Bi wiring speakers (not bi amping!) Do you?

[mandrix]

I am curious how many of us, with speakers that allow bi wiring, actually do this?
I'm sure many of us have opinions on this. Up front I will say that electrically there should be no difference, but I would like to hear from those that DO bi wire speakers, that is, run separate wiring to the both the tweeter and woofer and the reason for doing so.
ABSOLUTELY NOT meant as a thread to hassle anyone over their choices one way or another. Keep it clean.

So
1. Do you bi wire speakers?
2. If so, would you explain why?

 

[mandrix]

All the responses are encouraging! I'm sure someone must, and it's just curiosity on my part.

 

[ar surround]

Up front I will say that electrically there should be no difference, but I would like to hear from those that DO bi wire speakers, that is, run separate wiring to the both the tweeter and woofer and the reason for doing so.

I have heard of bi-wiring, but running a separate pair of wires to the woofer and another separate pair to the tweeter...I guess that would have to be done with an outboard crossover network. Sending both the high and low frequencies to a tweeter would burn it out.

 

[jamoke]

That would be a lot of amplifier channels in an Atmos system.
I suppose there are some purists out there...

 

[mandrix]

I have heard of bi-wiring, but running a separate pair of wires to the woofer and another separate pair to the tweeter...I guess that would have to be done with an outboard crossover network. Sending both the high and low frequencies to a tweeter would burn it out.

Well regardless, the signals will go through a low pass and high pass filter, at minimum, in the speaker. That's why I say electrically they are the same. It's the crossover in the speaker (filters) that determine what is passed or what isn't. Doesn't matter if you run separate wiring to both sets of terminals to a speaker that has inputs for bi-wiring, the same signal arrives at the crossover.

 

[mandrix]

Without a block diagram it's harder to explain, but if same signal from the AVR goes to both the tweeter and woofer, it still has to pass the crossover circuit(s) in the speaker. From there it will pass the appropriate signal, low pass/high pass to the components.
The old argument used to be that the woofer would feedback emr into the circuit, and that bi wiring was needed to defeat it. But actually that's not important, or if it is, is not defeated by bi wiring. In the end result, what the tweeter sees has already been through a high pass filter, and the woofer through a low pass filter.
Some of the speaker ads in the past have disingenuously said that bi wiring may promote clearer/better/whatever sound but it's just so much hoopla. Polk especially was guilty of this.

I guess I look at the claims of bi wiring as a sort of snake oil presented by speaker manufacturers who surely know better.

You might say that two sets of wiring insure a better signal is sent to the speaker. If that's true then you aren't using the proper gauge wire to begin with.

 

[marpow]

I do.

 

[key_wiz]

I do.

Do you hear a difference? And if so, what?

 

[kcrimson]

I use biwiring also for my front left/right and center speakers. My amps are providing plenty of power (400 watts/channel) and it was to help get that power to the speakers. As they said in electrical engineering classes, two wires in parallel is half the resistance. 2 pairs of 12 gauge wires were used for each speaker. I figured that it can't hurt and could only help, so why not? The wires are connected to the same terminals at both ends, so no attempt to bypass crossovers.

 

[DuncanS]

No.

It was another marketing exercise from the speaker cable manufacturers to get yet more money out of people! Only worth it if you are using very thin cables that can't handle the power/current.

The speaker cross-over filters are still in circuit with my Monitor Audio speakers, so I could Bi-Amp.

 

[newslane]

I bi-wire and bi-amp my stereo set-up, with Klipsch towers that support bi-wiring.

Bi-wiring: little noticeable difference.

Bi-amping: immediate noticeabe difference, because the power goes from 400 WPC to 800 WPC when bi-amped.

 

[newslane]

I use biwiring also for my front left/right and center speakers. My amps are providing plenty of power (400 watts/channel) and it was to help get that power to the speakers. As they said in electrical engineering classes, two wires in parallel is half the resistance. (2) 12 gauge wires were used for each speaker. I figured that it can't hurt and could only help, so why not?

I'll bet Larks' Tongues sounds great in your set-up.

