Spades vs. Banana plugs ??

I just recently switched speaker cables and started using Audio Art’s top of the line. Of all the bells and whistles, they have locking banana plugs.  So far, I’m thinking this is the way to go.

Deltron style banana plugs have the tightest fit and most intimate contact with the jack IME, w/o going to a locking banana.

I prefer bananas, but never feel like they make the connection that spades do For the same reasons like others have stated. I only buy used equipment so when I got my transparent cable, most of what I found were spade to spade  My older Wilson speakers do not accept bananas either  To the point that others have made about shorting out your amp, I always get super nervous connecting my speaker cables and never do it with the amp on  It seems that Cardas is the gold standard for terminals. I wonder why they make them positioned so close together. Why not have the physical apparatus 2 inches wide with more than enough space for either spade to do a complete rotation without risk of making contact?  
 

I've made several sets of speaker cables using crimp on connectors from Analysis Plus.  I put spades on the speaker end because I don't want the weight of the cables pulling down on banana plugs. Plus spades are more secure if you occasionally move your speakers around seeking the perfect spot or just to vacuum underneath.  I put bananas on the amp end because the connectors are usually an inch or two above shelf with minimal strain on the plug.  Also, the connectors on the rear of some amps can be quite cluttered making bananas the easy choice.  I use a ratcheting crimper which produces a proper secure crimp every time.

The ubiquitous five-way binding posts are hard pressed to cope with the mechanical stress imposed by the massive cables folks use. 12AWG is about as far as five-way will comfortably handle.

Speakon connectors address five-way's shortcomings but are still largely absent from the audiophile world. There are signs this is changing though, for instance Linkwitz uses Speakons in their LX521 flagships. Benchmark does too.

If Furutech, WBT et al start making $500 Speakon connectors, they may yet become the audiophile standard.