2. cables
  3. 1249768576

Should I Bi-Wire or Use Jumpers?



I recently upgraded my 7 year old Kimber 4pr to Speltz Anti-Cable and this made a huuuge improvement... but I want to take it to the next level.

I'm currently using a pair of PSB Stratus Mini's, which can be bi wired but only have one single run of anti-cable along with the stock jumpers in place. My Denon PMA 2000ivr also has a and b speaker outputs for bi wiring.

My question is - will it make any difference if I use a double run on Anti-Cable to bi wire vs. a single run with the addition of anti cable jumpers? The price difference between the two is only about $50.00 so this isnt a concern but jumpers would be slightly easier to manage.

Oh yeah, If my current speaker wire has spades, can I also use jumpers with spades? For example having two sets of spade connections in ony binding post ( speaker wire and jumpers) or will this degrade the sound? Maybe a better option would be banana plugs for the jumpers.
dave123456
dracule1
1,043 posts
 
most will agree biwiring will get you better bass, dynamics, and clarity. I would go biwiring myself. Using multiple spades on top of each other would not be a good idea cause most spades have brass in them which are durable but not the best conductor. Of there are those think all this is nonsense.
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
I don't agree that bi-wire is better. This is a myth. Actually it depends on the amp, speaker, and listener. I've heard instances in which jumpers outperformed bi-wiring.

Also multiple spades are unnecessary in the majority of jumper configurations.

Most speaker terminals accept bananas terminations as well so a pair of jumpers with bananas at both ends (or one for that matter) make double spades moot.
lak's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
lak
3,516 posts
 
I agree with Audiofeil. I own and have owned many different pairs of speakers however never the PSB Stratus Mini's. In my systems sometimes bi-wiring sounded better and sometimes cable jumpers sounded better. I’m sure there is a reason for that and once it was explained to me in a technical fashion. Unfortunately I’m electronally challenged and did not understand the verbal explanation. I have no doubt that several members of the Audiogon community are capable of giving the explanation. I prefer the bananas on jumpers that have a knob on the back for expanding the width for a nice secure tight fit.
rse
6 posts
 
If your system sounds a little light weight, bi-wiring usually will help to get a fuller bodied sound.
I also have found jumpers to surfice, but try connecting the main speakers wires to both sets and listen to which may sound better ( I connect to top and jump to bass).
Bare wire will sound best if that feasible.
face
516 posts
 
Get a pair of high quality jumpers.
More to discover