[infinitesymphony]

A bit of a long explanation, but hopefully someone will find it useful... Also note that this is only my subjective opinion.

I bought a new receiver last week that's capable of performing passive bi-amplification by delivering extra power to the front L/R channels using the surround back outputs. Until then, I'd hooked up the speakers using Blue Jeans Cable 10 AWG cables, with jumpers between the top and bottom speaker binding posts made with tiny segments of BJC 12 AWG wire (I found that using the speakers' original brass bridges negatively affected the non-wired driver).

I started by connecting the 10 AWG wires to the new receiver. It sounded great! Everything had improved in comparison to my older amplifier. Satisfied that the receiver wasn't a dud, I decided to try the passive bi-amping feature. I unhooked the mini-jumpers and ran the only other decent speaker wires I owned--BJC 12 AWG--to the tweeter binding posts and surround back outputs.

Suddenly, something was different... It sounded bassier, thicker, slightly warmer than neutral--not what I've come to expect from the speakers. I ran the receiver's auto-calibration feature, but it didn't improve the balance. However, the results did show EQ corrections for a lower-end bloat.

***

Tonight it dawned on me that the cables might have different specifications, and that they might be affecting the balance between the woofer and tweeter, and thus, the frequency response. To test the theory, I swapped the 10 AWG wires to the tweeter posts, and the 12 AWG wires to the woofer posts. Voila! The sound suddenly seemed brighter than neutral. My guess was that the larger gauge wire was allowing more signal to the tweeters (bright), where before it was allowing more to the woofers (dark).

Unscientific, I know, but the difference was quite clear to me. Matching cable gauges seems to matter with passive bi-amplification.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

I have a feeling this will turn into another snake oil/placebo argument.

If not, all the more better!

 

[infinitesymphony]

I hope not... It's not like I'm using expensive cables; just that the 10 AWG bundle has roughly twice the number of copper strands. I'm thinking it might have to do with the usable surface areas of the cables (I forget what that's called in electrical terms). But really, I have no empirical explanation about why it would make such a difference.

They're short runs, too--roughly five feet per cable--so distance shouldn't be a factor.

Actually... Back when I was still using the bridges on the speakers with single runs from an integrated amplifier, I thought I noticed a slight difference between the 10 AWG and 12 AWG cables. I'd heard that beyond a certain gauge, size didn't matter with short lengths of cable, so I chalked it up more to the perception that a smaller cable might not sound as good. If there was a difference, it was only in volume by a dB or two. Not enough to matter with a single run to bridged posts, but perhaps enough to matter when different sections (woofer and tweeter) are involved.

 

[Listen2this1]

Doing the same on my Denon, this what I am doing. Depending on the reciever this can be a big benefit. The goal is to use the exact same wire for both, If you have been happy with the soung the Blue Jeans have gave you. If you decide not to do that, it will all be trial and error to find the way you want to keep it. I actually use different wires on top and bottom. Both from the same family, but differet awg. I just switchen them back and forth for a week or so and then made my final decision.

Good luck. Spending all of this time deciding can not be a bad thing....can it?

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Listen2this1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Good luck. Spending all of this time deciding can not be a bad thing....can it?

Of course not. As long as it gets us closer to neutrality/accuracy, it's a good thing.

I ordered four identical 10 AWG cables from BJC to test, so I should have something to report by early next week.

 

[tourmaline]

i've experimented extensively with powercables and noticed some sort of same thing, smaller gauge cables sound more focused and detailed, thicker cables sound more warm. So, yes, why shouldn;t thicker ot thinner cables not influence sound on a speaker?!