Speaker cable termination

Forget the spades and go with a direct connection if possible - it is just one less element the signal has to pass through.

I agree 100%.

The only downside to bare wire connections is that the ends will need to be cleaned as general maintenance to prevent oxidation. I use and prefer bare wire connections for my speaker cable and currently use De-Oxit though I read that Kontact is a superior one step product. I do not power down when cleaning and am very careful.

Dekay, I used to worry about this also. But, if your amp and speakers have good quality connectors(which can be tightened down a good bit), you are in effect making a gas tight connection. Now I do not say this is the same force being applied during crimping(cold welding) with a real crimper(not what is used 99% of the time), but I feel the connection I am making is good. I see metal deformation of the wire, and absence of oxidation at the contact with the speaker or amplifier. By the way, I got a real crimper from the Boeing helicopter assembly plant outside of Philadelphia. See if you can get one of this type. To compare the connection it makes to what most people call a crimper is an absolute joke.

Soldering is not advised; read the Audioquest White Paper regarding cold crimp connections. You can order their high-grade silver-plated soft-copper lugs (in whatever size you need) very inexpensively. However a low budget hand crimper will not give you nearly the compression as what Audioquest (or any real pro quality crimper) can do for you. Those who are mocking the quality of a home-brew crimp are barking up the wrong tree, if they think that hand tightening on a bare wire is any better. And if you plan to change ends occasionally, is definitely not the best approach, but it will work. Midnight is just too good a cable to compromise (unless you're pinching pennies) but cost savings is an insignificant issue, considering the price of your wire, etc.