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Vandersteen 2Ci - Bi-wire cable question

This might sound like a stupid question but I'm going to ask anyway. I see lots of bi-wire speaker cables with one pair wire connection to the amp on one side and two pairs (bi-wire) on the other/speaker end. I always questioned the wisdom and wondered how these cables are made. So here's my question: Are there any benefits in "converting" my regular speaker cables into bi-wire by simply splicing two short pairs of  cables, of course same quality as the main cable with connectors on the speaker ends.The speaker in question is Vandersteen 2Ci which doesn't have jumpers. I'm also wondering how folks hook up regular speaker wires to these speakers.

Or, I should also ask if a bi-wire connection mandatory on these speakers? Thanks.

128x128kalali
hifiman5's avatar
hifiman5
1,832 posts
 
+1 tomic601   If you can swing it at some point you would do well to upgrade the quality of the wire you're using.  Vandy's are sufficiently resolving of fine details that it Will make a difference.
gdnrbob
4,444 posts
 
Yup, that is a long run. A nice set of AQ Rocket 88's would be your best bet in my humble opinion. A used pair can be found for not that much money and often turn up on Ebay or Audiogon.
Audioconnection helped me reterminate a set of Rockefellers in to true Bi-wire. I need to see if he has any Castle Rock.
Bob
pasko1
4 posts
 
I have a well-loved pair of 2ci's that I've been running with two pairs of Audioquest Indigo+ cables to an Aragon 4004 II amplifier, whose binding posts are big enough to accommodate two spade lugs per post.  Since the 2ci (or at least my pair) have banana jacks, the speaker end spades are screwed into a pair of Straightwire spade-to-banana adaptors.  Been using this setup for 20 years.  Works for me.
kalali's avatar
kalali OP
1,977 posts
 

The question about the sock was purely based on curiosity and having looked at the videos, they are clearly not designed for removal unless a repair is needed.

Regarding the wires, I know there are a lot of great cables out there and I don't mean to rekindle a well exhausted debate around their benefits so with that been said, I went ahead and fished a second pair of 12 awg wires, just like the ones I already had from my amp to the speakers. Again these wires are nothing special and I've been using them with four different speakers and they've served me well. I must have to say adding the second pair did indeed make a difference. The most noticeable affect is a slightly better bass. Definitely noticeable. I'm guessing adding the second pair halved the load that the amp now sees from the speakers by technically halving the length of cables. All in all, it was worth the effort. Thank you all for guidance. These speakers do indeed sound very musical.

kalali's avatar
kalali OP
1,977 posts
 
I posted a comment about general bi-wiring in a different thread but would like to ask a more specific question about the 2Ci and the directions in the manual. The manual recommends using two identical amps for vertical bi-wiring which makes sense but they show stereo amps not monoblocks and the wiring from each amp is such that one channel drives the tweeter/mid and the other channel drives the bass. So when done, depending on which channels are used- right or left, it looks like the channels driving the bass (or tweeter/mid) could be switched from right to left. Am I missing something or this makes sense to everyone else?
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