MCBrown.CA

I am moving into a new place with some friends this weekend and I will be making some changes to my audio setup.

I picked up a Yamaha YHT-280 home-theater-in-a-box on sale a year or so ago and it has been serving as my primary sound system since then. The HTR-6030 receiver that is included in the bundle is a pretty nice unit, nothing special, but I think with some better speakers it will come into it's own a bit. We will be using my friend's 10" Polk subwoofer instead of the 6 1/2" sub that came with the YHT system (which isn't bad at all by the way). Source will be an HTPC using optical TOSlink from the onboard audio (he may have a sound card in the machine, I can't remember).

Anyway, I was creeping my local CraigsList and I found a pair of barely-used Yamaha NS-555 tower speakers being sold at an estate sale for $275. After reading about 15 reviews (all of which were very positive) I decided to pick them up to use as fronts. We will use the front and surround satellite speakers from the bundle.

My question about these is should I bi-wire them? I understand the concept of letting the amp push the woofers/drivers separately but I have also read on a few audio sites that it is not really necessary and is a bit of a marketing gimmick.

Also, how important is speaker wire quality? Obviously I won't use dollar-store wire, but I also won't be spending hundreds on Monster cables either. Where is the happy medium? Should I be using 12 or 16 gauge? The speakers won't be more than 10" from the receiver.

Are there any other factors that I should consider when setting everything up? Thanks in advance!

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Mikecdm

I personally think that bi-wiring is a gimmick, but that's just me. BI-amping is a different story, but I don't see how bi-wiring would offer an benefits. Maybe some people hear a difference or it's just a placebo effect.

As for cable, I would go with some basic 12-16 awg cable. I'd use 12 awg if possible, but 16 awg will work.

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soloz2

no benefit if you bi-wire, bi-amp is another story...

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Please do not PM me general audio questions that should be asked on the open forum. I reserve the right to ignore your PM's.

Current Sound: SA tweaked Auzen X-Fi Prelude > SA Reference IC > Musical Paradise MP-301 6v6 tube amp> Tekton Designs 4.1 single driver loudspeakers

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MCBrown.CA

Thanks gents. I wasn't sure about the bi-wiring thing so I appreciate you clearing that up for me.

I can't wait to pick up the speakers and hear how the sound. Monday is the day!

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grip_racer

As for speaker wire, it REALLY does not matter. Buy whatever is on sale that's 16-gauge or larger.

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Audio System:
Cigar Box CS4397 DAC (direct-out) ->
1. Dual-Mono Gainclone Amplifier -> Celestion F15 / Pinnacle AC400 / Advent AS2 / Bose 301 Series II (depending on the day )
2. 100w RMS Plate Amp, C/O @ 80hz -> Elemental Designs 9Kv.2 (vented, 23hz tuning)