For over twenty years I've used a pair of bi-wire Acoustic Zen cables, which I picked up somewhere from someone, with my ProAcs. I've always liked them, and so does Tanya, who's always discouraged swapping them out. Over time I've tried some affordable substitutes only to be disappointed. But lately I've felt that they're really holding the system back as I've made other improvements. The bass, especially, seemed weak and ill-defined. I've always blamed my homebrew amps but at this point they really can't be the problem. Friday I decided to take a chance and went to Home Depot with some ideas in mind. Based on nothing more than intuition, I got some 8 gauge stranded electrical cable for the mid-woofers and a roll of copper, 5-conductor sprinkler wire for the tweeters. I paralleled two pairs of the sprinkler wires and left the fifth one out. On the amp end I use heavy-duty copper offset lugs that have a screw clamp to hold very large gauge wire. I snip the the ends to make spade-like connectors.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial- ... /310741784The results exceeded my wildest expectation. The bass is deep and punchy, absolving my Williamson amps of any blame, the mids are amazingly transparent, and the highs are completely natural, no brightness or edginess. Very balanced and even presentation. The soundstage goes much deeper, dynamics are exceptional, and the spatial relationships between intruments and voices in the recording space are clearly laid out.. I was loathe the believe my own ears, but fortunately my listening pal from Blackstone came over Saturday and was blown away by the improvement--and I completely trust his ears.
I just thought I'd mention it in case someone is looking for an effective and affordable bi-wiring arrangement. All systems are different, of course, but for around $60 I'm more than happy. For single-wiring I'd suggest paralleling the two sets, but I haven't tried it myself. I would think it would work well.