Bi-wiring and passive bi-amping
Most X-Ref loudspeakers offer removable bi-amp terminal links. By removing these links, you can access the high-frequency and low-frequency sections of the speaker separately and take advantage of the improvements in sound quality offered by bi-wiring or passive bi-amping. Bi-wiring is when you use a single amplifier channel for each speaker, but run separate speaker wires from the amplifier to the high-frequency and low-frequency sections of the speaker. Bi-amping is when you use separate amplifiers to power the high-frequency and low-frequency section of each loudspeaker. Passive bi-amping means that the passive crossover for each section of the speaker remains in-circuit, and no line-level crossover is required between the preamp and power amps.
Bi-wiring your X-Ref Series speakers
Many listeners hear an improvement in sound quality when bi-wiring their loudspeakers. This improvement is likely to be more significant when long or thin speaker wires are required, and is more noticeable with some speakers and amplifiers than with others.
In a normally connected loudspeaker, a relatively large amount of current flows into each section of the speaker (usually much more to the low-frequency section). Since this current all shares a single wire from the amplifier to the speaker, and speaker wire has a low but finite resistance, the current flowing to each section of the speaker produces a measurable voltage drop in the wire, which in turn modulates the overall signal in the wire. So, when there’s a lot of loud bass, it may modulate or distort the treble, and vice versa. Since the low-frequency portion of the speaker typically operates at much higher current levels than the high-frequency portion, yet distortion in the mid and high frequencies is typically more audible, the most common result is a noticeable muddying and blurring of critical midrange and high frequencies during heavy bass passages.
By providing separate paths for current flow from the amplifier to the high-frequency and low-frequency portions of the speaker, bi-wiring eliminates this interaction and the distortion it causes. While the differences may be subtle, bi-wiring is something that can be tried quite easily - and at minimal cost (as long as your speakers support it, all you need is a second set of speaker wires).
To bi-wire the X-Ref speakers, remove the bi-amp terminal links from the input plate on each speaker (shown in the figures on pages 7 and 16). Connect two sets of speaker wires to each amplifier output terminal, then connect one set to each pair of input terminals on the X-Ref speaker. Be sure that both sets of wires are connected “in phase” (the wires from the plus/red terminal on the amp to the plus/red terminals on both inputs of the speaker).
Note: Be sure to remove the bi-amp terminal links from the input terminals of the speakers when using your X-Ref speakers in a bi-wired configuration. Failure to do so will negate any positive effects of bi-wiring, and may cause damage to one or both amplifiers if hooked up incorrectly.
