Bi-wiring loudspeakers is there really a difference?

[StarEye]

Hello,

I just purchased a pair of loudspeakers. They have two entrances marked Hi frequency and Low Frequency.
Since my amplifier has a single output (no frequency separation), I was wondering if i should:
1) I just connect the two loudspeaker entrances in parallel and I connect a single wire-pair from the amplifier to the loudspeaker
2) I branch two wire-pairs from the amplifier and connect one to the HF and the other to the LF port

A friend of mine is telling me that option (2) is the way to go, but I am a bit sceptical since there is no frequency separation in the amplifier.

What do you think?
Cheers
Luca

 

[TLS Guy]

Hello,

I just purchased a pair of loudspeakers. They have two entrances marked Hi frequency and Low Frequency.
Since my amplifier has a single output (no frequency separation), I was wondering if i should:
1) I just connect the two loudspeaker entrances in parallel and I connect a single wire-pair from the amplifier to the loudspeaker
2) I branch two wire-pairs from the amplifier and connect one to the HF and the other to the LF port

A friend of mine is telling me that option (2) is the way to go, but I am a bit sceptical since there is no frequency separation in the amplifier.

What do you think?
Cheers
Luca

Your skepticism is fully justified!

 

[TheWarrior]

Well, that was easy!

 

[Swerd]

Well, that was easy!

It's Sunday. Wait for it…

 

[tcarcio]

I found bi-wiring a complete waste of wire. Bi-amping is a different story and can be beneficial.

 

[Alex2507]

I found bi-wiring a complete waste of wire. Bi-amping is a different story and can be beneficial.

I bet you didn't even elevate your wires. Rookie mistake.

 

[killdozzer]

Well, this is something I didn't know as well. I didn't know that bi-wiring is as dumb as elevating cables from the floor. I thought it was about the wire gauge - that thin wire is better for conducting signals for high frequencies, and that thick wire is better low frequencies.

Why is there no such brand as NBA - No Bullshit Audio? There should be a company called NBA.

 

[lovinthehd]

@killdozer am having trouble deciding if you're being sarcastic about the thin wire/thick wire thing or not....I need smiley faces or something.

 

[killdozzer]

No sarcasm in that particular post. I thought that a very thin wire is no good for woofers, but is quite all right for the tweeters. I thought there is a threshold on wire gauge under which the wire is no good in Hi-Fi. And, following this logic, I thought bi-wiring separates wires suitable for highs from those suitable for lows.

 

[herbu]

No sarcasm in that particular post.

Oh Ratz!!! I almost had a new best friend.

 

[killdozzer]

Oh Ratz!!! I almost had a new best friend.

Don't feel too bad, I make a lousy best friend.

OK, so I gather there's no good reason for biwiring. Do you all see companies that build these speakers as flirting with snake oil? You'll make me say a definite good bye to a brand I use to respect. The brand first started talking nonsense about some cryo-copper, but they also have most of their speakers with biwiring connections.

 

[KenM10759]

When some speakers come with dual pairs of binding posts that's a nod to a rare few who may do a true bi-amp AND bi-wiring application, with dual amps and perhaps even an external crossover. You'll find dual binding post pairs on some of the most "pedestrian quality" speakers. It doesn't indicate a better speaker, just a couple dollars more spent. It' more surprising to find single binding posts on a really GOOD speaker, a sign of how the company expects even the most jaded audiophile to hook them up.

 

[lovinthehd]

No sarcasm in that particular post. I thought that a very thin wire is no good for woofers, but is quite all right for the tweeters. I thought there is a threshold on wire gauge under which the wire is no good in Hi-Fi. And, following this logic, I thought bi-wiring separates wires suitable for highs from those suitable for lows.

LOL no worries, much BS about wire out there. Try Roger Russell's wire page http://roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

 

[Swerd]

When some speakers come with dual pairs of binding posts that's a nod to a rare few who may do a true bi-amp AND bi-wiring application, with dual amps and perhaps even an external crossover. You'll find dual binding post pairs on some of the most "pedestrian quality" speakers. It doesn't indicate a better speaker, just a couple dollars more spent. It' more surprising to find single binding posts on a really GOOD speaker, a sign of how the company expects even the most jaded audiophile to hook them up.

