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Technical question about internal biwire cables

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Posted on July 24, 2015 at 18:43:56
Matthew G.
Audiophile

Posts: 413
Joined: June 9, 2000
 From an electrical standpoint, what is the different between using an internally biwired cable (i.e. a single cable with four speaker connections) and the same cable connected to one set of binding posts with jumpers connecting the other set? In my experience, using jumpers always leads to a bit of distortion in the high frequencies (assuming the cables are connected to the woofer), whereas internal biwire cables give a cleaner but thinner sound, among other issues. I'm not sure I understand why there's a difference, since in either scenario the signal is going through the crossover network.

 

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RE: Technical question about internal biwire cables, posted on July 25, 2015 at 06:58:50
earnie3
Audiophile

Posts: 639
Location: rhode island
Joined: November 2, 2004
 That's a great question just like why do different copper jumpers sound different even though is only about a 6 inch piece of cable. I do have to tell you I use Crl cables and some nice cardas jumpers on my spendor s5e speakers which I love. My friend stopped by with a pair of dh labs t-14 external bi wire (shotgun). Speaker cable I had to fix the connector on it it was coming loose no biggie. I plugged them into my system and had a drink and listened. Omg they sounded great. I owned dh labs in the past thought it was a great value for the money. So I unplugged one set and used jumpers with the t-14 and it was nice but not as good the two runs (external bi wire). Was MUCH better with one run going to the bass and another run going to the tweeters. Crazy I was floored on how much better it sounded in this configuration. Why?

 

RE: Technical question about internal biwire cables, posted on July 25, 2015 at 09:25:04
Awe-d-o-file
Dealer

Posts: 21037
Location: 50 miles west of DC
Joined: January 10, 2004
 my jumpers wer barely 2 inches long and made a big diff. I read somewhere that some think proximity of bi-wire pairs from each other means a lot and they prefer to independent runs separated.

E
T
ET

"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936

 

RE: Technical question about internal biwire cables, posted on July 25, 2015 at 12:59:27
Duster
Manufacturer

Posts: 17117
Location: Pacific Northwest
Joined: August 25, 2002
 Whether or not it's an internal or external bi-wire cable, a bi-wire cable allows each crossover section to be separately connected directly to the amplifier outputs rather than one section (high-pass or low-pass) being bridged/jumped to the other at the loudspeaker end. The purpose of a bi-wire connection is to avoid the EMF backwave of the woofer from affecting the performance of the tweeter. A bi-wire cable simply keeps the crossover sections apart from each other, all the way from the amplifier outputs to each crossover section.

An internal bi-wire cable typically divides the amount of conductors in half (or thereabouts) for a bi-wire application, which decreases the aggregate/effective gauge in a manner that essentially makes the conductivity of the cable much less efficient. As a result, the cable may present "a cleaner but thinner sound" as you say, with a leaner tonal characteristic. When the same cable is connected to the loudspeaker via the use of bi-wire jumpers, the total cross section of the cable is connected to both crossover sections, so a fuller-bodied tonal characteristic may be a result, however at the expense of no longer providing the sonic benefits of a bi-wire connection.

This aspect is another important reason why an external bi-wire cable configuration is preferred vs. an internal bi-wire configuration, since the entire cross section (all of the conductors) of each of the two cables can be used for each crossover section, as well as the ability to keep the two cables apart from each other in order to help mitigate interactions between each cables electromagnetic fields.

 

Thanks. That's helpful. One other question . . ., posted on July 25, 2015 at 14:11:15
Matthew G.
Audiophile

Posts: 413
Joined: June 9, 2000
 Based on what you're saying, it would seem that bi-wiring changes the way the crossover functions. Is this the case?

 

RE: Thanks. That's helpful. One other question . . ., posted on July 25, 2015 at 15:43:20
Duster
Manufacturer

Posts: 17117
Location: Pacific Northwest
Joined: August 25, 2002
 As you've learned, the crossover for a bi-wire capable loudspeaker involves a high-pass section and a low-pass section that are electrically separate from each other. The only way to operate a bi-wire capable loudspeaker is to either use a jumper which intrinsically acts not unlike an audio adapter, with the same type of sonic compromises that audio adapters tend to involve, or choose to use a proper bi-wiring scheme. That said, to use bi-wire jumpers instead of an appropriate bi-wire cable configuration is inadvisable, unless the sonic compromise of bridging the signal is acceptable to a listener.

The desired affect of bi-wiring is not to change the way a crossover functions, the desired affect is to avoid the unwanted effect (think of it as noise, distortion, or "detrimental energy") of a woofer from affecting a tweeter which includes the components of the tweeter high-pass section. When the tweeter and the high-pass section of the crossover is connected directly to the amplifier outputs, the tweeter and the high-pass section are "protected" from the degrading influence of the EMF backwave produced by the woofer.

Here's a link to an article that might provide more insight:

Excerpt from SoundStage! article, Synergizing with Greg Weaver: Biwire or Biamp, Bi Golly!

-snip-

"...Running separate wires from the amplifier can have a profound impact on relieving the tweeter circuit from the back flush of EMF (elector-motive force) generated by the woofer. When the audio signal to the woofer ceases, such as when a loud bass note is finished, the woofer tries to stop moving. In trying to stop, it actually goes through a process of "settling" because it is too massive to just stop instantly. As it settles, it moves forward and backward repeatedly until it can completely come to rest. During this movement, as the voice coil is moving through the field of the magnet, it generates its own signal. That generated signal is sent backward up the woofer wires and into the crossover, where it corrupts the rest of the music signal..."

-snip-

See link:

 

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