There are few terminal ends that the wire pocket has a thick enough clad to withstand a cold weld. But with a one size fits all mentality of assemblers or want-to-be cable builders it's no wonder most folks don't understand WHY most of the terminal ends sound the same.
As soon as you solder it you've removed any reason to use anything BUT what the solder is comprised of. You have to mechanically join two pieces and the solder has to secure it, NOT JOIN IT. It's a different type of solder connection. It's like skip soldering every 4" on a 12" run, all the rest of the cable is mechanically joined but not insulated with solder one surface to the other. Technique is VERY important.
The quality of the terminal end, and the quality control of certain terminal ends YOU, not ME have to pay attention to. You cannot trust someone else's BS. I've tested a few different RCA and speaker ICs. FEW have passed muster through the years.
Personally I like pure red copper or pure silver. BOTH are expensive but not when you figure you don't need that many pieces in an entire system. They have a 100 year life, pretty easy. You clean and oil just like ANY unfinished metal. I use contact enhancer when I assemble cables. Cold weld, compression dimple or screws (there is a trick with screws too).
Have fun and pick your gear and add YOUR terminals. THEN enjoy the magic of really good terminal ends and QUIT selling your STUFF, pretty simple..
Two shops full of experiments.. We won't talk about the basement. IT'S a different kind of experiment.:-)
Regards Franken-oldhvymec..
Regards