Hi, are you using banana plugs or some such gizmo at the end of your speaker cables? Yes, you I am talking to you. If you are, it is worth your while to take them off and connect your speakers and amp directly with bare wire. Yes, that's right, bare wire. Then give your rig a listen. I was pleasantly surprised when I tried this, you might be too. No more bananas in the signal path for me.

Tru dat.

 

For me, banana's amp end (coz I swap the odd amp in and out) and bare F connection at the speaker.

What a shame that we can't remove those horrible RCA connectors or the valve base sockets from the signal chain too:rolleyes:

 

cloth_ears;137328 wrote:

What a shame that we can't remove those horrible RCA connectors or the valve base sockets from the signal chain too:rolleyes:

 

:eek: don't get me started....

Depends on how the banana's are terminated to the cable and their quality. So many factors.

Hooster, you must be our "naked" audiophile.

I've been bare wire for a year now and won't go back. Two best wire mods for speaker cables is strip that shitty PVC crap off them and use bare wire. It will sound SWEEEEET!!

Spades and bananas here for ease of use and safety (important when the amp is not mine).

 

omegaspeedy;137395 wrote:

I've been bare wire for a year now and won't go back. Two best wire mods for speaker cables is strip that shitty PVC crap off them and use bare wire. It will sound SWEEEEET!!

 

wow, I'll have to try that on my Nordosts.

I swear by Deltron banana's (as used at my amp end)

 

Cheap as chips ($6-8 each?).

 

Very low mass. A wafer of a banana.

 

I had a set of Wireworlds with factory spades. Swapped them for Deltrons. A HUGE difference (...for the better).

Interesting thread I have always wondered what was best.

 

 

Cable Terminator.

 

aarond;137400 wrote:

wow, I'll have to try that on my Nordosts.

 

Please Let us know how it goes.

 

Hooster;137405 wrote:

Please Let us know how it goes.

 

It might void the warranty.

 

aarond;137400 wrote:

wow, I'll have to try that on my Nordosts.

 

You've got Teflon Aaron so your OK but you still need a dust detector to make those SF really sing:D

I tend to solder mine direct to driver, bare wire at amp end.

in industrial electrical we use these things called "bootlace pins" come in all cable sizes up to 35mm2.

 

So basically they are there to slip over the copper after you striped the cable, then crimp with a tool, then slot under your connection (screw terminal)

 

they are there to stop the screw or terminal splicing into the copper ends and cutting the copper..........!!

 

I wonder if these bootlace pins would work for connecting speakers etc......

They probably do, but not in the grade of copper, brass, tin or rhodium that we'd like.

I often use those electrical 'fork' or ring type lugs - plated copper.

 

I file off the tin plating for bare copper contact face.

 

Requires a clean of now & then (copper oxide) to shine up the copper.

 

Ernie;137413 wrote:

They probably do, but not in the grade of copper, brass, tin or rhodium that we'd l

ike

.

 

Ah, but do we really need?

Antipodes did a thing on the different metals some time back, and his sonic observations. There was something even betterer than Rhodium if I remember.

 

Owen Y;137427 wrote:

I often use those electrical 'fork' or ring type lugs - plated copper.

 

 

 

I file off the tin plating for bare copper contact face.

 

 

 

Requires a clean of now & then (copper oxide) to shine up the copper.

 

Welcome back O.

 

I did the same thing with my XLO spades which apparently are six-nines copper.

I use bananas here. Have done for as long as I can remember.

 

Sonically wire may be better but when I'm always swapping speakers out between gear I will not take the chance. Safety first kids.

 

And don't get me started on having to strip your precious cable back to halt oxidisation.

 

Cheers, Shane.

Banana plugs are theoretically a nice simple connector design.

 

Has anyone found a nice banana plug & matching spkr socket... a simple design where the receptacle is not a big '5-way' binding post of brass? These used to be a standard product yrs ago, before big heavy cables, spades & clunky binding posts became normal.... imagine your signal coming down yer expensive hi end cable conductor, then having to negotiate its way across the complex machined & threaded shape of a typical binding post...ugh!

 

Eichmann's design is one that looks good, but those old cheap receptacles should still perform as good, if not better, than binding posts. (IMO of course!)