Using biwired cables on speakers with only 2 connections

Why not just use both wires per binding post?

Should be like using heavier gauge wire.

Might even sound better, too!

the other 2 wires are now antennae. 

1.  hook them both to the terminal, 2 blacks and 2 reds.

2.  run them parallel to each other and very tightly spaced so they don't create a loop.

BTW, biwire is a waste of time.

Jerry

Like the previous two posters said. However, that may be bit difficult to accomplish due to their terminations / plugs.

Another option: sell the existing bi-wire cable, and buy a new full range (non bi-wire) cable

@emergingsoul 

Just use two and make sure that the others aren't touching. I have done it several times and it's not a problem. 

As others mentioned I’d try using both on the speaker binding posts if possible, then put some electrical tape around one of the cable’s connectors and see what you think, then put electrical tape around the other connectors and check that too.  It’d be an interesting experiment if nothing else, and you may well get your ultimate answer that way.  Best of luck. 

Unfortunately I have banana plugs, so I can't really combine connections to one binding post. Maybe I could cut off the banana plugs and have a raw wire and connect that along with a banana plug connection.

Alternatively, since my amplifier has a 4 and 8 ohm Port, I could reverse the cable and biwre the amplifier Side. Wonder if this makes sense

Maybe a good time to sell your current speaker wires and upgrade. I would look at it as an opportunity to re-optimize for your new speakers. I have found that my ability to discern sonic differences improves decade by decade and I can get much better match’s for my equipment.

While I have not done really careful listening tests… I don’t thing biwiring makes a difference above upgrading the connectors from the stock flat metal connectors. I’ve used to use biwired speaker cables. I now put everything into good mono wire (?) cables. Biamping can make a big difference of course, but that is different.

I love getting myself in trouble🤣. 

Skin effect is real.

You want the high pass connected for sure. The HP run has much thinner wire than the LP. There will be a clarity in the high end you just can't get with the LP section.

The LP section is designed to pass current. Woofers love current. Smearing is not an issue.

Conduct your own experiment: listen for a couple of days with only the HP connected. This will get your ears used to a certain 'sound'. Then switch to the LP only. Use music with a lot of singing. Use only well recorded songs. You will know within minutes.

If there is absolutely no difference, sell the wire. If there's a noticeable difference, now connect both and make a new observation. 

Love this hobby.

I build my own speakers. 4 wires from the amp. 40awg to the tweeter, 36awg to the midrange, 18awg to the midwoofer, and 11.5awg to the woofer. 5 years of experimentation got me to this point. Love being an excessive compulsive.

Never seen an 11.5awg wire before 

Use banana to spade adapter. Search amazon. 

Piggyback banana adapters are available 

they have one make that would plug into the speaker in your case , two females that you would plug both the high and low sides of the biwire into , most often one of the females is angled 

Biwiring is nonsense anyway.  The two sets of terminals were originally for bi-amping, bi-wiring is the product of a bored audiophile with an active imagination.  Just leave the extra connections off and cover them with electrical tape to prevent shorting.  Of course someone will tell you that the kind of electrical tape will make an audible difference.

yodogyodog-

My speaker cables are 11.5 awg

 https://www.kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/spiralvoice.htm

“Bi-wire is nonsense”. This statement is nonsense! Nobody knows if the speakers you own will sound better if you biwire them or not. 

I tri-wire my speakers which are the same recommendations from the dealer/manufacturer recommend.
Don’t let nonsense replies persuade you for not trying things out, you might like the outcome or maybe you won’t, but your ears will tell you which way to go not some poster that doesn’t know your system

@jhnnrrs Wrote:

Biwiring is nonsense anyway.

I agree!

See video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McH2tlfj0vo

Mike

@p05129 I don't care who recommends it, bi-wiring is just redundant wiring.  It makes NO DIFFERENCE to the sound.  Bi or tri, your just feeding into the junk audio accessory industry.

@emergingsoul 

There are no problems just to use 2 of the 4 wires.  If you really like the cables and don't want to switch to non-biwire cables, keep them and connect this way.  

@emergingsoul (or others) please let me know what you ended up experiencing? I am in the same boat, have biwired cables and new speakers that are single. I   have banana on the main and binding posts on the shorter section. I'm thinking to just try banana and seal off the binders.... I won't have everything set up to test for another 3 weeks...

If it made an audible difference and probably doesn't, it would still drive me nuts having the 2 ends flopping in the breeze. I would do what do what @audphile1 suggested and get the banana to spade adaptors. Also you won't need to cut up your good cables to get bare ends. 

On the bi wiring subject I normally agree the differences are small except for some Usher BE 718s I had. There was a definite improvement bi-wiring. No I didn't measure anything. Could be that the combined gauge of the bi wire cables were better suited to the speakers and a single strand of that gauge would have done the same thing. no idea. 

@califortini 

I cut out the edge of a box and slid the end of the cable inside the corrugated piece and then just put some electrical tape over it to protect the connection.

So basically one side is connected and one side isn't and according to the cable manufacturer, transparent, it shouldnt matter.  But I tend to think cutting the gauge effectively in half is not a good thing.  

when You have really expensive cables it's kind of hard to sacrifice the biwire end. And also when you biamp, it's twice as many cables.  It's not a perfect world.

Don't really hear any difference it would be nice if I had the full gauge of the cable available.

 But I tend to think cutting the gauge effectively in half is not a good

I tend to think that you are correct.

Thanks all. I'll also drop a note here once I get the speakers hooked up in a week if I can wire them together on the post or if I need to cap the binders. 

Send them to the manufacturer and have them reterminated

a quick follow up, was able to wire them together no issue, the Martin Logan 11a had a combined binding post and banana insert at that same terminal so it was super easy.