn K400 like in the picture above.

Edit. If bi-wiring makes an improvement really depends on the speakers.

 

...and more easy to get the "benefits" of a single thinner speaker wire if someone misadvises you on the internet. You'd have to leave the jumper in place, so the speaker wires are essentially doubled (parallel wiring).

Seems like an overly-complicated way to buy 1000W of amplifier power, and to make sure then that that transient note of a particular frequency in one speaker maxes out at 100W.

 

No bi-wire here just nice speaker cable and even nicer jumper cables.

 

On the subject - feel free to recommend.
I'm in the market.

 

I don’t quite get that.
Do you mean that most people are using thicker speaker cables than needed?
About parallel wiring, whether you use the jumpers or bi-wiring, both are connected in parallel.
It’s just the point where the electrical signal splits that’s different - at the amp or at the speaker.