Spades or bananas connectors?

2 reasons for not using barewire from hi-fi point of view:

1]The metals get oxidized very rapidly and result in deterioration of sonic transfer especially at the extreme frequencies.You will lose the 3-d image , the emotions of the performers will be missing and the ambiance of the hall will also be gone.These are the things we hold dear to our heart,andcan easily be heard in very transparent systems.

2]The amount of stress induced on the wire will be much greater.stressed wire produce muffled sound.

the solution?Use the best connectors you could afford.Bocchino and WBT{nextgen series are especially good for banana] make the best connectors IMHO

BFA bananas for me...

Let's clear some misconceptions shall we?

By: Nelson Pass

"Copper and aluminum oxidize quickly and oils from our fingers find their way to the conductor surfaces, causing poor contact; so on more than one occasion the dramatic improvement provided by an exotic cable has merely demonstrated the extremely poor quality of the previous cable's long neglected connections. Wire connections can age, and anyone wishing to accurately evaluate the newer cable's improved quality should first renew the contacts on his current set. Banana plugs and five-way binding posts make excellent connectors as long as they are kept clean; however, while the connector's plated surface resists corrosion, the wire to the connector interface can become bad and should be periodically checked, especially if it is subject to motion."

"Speaker wire terminations are optional and largely for convenience, as bare wire ends work just as well electrically, and may work better mechanically as adding a termination introduces another potential point of error in installation or of failure over time."

Doesn't the use of dissimilar metals create ultimate changes in cable conductivity?

The brass that is used in most cable connectors.... Bananas, Spade lugs, etc. have a conductivity rate of about 40%. Is that how YOUR cables are terminated?

Check out the conductivity of "Audiophile" beryllium coppers on the link below:

http://www.copper.org/applications/industrial/DesignGuide/conductalloy02.html[/url]

Should we now discuss the capacitance issues sometime created with termination?

BTW.... Cable terminations, no matter what type/brand, require the SAME amount of cleaning/maintenance as any bared end termination. If you may think not, clean yours and be surprised.

Buscis2.

I think Nelson pass's statement might be true if you are referrinng to nonspecialized connector manufacturers.

BTW have actully TRIED Bocchino or WBT connectors,or it is just an armchair observations?

Fafafion. Agreed. "Specialty termination manufacturers are using better materials in terms of electrical conductivity, resonance control and minimizing the introduction of capacitance issues.

Personally? I don't own an interconnect that doesn't use DH Labs "Ultimate RCAs". I absolutely subscribe to the logic of quality connectors.

However, for speaker? K.I.S.S.

Of course, the physical/mechanical connection capability is the most demading element in this equation. But how much you wanna bet that removing those wonderful connectors you speak of, wouldn't actually reveal a higher degree of as you stated?:

"the 3-d image , the emotions of the performers will be missing and the ambiance of the hall will also be gone.These are the things we hold dear to our heart,andcan easily be heard in very transparent systems."

A properly silver "tinned" speaker cable will have a higher degree of susceptibility to oxidation. It will require regular cleaning as ANY connector. However, keep in mind, when using a high quality connector.... It still needs a method of physical connection (solder joint). That becomes the area of concern and no different in terms of maintenance
than any bared end.

And ultimately? You will need to be comfortable with the signature that ANY termination component will impart on the sound in which the unterminated cable will be devoid.

My favorite sonic signatures are the ones you can't hear. :>)