Cable Asylum

Cooking Bi-Wire Speaker Cables

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A bi-wire speaker cable has two connectors (1 for positive, 1 for negative) at the amp end, but four ('cuz the speaker has two sets of binding posts) at the speaker end.

Since everyone knows that I've had an audiodharma Cable Cooker for 14 years, he or she asks about Cooking bi-wire speaker cables.

Whether you have a discrete shotgun or internal bi-wire cable, because the Cooker has one binding post (per channel) on the receiving end, you most likely will have to Cook the top/bottom legs (on the speaker side) separately. For new cables, try Cooking the tweeter leads for 3 days, then the woofer leads for 3 days. Yes, the 6 days of Cook time for the cable proper may result in over-Cooking, but those leads (my colleagues and I have treated dozens of bi-wire cables) really do benefit from the third day of Cook time.

If you have all spades at the speaker end, the binding posts on the Cooker may have enough opening and then grip, for you to "double up" on the speaker end. But do be aware that the bulk and stiffness of many audiophile cables can cause the spades to slip off. Moreover, because spades are often angled, you may find it damn near impossible, to hook up one spade, let alone two. In addition, sometimes the leads just aren't long or flexible enough, to make connections easy or secure.

Years ago, we screwed up. We neglected to label which of the speaker end leads was which. Thus, after we pulled one set out, the cable accidentally dropped, and we did not know which were the untreated leads!

-Lummy The Loch Monster


Edits: 07/07/17

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