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Spade termination for Vandersteen 2CE Signature ii

I want to terminate two sets of cables with spade connectors for a pair of Vandersteen 2CE Signature ii screw plate hook-up. Vandersteen says the max width for a spade is 7/16ths or .4375 inch. I would like to use Cardas CGMS spades, but their width is .4875 (http://www.cardas.com/cgms.php).
One cable I want to reterminate is a AudioQuest Rocket 33. It was banana plug and I stripped it to bare wire. The other set is four runs of Duelund 12AWG.

I am seeking advice on a specific spade to use for the Vandersteen screw plate. Has anyone used the CGMS (I know the specs indicate it would not fit). Any other mfg. recommendations for a spade to use?

I am connecting to a Rogue Cronus Magnum II and a Tandberg 3012A. Any advice is appreciated.


arturos73
erik_squires
16,202 posts
 
@n80

Doh!! I meant a cold weld, but really what I meant was a crimp, or crimp onto sleeves, and screws like WBT and Furutech recommend.

Solder is not a very good, high current connection, it should not be used for amp to speakers.


ketchup
699 posts
 
But right inside the speaker and the amp there are soldered connections, so I never really understood the anti-solder argument.  If you refuse to just solder, you may want to think about crimping and then soldering.  There are literally hundreds of solder joints in your dac, preamp, ICs, and amp.  Is eliminating one or two really going to make any difference?
erik_squires
16,202 posts
 
@ketchup


There's a difference between line level electronics and speakers.


The high current connections are between the amp and drivers, so personally I'd discourage it. Notice there are no solder joints between the power outside your house and the electrical outlet. Everything there is a pressure connection. 

Of course, there is solder used in some relatively high current places, like bridge rectifiers and primary filter caps, but the biggest power caps use screws, not solder, to connect.

Best,
E
erik_squires
16,202 posts
 
Forgot one of the important things about solder vs. pressure connections:
Solder is brittle. Over time, movement will make it break or become intermittent faster than pressure connections. This is an important reason why solder is not used where two materials will flex.
ketchup
699 posts
 
There’s a difference between line level electronics and speakers.

Okay, forget line level stuff, although I don’t see how they are less susceptible to the effects of a soldered connection than speaker level connections. Most of the connections inside an amp and inside speakers or crossovers that are "speaker level" are soldered.
Over time, movement will make it break or become intermittent faster than pressure connections. This is an important reason why solder is not used where two materials will flex.
We’re talking about home audio systems that don’t move or vibrate like heavy machinery or production equipment. Our systems live a pretty luxurious life in climate controlled environments and spend most of their time sitting completely still. If your solder connections are breaking, you are doing something very wrong.
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