 

[ar surround]

I bi-wire and bi-amp my stereo set-up, with Klipsch towers that supporrt bi-wiring.

Bi-wiring: little noticeable difference.

Bi-amping: immediate noticeabe difference, because the power goes from 400 WPC to 800 WPC when bi-amped.

That is interesting that bi-amping is noticeable because it is my understanding that Klipsch speakers are inherently very efficient beasts. I guess that one can never have too much power, regardless.

 

[newslane]

That is interesting that bi-amping is noticeable because it is my understanding that Klipsch speakers are inherently very efficient beasts. I guess that one can never have too much power, regardless.

I agree totally with your comment about power. I think it's needed for a full sound even at lower listening levels. I'm running 500 WPC in my ATMOS setup, also using Klipsch towers.

 

[barfle]

Yeah, a diagram would be good.

Bottom line, I don’t bi-wire.

My front three are biamped studio monitors (Emotiva Stealth 8), My surrounds and ceiling are all driven by a single amp each.

 

[par4ken]

I have heard of bi-wiring, but running a separate pair of wires to the woofer and another separate pair to the tweeter...I guess that would have to be done with an outboard crossover network. Sending both the high and low frequencies to a tweeter would burn it out.

As I understand speakers designed for bi wiring have the crossover built in but with each (hi-pass and low-pass) as separate blocks. They would normally be strapped together, at the speaker terminals. To bi-wire you simply remove the straps and run separate wires.

That would be a lot of amplifier channels in an Atmos system.
I suppose there are some purists out there...

Bi-wiring uses only one amplifier per channel. Bi-amping uses two amplifiers per channel.

Yeah, a diagram would be good.

Bottom line, I don’t bi-wire.

My front three are biamped studio monitors (Emotiva Stealth 8), My surrounds and ceiling are all driven by a single amp each.

I've bi-amped since the late seventies and would never go back! With four channels I need eight amplifiers. You can see why I'm not keen on moving on to Atmos!

A related idea to bi-wiring is to separate the main feed from the amplifier from the feedback loop. You run one set of wires to the speaker a second set which can be a lighter gauge carries the feedback back to the amplifier. The same technique that is often used with commercial/industrial power supplies. I remember experimenting with the idea once but was running into stability problems. You would have to worry if one of the feedback wires ever came loose, the amplifier would run open loop likely frying your speakers and your ears! Still the idea was once widely touted in DIY circles.

 

[kcrimson]

I'll bet Larks' Tongues sounds great in your set-up.

Larks Tongues in Atmos sounds amazing. I can't imagine it sounding any better.

 

[barfle]

A related idea to bi-wiring is to separate the main feed from the amplifier from the feedback loop. You run one set of wires to the speaker a second set which can be a lighter gauge carries the feedback back to the amplifier. The same technique that is often used with commercial/industrial power supplies. I remember experimenting with the idea once but was running into stability problems. You would have to worry if one of the feedback wires ever came loose, the amplifier would run open loop likely frying your speakers and your ears! Still the idea was once widely touted in DIY circles.

Many moons ago, I had a radio with what was called a "dynamic" speaker. The B+ current (yep, tubes) was run through a coil in the speaker, making it both an electromagnet and a choke for the filter. Different stuff, to be sure, but it had my high-school self confused for a bit.

I recall (but never worked with) a speaker system that used "motional feedback." It supposedly had a mirror on the cone and a lamp and sensor that would provide feedback to the amplifier from the actual motion of the cone. I think it died young, but an interesting idea.

 

[Mackspower]

I use bi-wiring. Primarily to solve a long cable run issue I cannot avoid as my room has in-wall cabling.

The high frequency runs use shielded cable to minimise any environmental noise. The unshielded lower frequency runs have a more significant cross sectional area to maximise power transfer (the left channel run is nearly double the right)

There is a small difference in sound compared to a single run. In my case, I got lucky. The mids sounded a little sweeter but it is subtle.

Would love to try bi-amping, but simplicity is king for me.

 

[MidiMagic]

26 pairs???? Good luck keeping track of them.