Jmc; this is a potentially "explosive" thread. That said, Richard Vandersteen states in the owner's manuals of his 2Ce and 3A speakers that a bi-wired run of moderately priced wire will typically out-perform a single run of more expensive cable. I've followed RV's advice with good results, but I think it depends on speakers and maybe amps. I like to stick to manufactures recommendations, or at least start with them. BTW, I use Syn. Res. Sig. #2 (mod. priced) in bi-wired runs to Vand. 3As. Good Luck. Craig.
Expensive wire VS. less expensive biwire
I've been biwiring for about 8 years now and I like the effect it had when I originally tried it. The cables I'm using are Tara Labs Quantum Reference. 2 pair of 8 foot runs cost about $225 each (retail). I've been thinking of trying to upgrade my speaker cable and I'm struggling with the biwire issue again. Looking at used cable with a budget of about $600 total, do you think there's more to gain running a single $600 cable or two $300 cables. Like I said I like the way biwire sounds, but I've never really listened to a single wire that cost twice as much in my system.