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Another Bi-wiring question: Amp related

While experimenting with different bi-wiring arrangements between my McIntosh MC2200 and Vandersteen 2Ci speakers, I’ve concluded that using the 8 ohm tap for high/mid and the 4 ohm tap for low (bass) gives the best sound. Nothing real dramatic but audible to me. It probably has to do with the different damping factors (output impedance) for the two different taps along with my fairly long speaker cable runs. Anyway, my question is, 1) has anyone else tried this approach on their amps, regardless of the brand, and 2) would this approach harm the amplifiers in anyway. I suspect the answer is no for the second question but just curious and wanted to ask.
Thanks. 
128x128kalali
6 responses Add your response
kalali's avatar
kalali OP
1,977 posts
 
Thanks for all the inputs. Appreciate it. I encourage folks with amps that have different, e.g., 2, 4, 8, etc., Ohm taps to experiment with this bi-wiring approach, assuming (obviously) you run two separate cables. You may be pleasantly surprised. On the Vandersteens it could make a worthwhile difference.  
gdnrbob
4,447 posts
 
As Stringreen suggested, I would call Mr. V and get his take on this. 
Trust me, you will get a call back the next day. Just have all your information/questions ready, as he can be a bit abrupt.
Bob
denman
112 posts
 
I used to run Vandy 3A Signatures with McIntosh 501 monos. After much trial and error using  (2) stereo pairs of cables, I settled on 4 ohm taps for mids / highs and 2 ohm for the bass. Experimentation is the key. The differences are subtle, but noticeable. Hope this helps.
                           Den
almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
That is perfectly ok, Kalali, as long as the two sections of the speaker are not interconnected internally. And in that regard I see the following statement in the FAQ at the Vandersteen site:

The crossovers in Vandersteen bi-wirable speakers are engineered with completely separate high-pass and low-pass sections.

Also, by the way, the manual for my VAC amplifier states as follows:

If you bi-wire your system (run separate speaker leads from the amplifier to the high and low frequency transducers) you may discover that two different impedance taps work best. For example, with early production Martin Logan Sequel II we find that the bass speaker is best matched with the 4-8 ohm tap, while the electrostatic panel is best controlled by the 2-4 ohm tap. On later production Sequels we use the 8-4 ohm connection to both drivers.

Enjoy!

Regards,
-- Al



kalali's avatar
kalali OP
1,977 posts
 
He recommends bi-wiring but I was more curious to hear how would the amp handle the use of both taps at the same time. I’m guessing the amp wouldn’t care but just wanted confirmation from the experts. No filters in path, straight bi-wire using two separate but identical cables.
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,468 posts
 
You should pose that question to Richard himself....
If you have a high pass filter in the setup, I would guess he'd be against it....but I know nothing
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