2. cables
  3. 1347325749

single ended cable crossed at bi wireable speaker?

Hi! I'm completely new here, and I don't mean to reopen the bi-wiring can of worms. I just have one specific question. Today while researching about bi wiring and assessing whether I should re terminate my AQ Rockefellers, I came across an arrangement I had never seen before. Its on the last part of this pdf:

www2.audioquest.com/wp-content/.../02/UndrstndgBiWr.pdf

basically you use your speaker single ended wire as you'd usually do at the amp end but you plug the red terminal to the HF and the black end to the LF at the speaker end. Leave the jumper plates on. I tried this on my system today. The bass became less forceful without loosing definition or extension. I gained much more air in the tweeter and more presence and clarity in the mids. The soudstage became initially too wide and slightly confused but now I've gotten used to it and it seems more spacious.

Has anyone experimented with this arrangement? how about the opposite at the speaker end? additionally, has anyone tried the audioquest bi wireable speaker cable? I'm slightly worried that on the website it claims that the geometry favors punch on the LF speaker end without "ultimate resolution" which is something I don't necessarily want for the bass.

(I kind of miss the punch of the bass with the previous arrangement but the hi hat and ride cymbal now flies high in my room :) compromises, you know.

cheers!
audiopanda
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
Or you can thread wires through both terminals without using any jumpers in the single wire setup.
audiopanda OP
7 posts
 
I'm not sure I feel comfortable cutting my Audioquest Rockefeller to use the bare wire. I paid decent money for them new. I've heard repeated times that bare wire produces the best sonic results, but the resale value of the cable afterwards is null. I don't even know if this is easily doable with a cable with complex interior geometry. Plus, the nylon threaded jacket would look horrendous. Banana plugs have worked for me so far. So if I add an additional cable I think I'm gonna go with spades.
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
Audiopanda, it seems you may have an ideal situation! If your cables are long enough to get double runs if cut, simply send them to the mfgr. to do the job. Most cable makers will do such work for an agreed upon/set fee. It's WELL worth it as opposed to buying additional cables! And, if the cable maker does the work you are satisfied it's done cleanly. Perfect!

It can be a real PITA to work with the conductors yourself. One of the first times I obtained a brand name speaker cable was about 20 years ago, and it was a pair of very long Audioquest speaker cables. With fear and trepidation I cut them in half and finished the ends. I didn't reterminate them, but had to strip all the small conductors - 96 total between four unfinished ends - and twist them together. My hands were sore from all of it, but it was well worth it! If you do so you will have a harder time selling the cables as they are not reterminated, but you also might have a second rig to put them in down the road. :)

Wig, hey, shoot me an email. Yes, double cables is a glorious thing, is it not? :)
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,891 posts
 
I've gone the bi-wire route and love the sound I'm getting. it doesn't look as neat as a single cable but I could really care less. It's the sound that matters.

All the best,
Nonoise
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
Nonise, I'm not surprised by that at all; I use a tri-wire setup with three physically separate pairs of Clarity Cables with the Legacy Whisper DSW, both of which I reviewed for Dagogo.com.
More to discover