Regarding bi-wiring and bi-amping: I couldn't disagree more. There are great benefits to each of these techniques. I absolutely know for a fact that my speakers (B&W Nautilus 802's) sound more open and extended now that I bi-wired them. You must use seperate legs for this - that is, a seperate plus and minus wire for each upper and lower half. Remember that means 4 seperate wires for each speaker - 8 seperate wires for the speaker pair. For a scientific reason that this is so, check out the Vandersteen speaker website. Richard says it far better than can I. When I called the Outlaws for information on their sub-woofer, the representative told me that the woofer not only makes low sounds, but frees the amps for the mids and highs, therefore making them sound better. This is the basis for bi-amping. It can be prohibitavely expensive, and may not not be worth it for mid-fi, however, there is an increase in quality with its use. I have 2 systems - a high end stereo system, and a totally different one for 5.1 video. They both benefit from many tweeks such as better power cords, anti-resonance devices, better wall plugs, seperate and dedicated power lines, room treatment, on infinitum. With the judicial application of each of these, there can be a step closer to Nirvana.