crimping vs soldering

I agree with Seandtaylor99. In my days at Western Electric, I learned that the best connection is a good mechanical joint followed by a properly flowed solder (not too much). Witness all those PCBs with solder. Crimping is fine as long as proper pressure is applied and it not exposed to the elements (solder works well to seal the connection). Just take a look at an outdoor electrical connection via a wire nut (crude mechanical bond), you will find corrosion of the conductors.

Read the Audioquest white paper on cabling which goes in depth regarding this question. A solid cold crimp connection is next-best-thing to a molecular bond (electrowelding, which cannot be done at home) & for additional safeguard against oxidation a followup solder topcoat is advised, although unnecessary if you used a high pressure hydraulic crimper, again not typically found around the house.

I like to do a high voltage electronic weld followed by cryo treatment and my patented magical cable dance to make sure all bases are covered. You cannot go wrong with my method.

Follow Timo's advise an go to Cardas web page, there are lots of information in the FAQ. If you will solder, I recomend the WBT silver solder, it's melts at a low temp so
your cables insulation won't burn.

I don't have an educated opinion, however I read on Jon Risch's Web Site that soldering the spades on his DIY speaker cables can actually degrade the cable's performance.

Hmmmm...