[low.pfile]

Need your input on my plan to make very basic speaker jumpers for my friend's new speakers.

I helped him graduate from his old garage sale KLHs. Now he has a pair of used dali ikon 6's and after he set them up he said they were sort of flat compared to our demo session. He is using an old teac receiver or the like. (We are going to upgrade that too soon).

It seems his speakers came without jumpers for the bi-wire posts-he didn't even know they were missing. So I plan to go over and just use some speaker cable as an interim fix. To put in context his current cables are the old 20ish gauge stuff from the KLHs (working on that too--baby steps!). So I AM NOT looking for the optimal jumper materials designs just insight on what gauge speaker cable to use or go with solid core wire for the jumpers? I don't plan to solder spades or jacks on at this point - just bare wire.

I've read through the other birwiring ??? thread
and no intention on this thread emulating the other biwire one either

I'd appreciate any tips, ed

[markC]

My opinion would be to use a short piece(s) of whatever speaker wire he's using. I'll bet they sounded "a little flat".

[richidoo]

Mapleshade is using a very thin strip of pure copper, claiming fantastic result. I use the very thin (.015"?) stock copper plates that came with my Legacy's. I have tried anticable jumpers and even $400 JPS aluminata jumpers, neither were as good as the plain flat unterminated copper plate, although maybe the aluminata needed some break in time.

Another option that may be possible, is to open up the terminal cup and wire the high frequency and low frequency wires together on the one terminal internally, so no jumper is needed. If you're not gonna biamp, no point adding more temporary connections or more money for jumpers. Some speaker terminals have the wires bolted on instead of soldered making this possible. If they are soldered it is less undoable... but still cheaper and potentially better performance.
Rich

[TomS]

Mapleshade is using a very thin strip of pure copper, claiming fantastic result. I use the very thin (.015"?) stock copper plates that came with my Legacy's. I have tried anticable jumpers and even $400 JPS aluminata jumpers, neither were as good as the plain flat unterminated copper plate, although maybe the aluminata needed some break in time.

Another option that may be possible, is to open up the terminal cup and wire the high frequency and low frequency wires together on the one terminal internally, so no jumper is needed. If you're not gonna biamp, no point adding more temporary connections or more money for jumpers. Some speaker terminals have the wires bolted on instead of soldered making this possible. If they are soldered it is less undoable... but still cheaper and potentially better performance.
Rich

That's really dangerous if you sell them and/or someone hooks two amps up thinking they're passive biamping - ouch!

[lazydays]

many years ago I was in dire need of a set of jumper cables, and couldn't afford a good pair. I read somewhere about guys making speaker cable out of CAT-5 cable. I made my own jumpers out of CAT-5. They worked great, and actually sounded better than several $300 ones. Braid threes into nines and the nines into twenty-sevens. Cover them with good shrink tubing, and never look back!
gary

[low.pfile]

many years ago I was in dire need of a set of jumper cables, and couldn't afford a good pair. I read somewhere about guys making speaker cable out of CAT-5 cable. I made my own jumpers out of CAT-5. They worked great, and actually sounded better than several $300 ones. Braid threes into nines and the nines into twenty-sevens. Cover them with good shrink tubing, and never look back!
gary

cool idea. thanks! a bit more than I want to deal with though.... vh diy page: http://www.venhaus1.com/diycatfivecables.html

[richidoo]

That's really dangerous if you sell them and/or someone hooks two amps up thinking they're passive biamping - ouch!

Yeah, you;re right, Tom - the soldering option is not very smart.  Probably not the bolting either if you forget to "undo"...  But it is "very basic...." 

[low.pfile]

Mapleshade is using a very thin strip of pure copper,....
Rich

grazie.
http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/audioproducts/biwirejumpers.php <reminds me of the tarnished copper pictures in crafts class as a kid. $25 for a pair. Friend prob would spring for that. I will look for the stock material first. wonder what gauge?

[Quiet Earth]

It seems his speakers came without jumpers for the bi-wire posts-he didn't even know they were missing.

Please correct me if I have this wrong. He did not know that he was supposed to have jumpers, and so he only hooked up part of the speaker. He listened to them hooked up incorrectly and thought that they sounded flat. (He was right of course.)
If this is the case then it probably doesn't really matter what you use to make the jumpers (or bi-wire). Just get the speakers hooked up correctly and then have him concentrate on upgrading the amplifier. No point in confusing him over small details when there are bigger problems to solve.

[Kevin Haskins]

I use a pair of Cardas 15.5 AWG wires, tinned but otherwise bare.    I don't find a need for either banana or spades as I use bananas on my speaker cables and the binding post holes for bare wire for the jumpers.

Cost is reasonable because its just bare wire tinned.   

Oh... price.    The Cardas 15.5 is $3.28/ft.   Get a foot of red and a foot of black (assuming 6" is enough of a jumper for you).    You need to tin it which requires a solder pot.    MCM has a cheap unit for about $20 that will cost you more than the wire. 

[low.pfile]

Please correct me if I have this wrong. He did not know that he was supposed to have jumpers, and so he only hooked up part of the speaker. He listened to them hooked up incorrectly and thought that they sounded flat. (He was right of course.)

you have it correct. though I know his uncertainty of the sound was also related to possibly having the phase reversed and/or his low power vintage receiver. But I also understand your point of not confusing him.  I didn't plan to give him options, as I am doing the jumpers. So I'm just trying to get insight based on the scenario. I myself have never owned speakers with bi-wire posts so it is new to me as well and enjoy learning what there is to know (which is just as muddy as the other facets of audio equipment)
Though he is no audiophile I want to provide the best sound for him within the context to his system, budget and perception-we found out his wife is tone deaf which doesn't help with the purchases/upgrades.

thanks

And thanks KevinH.

[NewBuyer]

I use a pair of Cardas 15.5 AWG wires, tinned but otherwise bare.    I don't find a need for either banana or spades as I use bananas on my speaker cables and the binding post holes for bare wire for the jumpers.

Cost is reasonable because its just bare wire tinned.   

Oh... price.    The Cardas 15.5 is $3.28/ft.   Get a foot of red and a foot of black (assuming 6" is enough of a jumper for you).    You need to tin it which requires a solder pot.    MCM has a cheap unit for about $20 that will cost you more than the wire. 

Hi Kevin,

Does the wire *really* need to be tinned? Assuming the main speaker cables don't use spades: What about just putting some short jumper wire lengths through the binding post holes, perhaps wrapping/twisting the wire a tad around the post, and screwing down - but no tinning?

[lazydays]

many years ago I was in dire need of a set of jumper cables, and couldn't afford a good pair. I read somewhere about guys making speaker cable out of CAT-5 cable. I made my own jumpers out of CAT-5. They worked great, and actually sounded better than several $300 ones. Braid threes into nines and the nines into twenty-sevens. Cover them with good shrink tubing, and never look back!
gary

cool idea. thanks! a bit more than I want to deal with though.... vh diy page: http://www.venhaus1.com/diycatfivecables.html

I did the 27 wire thing with John Rish in mind. he does CAT-5 speaker wires in a similar fashion. I did a check once to see if all the braiding was that important, and it is. Seems to stop RIf. And when you think that they are only about six inches long, it's not that much of a deal. I also have a spool of silver Alpha Core wire, that someday I want to build a set of jumpers with. This is the very best low voltage wire on the planet.
gary