Bare wire speaker connection vs spades and bananas

RE: Bare wire speaker connection vs spades and bananas, posted on October 31, 2016 at 03:45:29
ad010685 Audiophile Posts: 752 Joined: February 22, 2002	Had same struggle two weeks ago. After reading a lot i settled myself on use bananas with copper bare wire "fully covered and sealed" by Silver solder. The thinking was to avoid copper contact with air as much as possible. The silver solder completely covers the wire and I sealed the banana wire entrance hole with it as well. Hope it makes sense.

RE: Bare wire speaker connection vs spades and bananas, posted on October 31, 2016 at 03:51:01

MannyE
Audiophile

Posts: 2088
Location: Miami Beach
Joined: March 4, 2001

In my experience, as long as the connection between the connector and the wire is good, I hear no difference between bare wire and my favorite, the banana.

Of course, I like banana plugs because I change speakers around often. They make that much easier.

I really don't like spade lugs because I feel they need too much tightening to be secure and they are space hogs. I prefer bare wire over spades for that reason, not because I think they sound worse than bare wire.

RE: Bare wire speaker connection vs spades and bananas, posted on October 31, 2016 at 06:43:40
Jack G Audiophile Posts: 9739 Joined: September 24, 1999	Bare wire sounds slightly better than good bananas for a short period of time, but the wires oxidize quickly and degrade the sound. I'm not a fan of spades. Jack

I agree and, posted on October 31, 2016 at 10:18:54
lancelot Audiophile Posts: 1722 Joined: March 23, 2001	I'm a big fan of quality BFA bananas. The seem to fit very well on a wide variety of equipment and their small size is a bonus.

RE: Bare wire speaker connection vs spades and bananas, posted on October 31, 2016 at 10:49:39
mitch2 Audiophile Posts: 1521 Location: Great Lakes Joined: August 28, 2001	Adhesive-backed heat shrink works too and especially for those who prefer a crimped connection to a soldered connection.

RE: Bare wire speaker connection vs spades and bananas, posted on October 31, 2016 at 10:52:20
ad010685 Audiophile Posts: 752 Joined: February 22, 2002	oh yes mitch2, agree

RE: Bare wire speaker connection vs spades and bananas, posted on November 1, 2016 at 11:14:17

Tweaker456

Some, as I do, believe that for the most part anything not need in the signal path degrades sound. My vote is for bare wire with MG carbon conductive grease on the connectors, not because the grease is "needed" but because it improves the sound markedly. There are folks out there that believe that a connector will improve the sound. Got to try it for yourself. Maybe is some cases they are correct. Easy enough to test. T456

RE: I agree and, posted on November 1, 2016 at 15:14:06

bcowen
Audiophile

Posts: 1076
Location: North Carolina
Joined: December 19, 2015

I like the BFA style plugs too, but I don't like the brass or bronze base metal many are made with. Anybody have any experience with the Nakamichi plugs? Claimed to be gold plated copper, which is ideally what I'd like to have. At $13.50 a dozen delivered, I'll probably order a set just to see (even if I piss off the audiophile police). :)

Nakamichi BFA Bananas

RE: Bare wire speaker connection vs spades and bananas, posted on November 1, 2016 at 21:00:34

Duster
Manufacturer

Posts: 17117
Location: Pacific Northwest
Joined: August 25, 2002

IME, spade connectors are preferable for reference quality applications, since a gas-free contact surface area is better optimized vs. a banana/BFA connector or bare wire connection. However, any type of interface can be a good way to experiment with custom system tuning efforts, since each method, and the myriad of connector options will present a unique sonic signature that might be worthy to experiment with...

RE: Bare wire speaker connection vs spades and bananas, posted on November 2, 2016 at 05:11:49
ad010685 Audiophile Posts: 752 Joined: February 22, 2002	I found this bananas lovely both visually and functionally. Please note center plastic core http://www.audiogears.it/product.php~idx~~~1157~~TST_W30+AG~.html

bananas, posted on November 2, 2016 at 09:55:51
hifitommy Audiophile Posts: 15387 Location: canyon country califiornia, orig from buffalo ny Joined: June 9, 2000	for me, convenience rules. ultimate sound quality doesn't suffer much, if any. that said, i don't have $50k speakers or electronics. ...regards...tr

I agree with spades..., posted on November 2, 2016 at 10:28:42

Jonesy
Audiophile

Posts: 3156
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Joined: September 1, 2005
Contributor
Since: March 1, 2018

I have copper Cardas binding posts. And the spades (I don't remember the brand), are copper that I've filed off the gold plating.

Maybe because the copper is soft, but whatever the reason, when I tighten down those posts, I get a solid connection, and it takes some force to undo them.

I take them apart from time to time to polish to a high sheen, but mostly for aesthetics. The connecting points themselves are untarnished, but they get the full benefit of a polish, clean with zero-residue contact cleaner, and finally isopropyl 99.9%.

I'm a proponent of high surface area contact. I would think the actual contact points using a banana would be quite little. Admittedly I have not tried any of the nex-gen or bullet plug type where less is more in terms of contact area. So I am just going by a stubborn gut instinct.

So it's me and my half-inch wrench.

Cheers!

Jonesy

"I know just enough to get into trouble. But not enough to get out of it."

+1 for bananas as well., posted on November 2, 2016 at 22:19:28
Mick Wolfe Audiophile Posts: 3363 Location: AZ Joined: October 10, 1999 Contributor Since: September 4, 2000	NT

No connector is better than having a connector., posted on November 13, 2016 at 08:26:02
Cougar Audiophile Posts: 4572 Location: SoCal Joined: June 25, 2001	There is less solder joints. So if you are a minimalist and believe in the "less is better" way then hard (solder) wiring all interconnections will greatly improve the sound on any system. I actually heard a system that was done like this, it was best I had heard but.... if you need to move or change things out, then you will have to unsolder all those connections. Too much for me.

RE: Bare wire speaker connection vs spades and bananas, posted on November 29, 2016 at 11:28:09
ssglx Audiophile Posts: 163 Location: NC Joined: December 14, 2004	I hear a noticeable difference in clarity with my Morrow Nude SP2 cables VS the same cable with banana connectors. I prefer them, though both sound good.

Cable Asylum

Bare wire speaker connection vs spades and bananas

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