[tomlil01]

Hi,
 
I am currently awaiting delivery of some Omega 3i speakers that I bought on this forum.  I understand that with single-driver speakers it is better to run two wires to the positive terminal and one to the negative (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=70460.0). However, I am unsure how to go about connecting 2 cables to the positive terminal on the speaker. I will be using quite thick speaker cable (10 or 12 AWG), so I don't think I could put both wires into a single banana plug?
 
Any advice gratefully received.
 
Cheers,
Lee

 

[Frank I]

 
Quote:

Hi,
 
I am currently awaiting delivery of some Omega 3i speakers that I bought on this forum.  I understand that with single-driver speakers it is better to run two wires to the positive terminal and one to the negative (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=70460.0). However, I am unsure how to go about connecting 2 cables to the positive terminal on the speaker. I will be using quite thick speaker cable (10 or 12 AWG), so I don't think I could put both wires into a single banana plug?
 
Any advice gratefully received.
 
Cheers,
Lee

Lee I seen that thread as I just bought a pair of super 5 monitors on audiogon that were not even burned in. I am using single solid core anti cables from Paul Speltz with nice results. Its a weird cablwe as it is l.like a coat hanger but seems to work well and I only needed a 5 ft run but you can order three wires if you choose to do that double positive thing. Als they will make them any lenght and I would sugges that you use just bare wire to do that. Paul said these aare 10 Ga but I have single on each with spade both sides. But hell 10.00 foot is not too bad

 

[JerryLove]

Quote:

Hi,
 
I am currently awaiting delivery of some Omega 3i speakers that I bought on this forum.  I understand that with single-driver speakers it is better to run two wires to the positive terminal and one to the negative (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=70460.0). However, I am unsure how to go about connecting 2 cables to the positive terminal on the speaker. I will be using quite thick speaker cable (10 or 12 AWG), so I don't think I could put both wires into a single banana plug?
 
Any advice gratefully received.

 
My advice would be "run one wire".
 
I'm not sure why anyone would want to bi-wire an already sufficient connection, I can't imagine why they would do so on only one side of the voice-coil, and I have no idea why they would focus on single-driver speakers to do it.

 

[InnerSpace]

One on the positive side, one on the negative will be fine.  The "two on the positive side" thing is incomprehensible if you know how electricity actually works.  I imagine folks picture electrons rushing through the cables in a positive-going direction, and want to help them along.  But actually electrons don't rush anywhere (they hardly move at all) and of course in an alternating current circuit their net movement is zero.  Plus, if they drift at all, they drift away from the positive.  But hey.

 

[Frank I]

Quote:

One on the positive side, one on the negative will be fine.  The "two on the positive side" thing is incomprehensible if you know how electricity actually works.  I imagine folks picture electrons rushing through the cables in a positive-going direction, and want to help them along.  But actually electrons don't rush anywhere (they hardly move at all) and of course in an alternating current circuit their net movement is zero.  Plus, if they drift at all, they drift away from the positive.  But hey.

He not making it up. Louis who owns Omega Speakers wire s the driver that way. Two wires to the positive. I seen his post on Audio Circle and he has recommended that it can be done that way. I am using anti cables on my newly acquired Omega Super 5 but one for each. I do not need any more wires around.

 

[JerryLove]

Quote:

 
He not making it up. Louis who owns Omega Speakers wire s the driver that way. Two wires to the positive. I seen his post on Audio Circle and he has recommended that it can be done that way. I am using anti cables on my newly acquired Omega Super 5 but one for each. I do not need any more wires around.

Perhaps. But I think what he's pointing out is that, electrically, it serves no purpose.

 

[MadCow]

I suppose the dual wire configuration reduces the impedence of the wiring on the + terminal. Not sure if there's any benefit to such a thing, electrically... but on the other hand impedence on speaker wiring is generally very small and practically neglegible anyways.

 

[JerryLove]

Quote:

I suppose the dual wire configuration reduces the impedence of the wiring on the + terminal. Not sure if there's any benefit to such a thing, electrically... but on the other hand impedence on speaker wiring is generally very small and practically neglegible anyways.

Generally speaking: you want to keep wire impedance <5% of speaker impedance. Higher than that and you may introduce audible levels of distortion.

 

[tomlil01]

Thanks for all your replies. Yeah, I didn't make it up!

 I'm no electronics/physics expert! I just thought that since Louis who designed the speakers recommended doing it I should probably give it a go. Not sure of the science behind it. I'm not even sure Louis is

 (see caption for the second image on http://omegaloudspeakers.com/about/secret-recipe)!
 
I guess for the time being I will wire them up in the conventional way with the cheap(ish) ($9 $5 /metre) multi-strand cable that I have already purchased (http://www.cablechick.com.au/cables/super-high-end-9998-oxygen-free-12-awg-speaker-cable-per-metre.html).
 
Thanks for the "anti cable" recommendation, Frank. I have heard quite a lot of people recommend these speaker cables, so perhaps I'll order some. I only need short lengths myself so price seems reasonable enough.
 
I'm pretty excited waiting for my speakers to arrive (hopefully tomorrow). I've had my new Miniwatt N3 tube amp and VALAB NOS DAC waiting patiently  in my flat for several weeks now, and I've never heard a pair of single-driver speakers before.
 
Anyway, thanks again.
 
