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Generally Speaking

Okay, stick with me because no matter how many times I rewrite this it still sounds stupid. Lets say I'm looking at "Company X" and they offer four different speaker cables, lets call them A, B, C, and D (A being the best). "A" cost 1500.00, and "B" costs 800.00. Generally speaking is it better to go with "A" or have "B" bi-wired with the result that both sets now cost 1500.00? I know something like this must have been posted before, but 1) I can't find it, and 2)this might give new members a chance to post(no one likes posting on a dead thread). Thank you all in advance.
tbadder
garfish
1,840 posts
 
Vandersteen Audio states that moderately priced bi-wired speaker cables will easily out-perform a single run of more expensive cable. Of course this is with Vandersteen speakers that have been specifically designed to be used bi-wired.

I personally believe that cables in the middle of a companies line to be probably the "best value" wires, ie they provide 90-95% of the sonic quality of the company's most expensive stuff. Cheers. Craig
sdcampbell
2,136 posts
 
Garfish and I are in general agreement on this topic, although my own experience is that the "knee" in the incremental improvement curve may be lower than the #2 cable in a company's product line. As with nearly all high-end audio, you pay more -- typically a LOT more -- to gain that last bit of improvement.
cornfedboy
1,645 posts
 
your presumptive formula does not apply to a number of cable companies' price lists; i.e., some class "b" bi-wire sets cost more than twice the price of a single run of class "a." that being said, my speakers of choice, avalon, have migrated from tri-wireable to single-post terminations, based upon their findings (and mine) that there is NO improvement from single to muti-cable terminations if your speakers, including most importantly xovers, are well designed and implemented. -cfb
rute1
71 posts
 
I would go with single run of your "A" cable!
sean
6,231 posts
 
My answer would depend on the speakers in use. If the speakers were TRULY isolated between the low and mid / hi frequency drivers when you pulled the jumpers, i would opt for "good" quality individual / seperate runs to each set of binding posts. If the drivers were still electrically connected internally after removing the jumpers, i would opt for a more expensive single run with good jumpers.

There is NO benefit to "bi-wiring" when you keep both signals in the same cable and simply split or share the cable. If you MUST split the cable or already have a pair like this, i would leave a good quality jumper intact for the lowest possible resistance between the two positive and two negative terminals. I know that this "voids" the idea behind "bi-wiring", but that is what i see as working best from an electrical standpoint. Sean
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