Using biwired cables on speakers with only 2 connections


I generally have bought biwire speaker cables in the past, and now I have speakers that can't be bi wired.

Is there any problem if I only use two of the four wires and just Cover the other two wires so they don't touch each other. I hate the fact that I bought really expensive speaker cables and now I have this issue.

Do I use the high pass or the low pass LR pair?  Which have been marked this way so I trust there was actually a reason for them doing this and not just cosmetic

Will this impair sonic performance ?

emergingsoul

Why not just use both wires per binding post?

Should be like using heavier gauge wire.

Might even sound better, too!

the other 2 wires are now antennae. 

1.  hook them both to the terminal, 2 blacks and 2 reds.

2.  run them parallel to each other and very tightly spaced so they don't create a loop.

BTW, biwire is a waste of time.

Jerry

Like the previous two posters said. However, that may be bit difficult to accomplish due to their terminations / plugs.

Another option: sell the existing bi-wire cable, and buy a new full range (non bi-wire) cable

@emergingsoul 

Just use two and make sure that the others aren't touching. I have done it several times and it's not a problem. 

As others mentioned I’d try using both on the speaker binding posts if possible, then put some electrical tape around one of the cable’s connectors and see what you think, then put electrical tape around the other connectors and check that too.  It’d be an interesting experiment if nothing else, and you may well get your ultimate answer that way.  Best of luck. 

Unfortunately I have banana plugs, so I can't really combine connections to one binding post. Maybe I could cut off the banana plugs and have a raw wire and connect that along with a banana plug connection.

Alternatively, since my amplifier has a 4 and 8 ohm Port, I could reverse the cable and biwre the amplifier Side. Wonder if this makes sense

Maybe a good time to sell your current speaker wires and upgrade. I would look at it as an opportunity to re-optimize for your new speakers. I have found that my ability to discern sonic differences improves decade by decade and I can get much better match’s for my equipment.

 

While I have not done really careful listening tests… I don’t thing biwiring makes a difference above upgrading the connectors from the stock flat metal connectors. I’ve used to use biwired speaker cables. I now put everything into good mono wire (?) cables. Biamping can make a big difference of course, but that is different.

I love getting myself in trouble🤣. 

Skin effect is real.

You want the high pass connected for sure. The HP run has much thinner wire than the LP. There will be a clarity in the high end you just can't get with the LP section.

The LP section is designed to pass current. Woofers love current. Smearing is not an issue.

Conduct your own experiment: listen for a couple of days with only the HP connected. This will get your ears used to a certain 'sound'. Then switch to the LP only. Use music with a lot of singing. Use only well recorded songs. You will know within minutes.

If there is absolutely no difference, sell the wire. If there's a noticeable difference, now connect both and make a new observation. 

Love this hobby.

I build my own speakers. 4 wires from the amp. 40awg to the tweeter, 36awg to the midrange, 18awg to the midwoofer, and 11.5awg to the woofer. 5 years of experimentation got me to this point. Love being an excessive compulsive.

Piggyback banana adapters are available 

 

they have one make that would plug into the speaker in your case , two females that you would plug both the high and low sides of the biwire into , most often one of the females is angled 

Biwiring is nonsense anyway.  The two sets of terminals were originally for bi-amping, bi-wiring is the product of a bored audiophile with an active imagination.  Just leave the extra connections off and cover them with electrical tape to prevent shorting.  Of course someone will tell you that the kind of electrical tape will make an audible difference.

 

yodogyodog-

My speaker cables are 11.5 awg

 https://www.kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/spiralvoice.htm

“Bi-wire is nonsense”. This statement is nonsense! Nobody knows if the speakers you own will sound better if you biwire them or not. 

I tri-wire my speakers which are the same recommendations from the dealer/manufacturer recommend.
Don’t let nonsense replies persuade you for not trying things out, you might like the outcome or maybe you won’t, but your ears will tell you which way to go not some poster that doesn’t know your system

@p05129 I don't care who recommends it, bi-wiring is just redundant wiring.  It makes NO DIFFERENCE to the sound.  Bi or tri, your just feeding into the junk audio accessory industry.

 

@emergingsoul 

There are no problems just to use 2 of the 4 wires.  If you really like the cables and don't want to switch to non-biwire cables, keep them and connect this way.