Speaker cable questions

Was using bi-wire for my Tannoy D700 for some time. Recently bought an audio quest kilimanjaro in single run. It can be split into bi-wire mode. Hereby invite forumer for yr opinion should i split my kilimanjaro or just to add a speaker jumper. Thank you.

hi hangleng...how about u personaly decide either to use single or biwire because u already buy the cable..try listen both and just thrust ur ears

Maybe this forum can give some input for u..

http://www.hifi4sale.net/equipment-discussions-f6/bi-wiring-your-opinion-t960.htm

glad that u open this thread. coz i do have questions regarding on speaker cables too. but before i post mine, i suggest u go single wiring & add jumpers. heard theres some series of jumpers that can add colours to your speaker performance. but am not sure, wait for others to reply.

my questions are :

1. silver vs copper, which one is better?
2. terminated & bare end, some claims bare ends produces more clarity, as terminated often cuts the full potential. really?
3. 14awg, 16awg, 12awg (american wire gauge), the lower, the thicker, but is it better?

if its possible gives some examples of good sounding cables,
plus the price for comparison, tq.

1. can't really generalise if silver or copper is better. There are too many other factors in the equation that will affect the sound quality. Cable geometry (how many strands, how it is wound, etc), the purity of materials, the insulations, and a whole bunch of other factors.

2. Terminated vs. bare end: Whilst it is logical to think that bare-wire end might sound better empirically, terminated also has its benefits (provided the termination is done right. ie, no over-heating of the wire while soldering).
Terminated ends provide a solid and secure link for the wires to the speakers/amp. No loose connections. Spades are my personal favourites.

3. See no.1


Good sounding cables ? Also will depend on the type of setup you're having.
Maybe a good guideline would be to try and budget around 15 to 30% of the total hifi budget for decent cables. But the golden rule is to always try before buy. If you do not hear any difference, or the difference heard in the more expensive cable actually sounds worst to you, then don't be afraid to walk away and spend your money elsewhere instead... like CDs or LPs and stuff.

Thank you Azri and Fizi for yr advice. If i am using single run, shall I connect it half to the bottom and half to the top (50-50) method, and run the jumper across the top and bottom to produce best sound. Which terminal should put on top, the positive or negative. TQ

hangleng wrote:Was using bi-wire for my Tannoy D700 for some time. Recently bought an audio quest kilimanjaro in single run. It can be split into bi-wire mode. Hereby invite forumer for yr opinion should i split my kilimanjaro or just to add a speaker jumper. Thank you.

dont split the cable lah, it's expensive cable, if split then resale value will drop.. get a good jumper instead. Last time i did split my cable, not much diff, then i tried 2 single run, it sound better in 2 single run or shortgun but u amp need to have 2 speaker out.

TQ hifikaki. Really sayang to split the wire. I will maintain the cable and use two pairs of good jumpers instead, as my amp has only one speaker out. I am using audio research monoblock.

@hangleng, Good decision. Don't spoil the cable.


Cables not designed for bi-wiring in the first place should NEVER be split in any way to make a bi-wire connection.

This really f**ks up the cable's design specs and is a sure recipe for sh!t sound.


Check out this link:
http://www.xloelectric.com/dictionary.html#q10

TQ mugenfoo for the very useful source of information. BTW do u think that I connect both wire to the bottom speaker terminal is better or the top terminals; or 50-50 method. If 50-50 the red wire should connect to top or bottom. TQ

i think it should not matter, but u c an experiment. See if u can hear any diff or not. If u don't hear any diff... then don't bother. Just plug in whichever way is convenient and keeps the speaker cables low so that no one trips over them

Got to think about practicality too !

hangleng wrote:TQ mugenfoo for the very useful source of information. BTW do u think that I connect both wire to the bottom speaker terminal is better or the top terminals; or 50-50 method. If 50-50 the red wire should connect to top or bottom. TQ

hi hangleng..that 4 input terminal is actualy to seperate the hi frequency and low frequency..its only aplicable if u used biwire configuration..if u used single cable with jumper either one also should not be a problem..

p/s--if u use biwire,dont forget to remove the original metal jumper because i have seen once..biwire cable with original metal jumper still stick to the speaker conector...

TQ everybody for being very helpful. But another question floating on my mind. My audio quest kilimanjaro is made up of pure silver material. I connect it using 50-50 method (one to speaker bottom and one to speaker top terminal). If I use a copper jumper, will it defeat the purpose of the original silver material? Or shall I use back jumper which is also silver?

dude.... don't worry too much about silver, copper, gold or platinum.
This is Hi-Fi , not a goldsmith shop


Besides, if u read further on the XLO website, they actually explain why they choose copper (laboratory grade copper) instead of Silver. Silver ain't always the best ya.

Any difference between using banana plugs and spades for speaker cables?

more to cosmetic bro

Talk about speaker jumper. I am just using those 10 awg industrial cable. The wire looks like copper with coated silver. Works for me

....what kind of speakers?

Errr... Depressed? Using Wharfedale 9.1s. All 4 pieces were cut into same length, 80mm

you might wanna try to use some premium leftover speaker cables as jumpers.
Doesnt need to 10gauge, but well wound speaker cables. And this should be cheap.... from your friendly local hifi shop.

I rewired the internal wirings of my Wharfy Diamond-3 with VandenHul SCS-12 and the sound really transformed overnight.