Bananas rule, spades drool. End of discussion.

I prefer spades more. Newer had a problem with Cardas spades. Tight, reliable connection. However bananas could be very weak. Ones I accidentally pulled the cable just a little bit and one of banana connectors got bent. When I tried to straighten it up it cracked and broke. 

Locking Bananas (WBT Type) give you the confidence in their connection.

2 allen head set screws secure the speaker wire to the fitting. The threaded rod expands the leaves of the split banana for secure connection, reverse to disconnect. Color coded is handy.

@erik_squires,

It’s okay to vent. Just let it all out - we’re here for you...

OP, I could have sworn a couple years ago or so you asked AG members for a good clamp/no solder spade recommendation.  Change of heart or bad experience?

Hello erik_squires!  Just think about how much contact area there is betwen a banana plug and sleeve it goes in compared to a spade lug tightened down on a quality terminas that sandwhiches it in btween two metal surfaces. The idea is to get the signal from the amp into the speaker, right? With the minimum resistance to the flow of current, right? If you experiment a lot, bananas are quick and easy. You can "stack" them and hook up bunches of speakers in a jiffy. These days, I use locking bananas for my serious setups; no ferrous metals in the signal path. But, if I didn't experiment a lot, I'd use spades. No question. Enjoy the music!