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

The simple answer is yes, bi-wire. My experience is that bi-wiring always improves all areas of sound quality.   The reasons are listed.  

  1. First, if you do not bi-wire, and your speakers came with unshielded metal jumpers (like my ‘97 vintage Apogees) or poor quality shielded wire jumpers, then replace them with wire equal to, or better than, your speaker cable.  Electromagnetic interference, including radio frequency interference, will enter a circuit at the weakest shielded point.  So it is important to have a quality jumper.  Also, you want a quality conductor to not limit current flow by increasing resistance.  My Apogee speakers sounded harsh, grainy, and with polite bass using the OEM jumper.  
  2. Second, low frequency drivers demand more current than mid/high frequency drivers.  As current flows through a wire, electromagnetic force develops.  EMF creates high frequency distortion.  By separating the current demand, less EMF is developed in the wire for the mid/high frequency drivers.  Therefore, theoretically better SQ.  
  3. Third, bi-wiring obviously increases the amount of conducting material reducing gage.  Doubling the wire is not directly proportional to gage number, so the total will not half.  But it will go down a couple of units.  Decreasing gage reduces resistance and permits easier electron flow, thereby improving sound quality.  
  4. Bi-amping is the ultimate form of bi-wiring.  I never had a budget to bi-amp.  The technology discussed above applies.  In addition, you benefit from two power amplifiers, each with the own power supplies, one handling current demands of the low frequency drivers, the other handling the current demands of the mid/high drivers. 
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In conclusion, bi-wiring technologically makes sense.  My experience has been it improves all areas of SQ with my speakers in my system.  My recommendation is to get a demonstration pair of bi-wire cables of your choice and determine if you get improved SQ and if the benefit/cost ratio is worth it   


 

If you go with jumpers replace those with good wired ones, e.g. Cardas or the like. If you decide to biwire, which I would do if cost not a big consideration, get separate runs coming off your one amp with one set spades and the other bananas for the amp connection at least.  They could be either on the speaker end. If you're biamping just terminate with whatever you want. As far as the thoughts about bewiring (biamping being a totally different issue, and expensive) there are plenty of folks like Paul McGowen who say it definitely helps.  Others use electrical theory arguments as to why it's nonsense.  I did it, because I already had half of the cables, so didn't have to think about it any more. I doesn't hurt, anyway, and you can then stop thinking about it. This stuff can make you crazy. But at least replace those jumpers should you go that way. 

@westcoastaudiophile I do not know if your inquiry was directed to me.  IMHO you cannot shield an unshielded chunk of copper supplied as a jumper by the extinct Apogee Acoustics as I described and by Martin Logan as @steve_a001 describes.  These are best suited for the metal recycle bin.   That is why I recommended buying an audiophile cable equal to or better than your speaker cable.  

One technical issue I forgot to mention.  Bi-wiring effectively reduces wire gage a few units.   The reason is that an effectively larger diameter has less inductance since  it has a larger cross-sectional area, allowing current to flow more easily and creating a weaker magnetic field around it.  When bi-wiring with a cable designed with very low inductance, reducing inductance further by bi-wiring may contribute to amplifier stability issue, potentially leading to oscillation and ringing.  I actually made this mistake.   Goetz Alphacore was well regarded in the Absolute Sound in the late 90s.  I bi-wired my Apogees with their M1 cable, a low inductance design.  It caused my Krell KSA300s to oscillate, triggering the protection circuit on turn on.   Goetz graciously let me return their product with no restocking fee that time.   Just assure you do not use a very low inductance cable, or ask your amp mfg. for input if you bi-wire