Do U know. . .?

[plastic penguin]

Just an idle thought, really.

I have had Arcam amplifiers since the late nineties and always used bare ends connected from my speaker cable. Does anyone know whether using clips (u-shaped ones) would produce any benefits in sound quality?

Any thoughts appreciated.

Ta!

 

[daveh75]

you mean spades! i suppose in theory you have more surface area in contact with the binding post,than just a bare piece of twisted wire, so should have a better connection, so maybe,

 

[plastic penguin]

daveh75:you mean spades! i suppose in theory you have more surface area in contact with the binding post,than just a bare piece of twisted wire, so should have a better connection, so maybe,

Thanks daveh75, yeah I meant spades.

 

[Anonymous]

The benefit of using plugs over bare wire is partly the fact it's easier and quicker to change, but mostly to stop stray bits of wire entering the electronics equation.

Spades are just another solution, you lose the convenience of plugs but you gain a better more secure connection.ÿ

 

[aliEnRIK]

Bare copper will oxidise over time which is why connecting them STRAIGHT to the amp is generally a bad idea. Get a hold of some silver or rhodium 'plated' spades and crimp them to the speaker cables. A quick once over with DEOXIT wouldnt go amiss either (helps prevent oxidisation)

 

[plastic penguin]

Thanks guys. It's a subject that's not often mentioned on here.

 

[Anonymous]

whilst what alien said about oxidisation is true you also have to consider that any termination method used that adds something to the speaker cable is also adding something to the signal path - ie. more and different metals altering the signal before it reaches the speakers.
my solution is to use silver plated copper speaker wire which will not oxidise - failing that treat your copper wires with Deoxit. failing that just trim off the oxidised wire and strip them again.

 

[plastic penguin]

ifitsoundsgoodlistentoit:whilst what alien said about oxidisation is true you also have to consider that any termination method used that adds something to the speaker cable is also adding something to the signal path - ie. more and different metals altering the signal before it reaches the speakers.

my solution is to use silver plated copper speaker wire which will not oxidise - failing that treat your copper wires with Deoxit. failing that just trim off the oxidised wire and strip them again.

I currently use Carnival Silver Plus so I assume from what you say is ideal in avoiding oxidisation.

 

[Anonymous]

yep that would be ideal for simply stripping, twisting and using

 

[aliEnRIK]

Sorry yes, I was talking about COPPER wire.

If silver then it CAN be connected straight to the amp and even though silver DOES oxidise it doesnt actually change its conductive properties (So I read)

 

[Anonymous]

Why do they call them spades, When there so odviously forks? And why are the ones you could use as a spade called lucars? Its a mess.

I dont terminate cables at the amp either. Im an electrical test&inspection engineer, and would fail such terminations expecting to work at the loads we want to have them adequate of. There is no deformation. How ever tight you think it is, its just a tiny turn from dropping out. I cant actually think of a single application where this method of termination is acceptable except in signal wires. Even then there is some deformation. There is inadequate clamping force for the load. I guess if you bend the spade so the binding post has to flatten it then your trying but i like my binding posts to bind on some cable, not just stop. Its not as bad as the tilt ive put on it, but im sure you can see my point. Its adding something that can only do harm, and im expected to pay for it.

Im not so fussed about the mixing matterials arguement. Ive sat with half a dozen commercial phono cables and half a dozen professional audio wire lengths auditioning then along with a good few different phono plugs and found the plugs did nothing with £300 components. All the wires were different ofcource, but plugs didn't do a sausage. Its a tiny part of the equasion, like the generally rubbish wire used inside £300 amps to tie the posts to the board. As long as your connector is gold, its going to be the best conductor in the chain at all frequencys.

iirc surface oxidation messes with hf performance, and even oxygen free copper will oxidise where its exposed. Its nigh on impossible not to expose some though. At least without termination you can keep chopping the bad bit off. How many of us regularly dissconnect and clean everything anyway though?

Im also on silver plated stuff. Ive not heard a great many cables but the silver ones have been better than the copper. Im yet to hear gold but may make some phono leads to see. gold leafing the circuit board though... oh the fun.

To sum up. More harm than its worth. sprung banana plugs though... There good for swapping speakers regularly. They dont fit my arcam though. Arcam have there own termination system. Banana plugs are as good as banned now due to them fitting in euro plug sockets, as do pins and needles and anything else under 4mm. Its silly...

 

[Anonymous]

friendly1_uk: As long as your connector is gold, its going to be the best conductor in the chain at all frequencys

this is something that continues to baffle me... why is everything gold plated? silver is more conductive than gold (as well as being cheaper) so why not use it? i used to think that perhaps it was because gold doesnt oxidise, but it does... im confused