Can I connect speaker wire this way...?

Does anyone know of a good contact cleaner maintenance product for bare wire connections?

Brian, you don't need connectors. You can use bare wire with no problems. I don't use any connectors on my amp end, OR my speaker end(with my current cables). There are two issues here. If the connectors are better conductors than the wire itself(silver connectors w/copper wire) you would get a better "ohmic" contact(electrical speak for lower contact resistance). However, most of us use a connector of higher resistivity(gold plated - usually brass). The contact resistance is higher in these circumstances. The other thing is that even if the resistivity IS lower, many feel that there is a degradation in sound wherever one material transitions to another. So a gold plated brass connector would lose on both counts.

The best contact cleaners I have run into are the DeoxIT and PreservIT, formally called Cramolin Red and Blue, products from Caig Laboratories (www.caig.com). I use their R5 DeoxIT spray. It works great for contacts, pots and switches.

Thanks for the website Mstorkamp. Cramolin is the one that I remembered/forgot.

Probably depends on your wires!!!! Monster cables (e.i. multiple strands of unshielded wire) will probably sound the same with or withou good connectors. If you are talking about GOOD speaker wire ( multiple strands of INSULATED wire) things may be different. How are the Bananas connected? Are they el cheapo bananas that screw down or what????? Personally I hate bare wire connections. Not only for sonic differences but also for conveinence! You probably could "audition" these cables bare and get a good idea of their performance. By the way...What kind of cables are you working with????? Later! Steve