Spade vs. banana plug

Banana plugs are easier to connect/disconnect if you do it often. Spade lugs are generally considered to be the more secure connection. Some banana plugs incorporate an adjustment screw locking them in place -- sort of defeating the concept while (possibly?) making them the spade lugs' equal. Give me a substantial, gold-electroplated, solid-copper alloy spade lug any day of the week and twice on Sundays, thank you. 

I agree that a good spade lug does offer peace of mind.  But the components ultimately call the shots.  My Primaluna integrated demands spade lugs.  My Nola speakers demand bananas.

Old school OCC copper solid core bare wire for me.

noromance3,988 posts08-04-2020 9:12pmOld school OCC copper solid core bare wire for me.

Y spades are great, But your right bare wire, through an eyelet and tighten... That is a good connection...Tin the end with silver solder, and you get another sonic nugget.

Regards

Two companies that place a high priority on measurements, Benchmark and Purifi, use SpeakOn connections at the amp end. 

I am going to try SpeakOn terminated speaker wire with the AHB2 amp that I just bought. I will compare them with my existing Audience Conductor SE speaker wire and it's Banana plugs at the amp end.

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/opinion/1420-purifi-audios-pint-sized-powerhouses

Speaking of speakONs . . .

When I unpacked the Eigentakt and SPK5s and saw the Neutrik speakON connectors used throughout, I was relieved that Purifi had also sent a package that included the speakON-terminated cables needed to connect the Eigentakt to the SPK5s’ external crossovers and the crossovers to the speakers, as well as a set of cables terminated with speakONs at one end and banana plugs on the other, for connection to other speakers. Purifi makes these cables themselves, using CLS 425 bulk speaker wire made in Germany by Cardial.

Purifi’s reliance on speakONs intrigued me, so I asked them about it. Lars Risbo:

Nearly all binding posts and/or banana plugs available we found to be magnetic and added measurable hysteric distortion. The cheapest plastic speakON passed the test. It seems that Benchmark Media Systems came to the same conclusion with their very low distortion AHB2 amplifier.

Moreover, we run biwiring through the crossover filter to the speaker box. Using the four-pole speakON, we can join the branches right at the amplifier’s sense point, where the output impedance is extremely low. This effectively blocks leakage of distortion products between the drivers. This makes biwiring actually work.