Bi-wiring speakers-jumper bars/cables-help

Newbiexx

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I am looking to bi-wire my speakers to the amp. I have read that I need to remove the jumper bars. The images I have seen are brass plates, my connections at the back of the speaker have 2 speaker cables connecting the two red connectors and the two black connectors. Are these the same as the plates/bars and should they be removed before bi-wiring to the amp?
 
I wouldn't bother with bi-wiring, some say there is a slight sound difference, others not. Biamping might produce a slightly different sound. Whether that's 'better' or not is a different matter and down to personal taste. If you do want to go ahead I would post a pic of the current connection setup for clarity. Sounds like the jumper bars have been replaced with short runs of cable (which in itself 'may' alter the sound slightly, as some think replacing the cheap brass links with short lengths of the same speaker cable the speakers are connected to improves the sound) but can't say for sure what the current setup is without a pic. 👍
 
I wouldn't bother with bi-wiring, some say there is a slight sound difference, others not. Biamping might produce a slightly different sound. Whether that's 'better' or not is a different matter and down to personal taste. If you do want to go ahead I would post a pic of the current connection setup for clarity. Sounds like the jumper bars have been replaced with short runs of cable (which in itself 'may' alter the sound slightly, as some think replacing the cheap brass links with short lengths of the same speaker cable the speakers are connected to improves the sound) but can't say for sure what the current setup is without a pic. 👍
Many thanks for your reply. My speakers are geared for bi-wiring so I thought I would try it. Pic below, please confirm whether or not I should remove these cables before connecting to the amp for bi-wiring?
 

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They look like short pieces of cable replacing the brass links you usually get. If you're biwiring or biamping then yes, remove the short bit of wire.
 
'My speakers are geared for bi-wiring' - so are most loudspeakers produced since someone introduced dual binding posts for Bi-amping in the 1980's.

Bi-wiring is brilliant for the loudspeaker cable companies but not something which tends to produce any tangible benefits.

Hopefully it 'works' for you.

Joe
 
Don't bother. All you are basically doing is moving the crossover from the speakers to the amp itself. Very little, if any gain in audio performance. On many speakers bi-wiring posts are simply a fashion item.
 
Don't bother. All you are basically doing is moving the crossover from the speakers to the amp itself. Very little, if any gain in audio performance. On many speakers bi-wiring posts are simply a fashion item.
My amp also has the option to split the cables at the amp so there is no crossover at the amp- thought i would give it a try- thanks for your reply
 
What amp and speakers do you have?
 
Some stuff I read once. It’s how my speakers are wired and I’m happy. :)

Wiring ‘bi-wire’ speakers with a single cable.

For 2-way speakers, first make sure that the jumpers are in place.

Then…

The red cable plug goes into the ‘HF +’ speaker post.

The black cable plug goes into the ‘LF -‘ speaker post.

This is the only way to preserve the tonal voice of the speaker that the designer intended. (Audioquest/Chord configuration)

Chord says:

What connections on the back of the speaker should I connect my single wire speaker cable to?

As a general rule, the treble connections are usually reckoned to produce better sound quality than the bass connections. However, in many cases, we find that a diagonal connection produces the most musically coherent sound.

To do this, connect the positive (+) speaker cable to the positive treble connection and the negative speaker cable (-) to the negative bass connection. So in effect, the cable is connected diagonally. This is quick, easy and fun to do and the results are easy to hear.

The missing links
Most bi-wireable speakers are supplied with gold-plated links that join the two positive and the two negative connections together so they can be single-wired.

Another easy lift in sound quality can be achieved by replacing these with either short runs of the speaker cable you are using, or better still with dedicated links. A genuinely surprising improvement can result, particularly across the treble frequencies.

Audioquest says:

Using Full Range Cables On BiWire Capable Speakers:

When using a single set of full range cables with a BiWirable speaker, you might as well do it properly ... it costs nothing and makes a difference you can hear.

When using jumpers (factory supplied or replacements)…

On a 3-way or panel- hybrid, be sure to put both red and black connectors to the treble input. Bass is less sensitive to having the jumpers in the signal path.

For 2-way speakers, be sure to put the red speaker connector to the treble + and the black speaker connector to the bass -.

This is the only way to preserve the tonal voice the speaker designer intended.

If you do not BiWire, connect a single set of speaker cables as recommended above. Ideally, you should use a set of speaker cable jumpers to make the BiWire jumper connections at the speaker.

What about those “free” shiny metal jumpers that came with the speaker? It’s entirely accurate to describe these as “worth every penny you paid for them.” Simply put, these are very poor sounding devices.


Works for me! :)
 
'This is the only way to preserve the tonal voice the speaker designer intended' - what a lot of tosh, any actual speaker designer they are referencing?

Joe
 
Id say try it if you are able, personally I have not liked the effect of bi wiring. It often loses a sense of synergy, found with a single cable. I do like passive bi-amping on certain speakers but again the amplifiers and cables are usually the same
 
'This is the only way to preserve the tonal voice the speaker designer intended' - what a lot of tosh, any actual speaker designer they are referencing?

Joe
Like I said, just some stuff I read once.
 
Just bear in mind, the best a cable can do is make something sound a bit less worse. It's a purely passive component, so cannot enhance or improve the sound quality.

The aim of splitting the signal to the drivers is to provide a degree of isolation between them, so the back emf of 1 driver doesn't modulate the other, a proven and measurable effect.

Bi wiring would only achieve this if the cables could somehow magically absorb this parasitic signal without affecting the actual audio from the amplifier. Funnily enough this doesn't happen, as at speaker voltage levels, frequency and impedance, the cable cannot perform any function other than a very slight rise in impedance due to heat loss - and even then, only in very long and thin cables.

Bi-amping is a different matter, as an amplifier with a good damping factor will null out some of the back emf and may reducing power rail modulation if the amplifier is being driven hard. This is worth exploring, as quite audible differences can be heard.

Some speaker crossovers do a much better job of reducing back emf modulation between the drivers than others, so results will vary!
 
Just bear in mind, the best a cable can do is make something sound a bit less worse. It's a purely passive component, so cannot enhance or improve the sound quality.

The aim of splitting the signal to the drivers is to provide a degree of isolation between them, so the back emf of 1 driver doesn't modulate the other, a proven and measurable effect.

Bi wiring would only achieve this if the cables could somehow magically absorb this parasitic signal without affecting the actual audio from the amplifier. Funnily enough this doesn't happen, as at speaker voltage levels, frequency and impedance, the cable cannot perform any function other than a very slight rise in impedance due to heat loss - and even then, only in very long and thin cables.

Bi-amping is a different matter, as an amplifier with a good damping factor will null out some of the back emf and may reducing power rail modulation if the amplifier is being driven hard. This is worth exploring, as quite audible differences can be heard.

Some speaker crossovers do a much better job of reducing back emf modulation between the drivers than others, so results will vary!
Agreed, I do think current theory with a lot of performance only covers part of it.
 

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