Lee

 

[Frank I]

 
Quote:

Thanks for all your replies. Yeah, I didn't make it up!

 I'm no electronics/physics expert! I just thought that since Louis who designed the speakers recommended doing it I should probably give it a go. Not sure of the science behind it. I'm not even sure Louis is

 (see caption for the second image on http://omegaloudspeakers.com/about/secret-recipe)!
 
I guess for the time being I will wire them up in the conventional way with the cheap(ish) ($9 $5 /metre) multi-strand cable that I have already purchased (http://www.cablechick.com.au/cables/super-high-end-9998-oxygen-free-12-awg-speaker-cable-per-metre.html).
 
Thanks for the "anti cable" recommendation, Frank. I have heard quite a lot of people recommend these speaker cables, so perhaps I'll order some. I only need short lengths myself so price seems reasonable enough.
 
I'm pretty excited waiting for my speakers to arrive (hopefully tomorrow). I've had my new Miniwatt N3 tube amp and VALAB NOS DAC waiting patiently  in my flat for several weeks now, and I've never heard a pair of single-driver speakers before.
 
Anyway, thanks again.
 
Lee

Lee I am using those anti cables and for the 55.00 I paid shipped from Paul Speltz I can say they are a bargain. OCC 10 copper wire. I have the Omega Super 5 and I will tell you they are very nice speakers but require  burn in. Mine were practically new with only 25 hrs and I have put another 60 and the bass is starting to arrive. Louis told me 200-250 hrs before they bloom.

 

[jononku]

Weird, I've never heard of that before, an interesting read to say the least.  I used to own a very nice set of tannoy bookshelf single driver speakers (dual centric variety) and they were wired the same as anything else I've ever owned. 

 

[googleborg]

i use tannoy dual concentrics, not sure they are strictly single driver though as they have a tweeter buried inside them and a crossover.  sound storming on vocals for sure  not entirely sure why someone would want a single driver speaker...no crossover?

 

[nikongod]

 
Quote:

I suppose the dual wire configuration reduces the impedence of the wiring on the + terminal. Not sure if there's any benefit to such a thing, electrically... but on the other hand impedence on speaker wiring is generally very small and practically neglegible anyways.

Single driver speakers dont have the same (cough) issues (cough) with output impedance that multi-driver speakers do. 
 
For a good time, replace the wire with a 20 ohm resistor. The resistor can be on either terminal, it dosnt make a difference.
 
I havent tried it on the Omegas (or even heard a set... yet) but messing about with non-standard impedances does awesome things to my Voigt pipes.
 
Quote:

i use tannoy dual concentrics, not sure they are strictly single driver though as they have a tweeter buried inside them and a crossover.  sound storming on vocals for sure  not entirely sure why someone would want a single driver speaker...no crossover?

 

No crossover is the most commonly cited reason for Single drivers. The second, is a problem that dual concentric drivers solve - the sound separates when you listen near-field (and sometimes at longer distances from the speakers too) to multi-way speakers with the tweeter far separate from the mid/woofer drivers. Try it! Park yourself in front of a pair of multi-way speakers with the tweeter a good 6" from the center of the mid driver - If you listen closely the highs clearly come from the tweeter, and the mids/lows come from the mid/low drivers, several inches away (or wherever that appears in the soundstage). 

Tannoy dual concentrics are a weird hybrid. They still have the crossovers, but because of the way the tweeter is integrated with the mid/low driver they act more like a point source. the way Tannoy aligns the coils in the 2 drivers is another benefit because it solves some funky phase issues that other speakers suffer from.

 

[BadassBob]

Quote:

 not entirely sure why someone would want a single driver speaker...no crossover?

Some people feel that a crossover filters out some of the goodness coming down the chain.  Not only that, but with no crossover, it makes the speakers easier to drive, because power from the amp doesnt get dissipated as heat.  This can be important if youre running low wattage tube amps.  Single driver speakers also have a rather benign impedance curve, also making them a better match for tube amps, which generally dont like impedance dips.  My Fostex FE207s are rated 96dB 1W/m....and they go much louder than I can stand powered by my 3W SET .

 

[Frank I]

 
Quote:

Quote:

 not entirely sure why someone would want a single driver speaker...no crossover?

Some people feel that a crossover filters out some of the goodness coming down the chain.  Not only that, but with no crossover, it makes the speakers easier to drive, because power from the amp doesnt get dissipated as heat.  This can be important if youre running low wattage tube amps.  Single driver speakers also have a rather benign impedance curve, also making them a better match for tube amps, which generally dont like impedance dips.  My Fostex FE207s are rated 96dB 1W/m....and they go much louder than I can stand powered by my 3W SET .

Well said Bob. I was not sure I would like a single driver high efficiency speaker. But once I decided to go 6W SET with my Taboo and CSP-2 I really had little choices so I bought a pair of Omega Super 5 that were not broke in. They play amazingly loud have bass that goes to 48hz and no crossover to murk up the sound. I never ever thought a single driver would sound as good as it does but these little 5 inch Hemp Cone drivers while still burning in are a very detailed and musical sound for nearfiel listening or I beleive can even do well in a decent size room. These are 93dB 8ohms at 1w/m a very easy load and sound fantastic even at very low levels and quality of construction on the cabinets is some of the best work I have seen.