Bi-Wire Cable Question - Can They Be Used As Standard Speaker Cables Without A Problem?


I believe I know the likely answer to this, but just want to be certain. There are a used pair of speaker cables that just appeared for sale which I have been trying to find for nearly a year. They were reported by a quality audio reviewer to have special synergy with my upstairs system. The only issue is that the pair for sale are bi-wired. I have no means to use them bi-wired since my speakers cannot accommodate that. Can I use them as a standard pair of speaker cables without a problem? And what would be the proper means of connecting the ends with two pairs of wires? I strongly suspect it shouldn't be an issue, but I've simply never come across this specific situation before.

My speakers are Magnepans, which won't accept spades, so that complicates things a bit. That would mean no possible way of connecting all four wires to the speaker binding posts. If it is possible to use just two of the leads I plan to use Audioquest banana adaptors as a solution.

Thanks for any assistance with this.


nightfall
OP- you've gotten excellent answers to your question. Hopefully these will help you solve your dilemma. Let us know.

Tom
I just did this and had the same questions. It works just fine. I have AQ Redwoods that were single bi-wired and I used them on an NHT M6 monitor that is not bi-wire compatible. I used AQ spades on one pair and AQ bananas on the other pair and connected them to the only pair of binding posts. Initially, I had spades on them all, but the routing was putting some extra stress on the wire. Switching the ends really helped that. I would probably have to change them back if I had to sell since that is a weird/odd combo.

I also did the bottom bass module with double bi-wired AQ Volcano. Same cable end swap and it worked perfect. It’s fairly easy to swap those AQ ends at home.
I personally would spend the extra money and send them back to AQ for termination as they have a special process that does make a small difference.  It's very easy and cheap to install their top of the time spades etc... and it's worth it in the long run.  JMHO