Bi-wire speaker cables wanted

[isuckedmandelsonslemons]

After years of sterling service in a number of systems I've decided it's time to replace my ancient Audioquest Indigo + speaker cable. It was pretty highly rated when I bought it but I guess things have moved on. Ideally I need 2x5m. My thoughts are that if I get a good second hand deal and don't get on with them , I can sell them on without much of a loss. I'm open to suggestions as to what I should be considering. Many thanks in advance.

[jostber]

I use the LFD biwire cables for my speaker set and like those very much. They should be available second hand on the web I think. Stereonow from this forum is the expert on these cables. http://www.stereonow.co.uk/QA-LFD.html
Alternativeaudio also sells them.

[icehockeyboy]

Most folk around these parts question the "benefits?" of bi wiring......

[Reid Malenfant]

Most folk around these parts question the "benefits?" of bi wiring......
Maybe they do, but it doesn't mean that everybody agrees with them ;) If I can bi-wire a speaker I would do & have in the past, to me it appeared to improve things. From a technical point of view it's actually pretty sensible, but that doesn't make it right :eyebrows:

Your ears are the judge of that...

[jostber]

You also have some Chord Odyssey biwires for sale over at Pinkfish.

[icehockeyboy]

Maybe they do, but it doesn't mean that everybody agrees with them ;) If I can bi-wire a speaker I would do & have in the past, to me it appeared to improve things. From a technical point of view it's actually pretty sensible, but that doesn't make it right :eyebrows:

Your ears are the judge of that...


Agreed, I have in the past bi wired speakers, and it was only when I went back to single wire that I believe I had persuaded myself bi wiring improved it. :scratch:

[jostber]

I know the positive effects of biwiring...I just can't explain it. :)

[Reid Malenfant]

I know the positive effects of biwiring...I just can't explain it. :)
Effectively when you Bi-wire the crossover is split so that the tweeter & woofer currents & voltages run on totally seperate cables. They only join at the amplifier output, so in essence the crossover may as well be at the amplifier terminals as far as the drive units are concerned.

Both drivers will have all sorts of impedance peaks in there respective bandwidth & in the case of the bass/midrange driver possibly two impedance dips. It's these non constant impedances that cause big current swings even if the voltage was constant AC, which it isn't anyway because we listen to music & not sinewaves..

Seperating the cables gets rid of the bass/mid driver current from being superimposed onto the tweeter current & vice versa. Everything has an easier time & I think that generally imo I hear a difference in imaging & detail.

It's quite possible that going bi-wire could lower intermodulation distortion having just had a bit of a think about it while typing :scratch:

[isuckedmandelsonslemons]

Thanks Mark. An easy to understand and helpful explanation. FWIW I have listened to my current Usher speakers and my Castle Howards in my second system bi-wired and single wired and prefer the sound of biwire in both instances. Much more detailed IMHO.

[Reid Malenfant]

Harry, why not make your own fella ;) In all honesty most bi-wire cables use the same wires for both bass/mid & treble frequencies, when actually they do have different requirements.

All you need to do is join them up at the amplifier end with either banana plugs, a soldered connection & then into the binding post, or a crimp connection & then into the binding post :)

Just to give you an idea I'd use something like 2.5mm^2 multistranded cable on the bass/mid & possibly a 0.5 - 1mm^2 solid core cable feeding the tweeters.

Think house lighting cable for the latter.


It'd be pretty cheap & you could experiment before you finally join them up permanently at the amp end ;)


Just a thought, I like to keep a fairly open mind about things as long as they make engineering sense :cool: It may not be what you want to hear but I thought I'd mention it anyway as there should be performance advantages over standard bi-wire cables..