TEACH ME ABOUT BI-WIRE


I see a lot mentioned about bi-wiring. I am not familar with this. I know you must have speakers that can be bi-wired and they are configured for bi-wire by removing a buss bar to seperate speakers and/or crossovers within the cabinet. I have also read that you need to have an amp that has bi-wire capability (two left and two right speakers outputs - and not to be confused with speakers A & B).

Can someone explain what takes place within each speaker when it is set up for bi-wiring? What are the advantages and disadvantages if any? What if my amp only has one set of left and right speakers outputs (but has something called loops for additional amps), Can you accomplish bi-wiring if you had two amps? If so how would it work?
sfrounds
sfrounds- you are only half right. The speakers need to be set up to biwire, with separate + & - for LF and Mid/HF on each side. The amp, however, can and typically does have only one set of outputs. Imagine 2 + and 2 - for each channel at speaker end (for LF and Mid/HF). Then imagine the two + terminated together at the amp end, and the
2 - also terminated together. Therefore, there are two terminations per channel at the amp end, 4 per channel at the speaker end. In actuality, the cables can be entirely separate (just terminated together at the amp end) in a dual or shotgun biwire, or there can be + LF and + mid/HF together inside one jacket and - LF and - mid/HF in another jacket (called internal or single biwire).
Kinda a slow day/I'll tell you how/ what little I know; (this should be a very short story) If your speakers have what you described / It matters not, about the double posts on the amp end. You can buy an identical pair of wires/double them on the posts, at the amp end, then one pair to the low and one pair to the high terminal for each speaker/wala!! thats it. Yes, If you have a pair made for biwiring ,it is easier.That would mean there would be 1 spade on the amp end / 2 spades on the speaker end / A total of 4 pieces/ and no need for the double posts on the amp. Just about any speaker with such an arrangement, benefits from this. If you were to use 2 amps ;this is called bi-amping/If they are identical amps/this is usually better/but more costly.The speaker does love to "see" a feed from the amp for the highs and lows separately,for reasons my second grade education keeps me from explaining/but not to worry. For you; the second pair, from the same mfg. used, and probably available here, is the cheapest way to go.Welcome to the club!!
Swampwalker, Thanks for the explanation, I now think I understand.

What is actually being done is running one additional pair of conductors to each speaker, so you end up with a total of four pairs. The two pairs from each speaker terminate together on the amp end, and are seperated or bi-wired on the speaker end. This in fact accomplishes what - decreases total resistance on the wire? - Allows only specific frequencies to run through each pair of wires? Curious!!

Are improvements in quality usually noticed?

I got confused between bi-wire and bi-amp, thanks for clearing this up. Maybe someone can answer my new questions

Thanks again
I have no idea how true this is but I was told that another reason you experience benefits is that the drivers actually create a small amount of distortion and it is picked up by the other drivers in the speaker. The bi wire isolates the drivers from each other eliminating the distortion.
All your questions will be answered at this website which
includes diagrams for bi-wiring.
www.home-cinema-guide.co.uk/BiWiring%20Guide/biwire.htm