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Do I really need to Bi-Wire?

Hi folks. I have been upgrading my system recently (and have been badgering you all asking for advice on other components - thanks!). Anyway, I am now considering biwiring my speaker cable. The reason I haven't done it yet is that the stereo pair I have are quite good and I have been given to believe that biwiring would only produce subtle improvements. My system is Bryston 3bst amp, Bryston bp20 preamp, Arcam Alpha 7 CD player, B&W Nautilus 805 speakers. The speaker cable is Interlink House Stealth PC Premier - 260 individual strands of copper per cable - two cables feed each speaker (4 runs of cable just for stereo pair), silver lugs on the end ($250 for demo pair - normally supposed to be much more expensive - maybe $500 per pair). The build quality is great, and I'm very happy with the sound. Will biwiring be just a very subtle improvement or is it really worth it? Also, should if it's worth doing, should I get a second pair of the same cables or use a different pair for the bass or treble. I'm looking to spend under $300 on the new pair. Thanks for your advice!
128x128outlier
outlier's avatar
outlier OP
381 posts
 
Trelja, yes, I am actually very happy with the sound of my system - I've just caught the audio 'bug' and have been eager to try out anything that will push it into an even higher gear :-) Areas that may be lacking could be soundstage and warmth - I think they are there already (no complaints really), but if I were to upgrade, that's the area I'd like to see improvement. Surprisingly, the bass is awesome - could be the help offered by the PS Audio 300 powerplant, or the Bryston Poweramp (I guess Bryston is known for an obsessive attention to the low end). Treble is also great - the Nautilus design is probably a key factor here. Cornfedboy, your suggestion on shotgunning sounds interesting - it may work well, especially considering that the individual strands fo the cable are insulated. I guess I would need four new silver lugs/spades. Not sure how to go about it though, or where to get the lugs.
mg123
192 posts
 
Outlier: When I wondered about this question, I wrote to the speaker mfg and they said "yes, biwire is better, thats why we put those connectors on there. Be sure to use the same cable for both top and bottom." So, I would not try the MIT "different cable mix". Questions to you: Why would you spend $$ on more connectors for shotgunning your current cables when you can spend that money on a duplicate set of cables, which will yield better sound (less resistance) and be usable in case you change your system later. Also, factory applied connections are usually best. good luck.
dklap
51 posts
 
it is my understanding, from what source i cannot recall, that the advantage to bi-wiring is in allowing the high and low end each to have their own ground. if this is what lowers interference to the signals (which makes sense) then go for it. definitely keep the cables the same type and length to maintain phase coherency. i bi-wired my acoustic energy aegis 3's and the improvement is significant, especially in the high end detail. whatever you do, i doubt you can go wrong with that type of system.
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