Budget boutique Bi Wires. (1 Viewer)

[Brett DiMichele]

I recently upgraded the home theater in my living room with a new Onkyo 806 receiver and some other goodies. In the process I set the 806 to Bi Amp my mains. My mains are Acoustic Research AR9's which support Bi Amplification with fully seperated passive networks. I wanted a true Bi-Amp cable (High/Low on each end of the speaker cable) and wanted a clean solution without spending big money on snake oil.

Here is the shopping list of components to build the cables with quantities and prices.



Speaker Cable - Star Quad 11 AWG (Twined) Type Sale Price: $0.96 (foot) (I used 26 foot)
http://www.performanceaudio.com/cgi/...roducts_id=535


Banana Plug Red $0.95 EA (QTY 8 )
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=090-465


Banana Plug Black $0.95 EA (QTY 8 )
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=090-460


Cable Pants 11mm 4-Conductor Black 10 Pcs. $8.92
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=082-790

Total cost: $50.12 (not including shipping)


Assembly is simple, the Canare 4S11 is the easiest wire I've ever worked with, which makes it no surprise that so many boutique companies use the cable to make their expensive cables.

I chose not to go wacky on the banana plugs. As much as I'd love to use WBT locking banana's, it would be, pardon the pun, bananas to buy 16 mid line or top line connectors. If you feel so inclined to buy esoteric connectors you can do that.

As long as you order the components listed above, assembly is simple. I went by Canare's jacket dimensions to make sure the cable pants would fit, and the cable pants fit inside the banana plugs for a super professional finish.

I won't tell you how the cables "sound" but I will tell you they sure make Bi Amplification super easy!

Here are some finished photos for you, let me know what you think.

 

[BDX707]

Nice work..very clean looking. I'm in the same boat...having just xmas'd myself an Itegra DTR 8.9, a pair of new Paradigm Studio 20's w/J29 stands (LR's), an Esprit Studio C (center), two SA15R-SMS (ceiling mounted surrounds) and a DSP 3200 sub, I'll be doing a bit of wiring myself just to get things up and running.

PM me to let me know how they work out for you..again very clean work

G

 

[Brett DiMichele]

George,

The Bi-Wires worked out perfectly! I probably could have made them shorter than 13' a side, but hey, you never know when you are going to reposition.. Longer was better and the cable lays nice so it's no problem to coil it to take up the excess.

This Canare 4S11 is really slick cable, the quality of the jacketing and the copper is first rate and perfect for this type of use.

The fact that I have all mechanical connections (no solder) also rules out poor conductivity from cold solder joints (not that I ever have that issue, but inexperienced solderers may).

All in all a very worth while project, cleaned up the two separate runs of cable I had previously and looks aesthetically pleasing as well.

Sounds like you had a great Christmas!

 

[BDX707]

Brett I'm all over this build like a fly on...uhhh..errr sorry admin

Muchisimas gracias for the web suppliers links...I've been stuck with looking at web sites that are less supply houses and more web stores..the pricing differential is incredible.

My Esprit Studio C does not bi-wire/bi-amp so no extra work there. The Studio 20's can handle either configuration so I'll be building a set for these. I'm going to build a starter set with 10' fronts then once i have final configuration and placement I'll go with the actuall lengths. My only concern (as I type this) is whether the Canares 4S11 is rated for in-wall once i go permanent. I wasnt sure if the PE 27.6 rating was an alternate for the CL2 or CL3 ratings. Any clue?

George

 

[BDX707]

Brett I called Canare in NJ and spoke with Eddy...basically the US is the only nation that requires installation ratings for cables. Because Canare sells all over the world they elected simply avoid the hassle of going through testing for a plenum or other type of rating and simply say "No Canare cables are plenum rated"

Otherwise the cables are used in walls, plenums etc everywhere else in the world. I'm not going to fret about a dinky little rewire. I'd get burned/busted if I was building a new home here in Sonoma County and tried using it but thats just not the case.

 

[BDX707]

Sorry folks the PE 27.6 i mention in my previous post has to do with jacket thickness not a rating.

 

[Brett DiMichele]

George,

Good question on the ratings. I honestly am not sure what the PE 27.6 is, I always looked for CL2 or CL3 for in/wall use. You could probably go to Canare's web site for more information on usage. Since mine are external I never even looked into it. My rears are wired with 14 AWG Navajo white CL2 from the good old Radio Shack.

I can vouch for both the suppliers in my original post. I've dealt with Parts Express many times as a DIY'r and have always been pleased with the service I receive from them. This was the first time I dealt with Performance Audio and I ordered right before Christmas and my order was delayed a week due to them being out of stock on the 4S11 cable, but they keep me updated on the status and as soon as the wire was in stock they promptly shipped it out to me so I have no complaints at all, and the price was the best I found on the net.

You may opt to go with different banana plugs if you want, I may change the plugs on the receiver side to a locking type, but the plugs on the speaker side are fine. I just tend to move my equipment around a lot to make changes, so the locking would be nice as they wouldn't pull out when I slide the receiver out of the tv stand.

 

[Brett DiMichele]

Any updates George?

 

[BDX707]

Brett, Man what a time warp..been so busy laying out and buying components and making foam ceiing enclosures. It wasnt until I got my section of the Canare today that I really got to appreciate the quality of the cable...exterior sheath is silky smooth and for a cable as big as it is it is remarkably supple. There is nothing special about the appearance of the internal wires, both pairs are simple red and white, but man oh man is the copper in that stuff amazing.

I'll get pix up on my set once theyre built..I scored on some Monster Quick Locks for like 4 bux a pair...and I'm going to go ahead and put Techflex sleeving on the cable. Should look sweet...stay tuned for another month or so! lol!

 

[BDX707]

A clarification here...The name of this wire, Canare 4S11, might mislead some folks; the actual wire of 4S11 is 4x14AWG not 4x11AWG as one might infer.