speaker wire termination

Nick_Foxx · #1 03-03-2005, 05:05 PM

so i finally upgraded my speakers after 15 yrs. i am getting new speaker cable but in the meantime will utilize the ones i had been using... for my old speakers, i had the cables terminate in naked wire... is there a difference (in sound quality obviously) between doing this versus using spades or banana plug termination?

thanks

mike

citanul · #2 03-03-2005, 05:08 PM

not that you have any hope of noticing, no.

citanul

wacki · #3 03-03-2005, 05:26 PM

[ QUOTE ]
not that you have any hope of noticing, no.

citanul

[/ QUOTE ]

You would be surprised. Cables and plugs can make a big difference. Of course, they won't matter if your speakers, amps, subs, and sound source aren't all top notch.

It's more important to have thicker wire. Once you insert the wire it should be fine as long as you don't remove it. Those plugs are gold plated to avoid corrosion. So as long as there is no corrosion it shouldn't effect the sound quality.

usmfan · #4 03-03-2005, 06:14 PM

Yes. Thicker wire is more important than plugs. That said, after many years I finally bought some banana plugs. Since that time I had to rearrange some wires in the back of the receiver. The ease with which I could dis/connect the speaker wire was worth price by itself. No question, get some banana plugs.

edtost · #5 03-03-2005, 10:59 PM

spades >> bananas.

Myrtle · #6 03-03-2005, 11:12 PM

What gauge is the speaker wire? If the runs are over 15-20 ft., It should be 16 ga. or lower.

Mechanical connection is just as important as electrical. If you re-use as they are right now, the exposed copper might be corroded to the point where it could cause some audio degradation.

Simple solution is to cut the old bare ends, strip the new ends back the required length, and re-connect.

The issue of speaker wire vs. fidelity is very complicated & highly controversial.

In short form, with the finest of audio equipment, there are some audiophiles who claim to be able to differentiate between the 2 in a double blind test.

I have never experienced that, although it is clear the sub-standard cables will cleary cause an audible problem.

Hope this helps......