Speaker Cable Terminations

Bare wire is generally frowned on for 3 reasons:

1. The wire is bare and thus will oxidize in time which reduces the quality by changing the parameters of the cable. The oxidisation will creep up the cable so you can't overcome by simply restripping the cable unless you cut back 20cm every couple years.

2. It won't necessarily give the same contact area between any two binding posts because the hole is intentionally large to accommodate various cables. So you get different cable deformations every time you screw it down.

3. It can physically weaken the cable or break strands.

I've never heard of anyone remotely serious about hifi (even at the budget end) opting for bare wire. Spade connections can be superb if the plug is properly soldered or crimped (true oxygen free cold weld) but banana plugs give the best contact area and consistency of connection.

FWIW I don't think you need to spend much money on banana plugs. A robust construction gold or nickel plated and job done. Just not the screw on nasties. 

Solder should be done well and a good mechanical fix is a priority.  It will also coat the copper and go some way to guarding against oxidisation of the copper surface (which, it appears in the critical bit).  While poor soldering is to be avoided, in which case anything else is probably better, good soldering certainly seems to have an advantage over bare wire connections, which can often start off sounding good and lose their edge rapidly.  Note also that the vibrations from the speaker can possibly loosen off bare wire binding posts.

Interesting replies thank you. As a point of interest Proac who's speakers I use recommend the bare wire hole clamp method. Now you would think they would reasonably concider this to give the best performance from their speakers.

phlip

When I had a pair of Proacs they were used on the end of valve amps and with Kimber 8TC speaker cable with spades.  The Proacs had some nice rhodium Michell "Big Mother" binding posts and these allowed you to screw down on the spades very tightly.  However, they never seemed to stay that tight for very long and would loosen up after a few months.

Hi Musica,

you question has made me reflect that perhaps the plain essence of the Naim experience is, trying to have maximum possible control over any possible electromechanical aspect of the reproducing chain. This control is exercised by the factory at one end, and by the user at the other one. This accounts for everything from the mains plugs to the torque of the woofers' bolts.

This may occasionally border on paranoia, and stimulate some users' momentary rejection of the whole thing (I experience at least one per year, sometimes more), but if you accept it as globally as it is offered to you (from the mains outlet to the woofers' bolts, but some users go upstream to the source and play with the home's electrical system), you are guaranteed to experience the same degree of satisfaction as any other owner.

Naim is definitely about control. If you can see speaker plugs as a way to have control on oxidation, it'll be ok and you won't be in doubt.

N.B: This is just partly serious - best wishes for your enjoyment.

m

When I had my PMC speakers I used biwire jumpers, which were spade to banana plugs. The spades would come loose very quickly. It seems a very dubious method of connection, and bare wire seems even worse.