Notwithstanding that a single pair of binding posts would be preferred, I’ve settled on a ‘diagonal’ configuration. Red speaker cable to HF and black to Mid/LF.
I’ve lived with all permutations for a while and this is the one I’ve returned to as it simply sorts the music out better.
‘Abraxas’ is a good test album for this. All the musical parts remain distinct yet contribute to a wonderfully satisfying ‘whole’. Other configurations don’t have quite the same coherence to my mind.
Not sure why this should be but thought I’d share.
I wonder what proportion of biwireable speaker owners actually biwire, and what proportion bother changing the horrible plates for decent cables. And then, of the latter, how many have connections that have come loose.
A huge proportion must be hearing their speakers working sub optimally. It must be one of the most utterly pointless features in the world of hifi.
I’ve tried all the combinations but always ended up with both going to LF first
I looked around for a science/electrical theory on this but could never find anything other than forum & manufacturers ideas.
Audioquest on their website has a guide for using single wire to bi-wire terminals, where they very much recommend the diagonal for 2-way speakers and have some explanation. Otherwise they recommend to try all the options
“For 2-way speakers, be sure to put the red connector to treble + and black connector to bass -. This is the only way to preserve the tonal voice the speaker designer intended.”
I’ve known this AQ recommendation for a long time and found it interesting but have a 3-way. I tried all the options (but not in the new system) and it was inconclusive. So I went with the recommended default of both into the treble terminal and jumpering to the bass. Interesting that it works for you this way, thanks for the feedback.
This bi-wire terminal craze is insane, barely anyone bi-wires and all it does is add expenses for jumpers (which are like a thousand EUR for Superline!)
Using Super Lumina cables and jumpers on my Kudos 808s a diagonal configuration is not possible due the blocks at the end of the cables which are obviously there for a reason. I have therefore gone for main cables to the HF and jumpers down to the LF cabinet.
I’ve gone back to diagonal (again)
Not at all sure I’m hearing anything different, but will keep going with an open mind.
I’m still looking into the science that might be relevant, if anyone finds something, let me know. But please no speaker or cable mnftrs recommendations, I’ve seen them all.
Brilliant question. In my past experience in the trade, nearly all customers do. In fact, for customers buying Naim, it takes a bit of forceful re-education to get them off it. So many feel that if the speakers support it and you don’t do it, they might not be getting the best from them. Rubbish. But true.
Agree, as I struggle to see how those last few cm make a difference. I don’t hear anyone about experimenting with shortening their speakers cable by a few cm. Seems to go in 0.5m increments and everyone seems pleased with that level of accuracy.
I’m not concerned at all about cable length, a few cm cannot possibly have any effect.
If there is any science & truth in this, I guess it will be something associated with the interaction of the HF input which goes to a series capacitor & the LF input which goes to an inductor.
Just for variation! When my dealer installed my B&W 804D3s he connected the speaker cables diagonally, but asymmetrically! ie on the right speaker the black lead goes to the lower terminal (LF ) and the red to the higher terminal (HF), while on the left the red lead goes to the lower terminal and the black to the top. He has been selling Naim and B&Ws for years, so I am certain that is based on experience.
I haven’t experimented with other options, but perhaps it is worth a try.
I agree, that was my point. I can’t see how it’s the additional length to bridge to the other post, so if there’s anything to it, it must be something else.
Like many others, I wish ProAc (and many other manufacturers) wouldn’t supply speakers with 2 sets of terminals. That said, I use the F config on my cables and have tried all the permutations. Result - no discernible difference whatsoever! I simply bring both cables into the LF connections first, taking the extenders (jumpers) to the HF connections. I appreciate others prefer the diagonal connections, we all hear what we hear (or not, as the case may be)!
Hi all, hope all’s safe & well.
I used to just put the plugs into the bottom (bass), purely because it was the nearest to the floor. I recently tried diagonal, after a month I tried connecting to the top; I seem to prefer this method - top end maybe has a little more ‘sparkle’ (?), it may just be ‘placebo’, but so far; happy to leave it that way.
Just a note (as in ‘wondering’) - diagonal: did I read it correctly that a dealer did it with one speaker one way, & the other way for the other speaker, for one of the contributors ???
There may be another reason for bi-wire terminal: bi-amping. I’ve always been a bit surprised passive ATC speakers are bi- or tri-wirable. ATC don’t specifically advocate bi-wiring, saying instead the terminals are provided to permit bi-amping. And of course, they strongly advocate active operation, which does involve multiple amps. There’s at least one person on the forum who does (did) bi-amp with ATC power amps.
Years ago, Chord used to make a bi-wire cable. It was even designed to run under carpets: Flatline Twin, I think it was called. I suspect there’s some lurking in a seldom visited corner of my garage from when I used to use it with my KEF speakers. I’ve now seen the light ,so do I still have to go sit on the naughty step?