If Bi-Wiring is an option, should I choose Bi-wiring over single banana with free jumpers


Hello All!

Newbie here : ) I have a pair of speakers (MartinLogan Motion 40i) that have, according to the website, "dual five-way binding post speaker terminals which allow bi-amping or bi-wiring." As you can see in the top right photo of the speaker terminals in this link, the speakers came with free jumpers (the jumpers look like just a sheet of conductive metal) between the 4 terminals. 

https://www.martinlogan.com/en/product/motion-40i

So when purchasing speaker cables, placing the best quality connection over cost, should I:

1. (Cheapest) Get single banana plugs and use the included free jumpers, or

2. (More costly but will it be WAY better?) Get Bi-wire speaker cables and remove the free jumpers.

3. Get single banana plugs, and find some high quality jumpers to replace the free included jumpers.

If it doesnt matter much to sound quality, it seems option #1 is best as its cheapest. However my goal is to get the best/most efficient connection so i suspect options #2 or #3 might be the way to go? 

Many thanks for any advice!

 

steve_a001

As has been said several times above - one set of cables and same cable jumpers. One quality cable is better than two inferior ones.

My local dealer recommends buying the best single run and then having a jumper made of very high quality wire (ideally, the same wire as the cables being used).  He has made such recommendations to customers that can afford anything, including the customers buying $30,000 a pair wire that could afford another $30,000 for a bi-wire run.  He buys the wire in bulk and terminates it himself, so it is easy to make the jumpers.

I haven’t experimented much with speaker cables. I had previously biwired with two different types of older Synergetic Research cables. Mark IIS to the upper frequencies and a less expensive SR to the bass frequency. The thought being that biwired was good and put the better wires on the upper frequencies.  There was a considerable distance between the upper and lower terminals on my Von Schweikert VR-4s, so a typical jumper didn't work. They are not expensive wires, but they were for me 30 years ago. Not sure now that the logic was sound, but it does make me wonder about mixing wires that excel in different areas?

 

I’m not biwired now. Single run of Silversmith Fidelium and the Fidelium jumpers.

My issue with the jumpers shown in your picture is that it would be very easy to create a short circuit and damage your amp or speakers. To bi-wire or not to bi-wire is a bigger discussion. Simplest would be some high-quality jumpers, As stated many times above.  I’ve had success with WBC, “world‘s best cables”, reasonable cost, quality bits, solid build.

My plinius sa 100 has four binding post each side , my diapason adamantes has also 4 binding post. When I used 4 single run cable each side . I get huge soundstage and good layering, effortless sound.Lak is right 2 and 3 fast answers on cabling you have to experiment, to get the sound preference you like.