Bi-wiring is a means of connecting a :loudspeaker to an audio :amplifier, primarily used in hi-fi systems. Normally, there is one pair of connectors on a loudspeaker and a single cable (two conductors) runs from the amplifier output to the terminals at the loudspeaker housing. From this point, connections are made to the loudspeaker drivers – usually through

audio crossover Audio crossovers are a type of electronic filter circuitry that splits an audio signal into two or more frequency ranges, so that the signals can be sent to loudspeaker drivers that are designed to operate within different frequency ranges. Th ...

networks. In bi-wiring, each loudspeaker has two pairs of connectors and two cables are run from the same amplifier output to the speaker cabinet – one for the high frequency or

tweeter A tweeter or treble speaker is a special type of loudspeaker (usually dome, inverse dome or horn-type) that is designed to produce high audio frequencies, typically deliver high frequencies up to 100 kHz. The name is derived from the high ...

driver and one for the low-frequency driver (through two separated crossover filters). The purported advantage of this split is that it "reduces magnetic interaction in the cable, resulting in better sound".Harley, Robert (17 November 2008
Home-Theater Audio: Equipment report
''The Absolute Sound''. However, technical analysis suggests that while bi-wired arrangements may be expected to have differences from single wired ones, these differences would normally be so small as to have little significance.Lesurf, Jim (19 March 2007
''Bi-Wiring A Loudspeaker: Does it Make a Difference''.
/ref> Some

audiophile An audiophile is a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction. An audiophile seeks to reproduce the sound of a piece of recorded music or a live musical performance, typically inside closed headphones, In-ear monitors, open ...

s feel that bi-wiring produces an audible improvement over standard single cabling. For example, John Atkinson, writing in ''Stereophile'', states that he observes "subtle but important" differences, particularly in reduction of treble hardness and improvement in bass control in one review.Atkinson, John (5 September 1995)
"Celestion SL700 loudspeaker"
''Stereophile'', pg.3 Critics of bi-wiring believe that both ways of making speaker connections are electrically equivalent (assuming no difference in speaker cable resistance), and thus cynically refer to the practice as "buy-wiring", implying it is nothing more than a marketing gimmick for buying more pairs of speaker wires. Bi-wiring should not be confused with the hi-fi practice of

bi-amping Bi-amping and tri-amping is the practice of using two or three audio amplifiers to amplify different audio frequency ranges, with the amplified signals being routed to different speaker drivers, such as woofers, subwoofers and tweeters. Biampin ...

: the use of a separate amplifier for each driver, which brings improved separation of signal frequencies and removes the need for passive crossovers and the degraded efficiency, linearity, and cost that comes with them.

References

{{reflist Loudspeakers Signal connectors