While I agree with your conclusions, I am more cynical about why speaker companies provide dual pairs of binding posts. They would rather spend a few dollars more for the needless binding posts instead of risking lost sales to those customers who won't consider a speaker unless it has them.

 

[lovinthehd]

While I agree with your conclusions, I am more cynical about why speaker companies provide dual pairs of binding posts. They would rather spend a few dollars more for the needless binding posts instead of risking lost sales to those customers who won't consider a speaker unless it has them.

....and the guys selling them don't mind selling the sdditional wire....

 

[BMXTRIX]

While the math gets very tricky there are just a few things that are worth understanding...

1. Biwiring does and can have an impact on how the electricity flows to the speakers from a single amplifier.

2. This impact is far below the audible threshold of humans so it is completely meaningless.

UNLESS....

3. You are not using the proper wire gauge to begin with, and by bi-wiring you now have the wiring up to a gauge that is appropriate. You've changed the electrical characteristics at an audible level by starting with the improper wire gauge. Shame on you!

4. Bi-wiring just so you can bi-amp some day is fine. If you have 14/4 wire available to you, then 'why not use it' is perfectly fine. Wire is pricey, but in a $10,000+ audio setup, it's cheap and just having it there doesn't hurt anyone.

People get hung up on this for the money, but it's only $80 price difference between 12/2 and 12/4 wire (250') from Monoprice. That's enough for a typical home theater to be very well bi-wired, and perhaps someday bi-amped. Hard to say it isn't worth just putting it in if your walls are open and it's a fresh install of a good audio system. I'm in the 'why not' camp myself, but have no delusions of bi-wiring improving audio performance.

 

[imjustdave]

So to the original poster if it is marked high and low then I suspect the speakers are expecting the input to be as marked, teeters won't like low bass frequency. Shouldn't be hard to get a choke wired in. To the topic of bi wire speakers one thing I never seen brought up is it would make bridging the speakers easier if the amplifier can support the ohms. I recall my car sub had 2 voice coils that allowed you multiple wiring options. So more the one reason to have a speaker with multiple inputs

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[BlwnAway]

To the OP, @imjustdave has a point to be addressed, you never mentioned what speakers these are and if there is a jumper between the binding posts.
If there is no jumper, do some research to see if there is supposed to be one, if so then just jumper them together in parallel and you're done. But if there's not supposed to be one there, you may have an older or specialty speaker that has no built in crossover and was designed to be bi-amped with in-line/active crossovers.

Just a thought, not very likely, but it's worth consideration at least.

 

[killdozzer]

@BlwnAway thanks, this is not the case however. I'm still buying speakers and am not talking about any specific model. I want to get informed before I buy speakers. I doubt that I will stumble upon any 'no crossover design' in the 800$ bracket. But thanks for the info. I appreciate it.

You can help me with one more thing; so you're saying not all speakers can use the jumper, but those that can use the jumper, can also work without one only if biwired or biamped, right? If they're not bi-wired/amped and you remove the jumper, you would hear only one driver - the one you've connected, right?

killdozzer

 

[Swerd]

So to the original poster if it is marked high and low then I suspect the speakers are expecting the input to be as marked, teeters won't like low bass frequency. Shouldn't be hard to get a choke wired in…

Although this may seem like helpful advice, it also can lead to unwanted trouble. Virtually all commercially available speakers that come with two pairs of input terminals also have an internal passive crossover. They almost always also come with brass links that connect the high and low inputs, as shown below. If the links are missing, short pieces of speaker wire also work.

If such a speaker is biwired, the links are removed and two sets of wires are run between the amplifier and the speakers, as shown below.

Despite many claims on the internet or from salesmen (who also sell speaker wire) of improved sound just from different wiring arrangements, connecting speakers in either of these two ways makes no difference whatsoever.

No one should follow imjustdave's suggestion without first making certain that their speakers indeed lack an internal crossover. I don't know of any commercially available speakers that are like this.

This tiresome subject never seems to go away. Most of the time, I ignore these questions, but this time I couldn't.