Hello, I have been wondering but other than the obvious convenience that these things (sorry, I am a newbie and do not know the proper term) provide, is there any advantages to them? I have read about oxidation occuring on the surface of these connectors causing them to "wear out" as well... myth? Don't they provide resistance leading to a slight change in sound? Am I wrong in assuming that the best connection is a straight speaker to amplifier/receiver connection with wires? Any answers to these questions is appreciated. TIA! ~Antonio
Your hitting on a very subjective topic here. My opinion, the less connections the better. As far as I am concerned, Bananas and spades are for convienience only.
I think I can get away with saying that the "audiophile convention" is that bare-wire connections are the best. I agree with this to a point: the less breaks, the fewer places for a loose connection. But I have never heard of anyone who is "golden-eared" enough to tell if 1 speaker is bare-wired, and another uses banana plugs. The plugs and spades do not corrode or provide extra resistance. If anything, its the copper wire that oxidizes and has a higher resistance. The thicker the item, the lower the resistance is the general rule. Look at the back of your receiver. Try wiring up 5 sets of 12 ga wire into those small holes in your binding posts that are grouped together in a clump. After 40 minutes of frustration, you will be over-joyed at how easy it is to wire up banana plugs and simply plug things in. (External amps have a lot more space around the posts.) The general rule is that the higher the frequency, the more sensistive the signals are to the cables. Audio signals are very slow compared to RF, Video, HD/Progressive frequencies. So be carefull when you try and take rules for video signals (that DO have connector and impedence issues) and assume they apply to audio.
Bob I think that if u look at high end speaker connects you will find that spades are the prefered connectors. Robert
Spade: http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd..._ID=2475&DID=7 Banana: http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd..._ID=2446&DID=7
I think the THX specification calls for the use of spade connectors for speaker wires. I think this is for reliability-of-connection issues rather than for any sonic reasons. I dont like the idea of crimp-on connectors because it takes a bit of skill to do a good job or a few $$$ for the crimp tool and die set.
Added resistance is negligible and the joints last forever unless physically abused, if the banana plugs or spade lugs are soldered onto the ends of the wires. Unfortunately soldering is not the easiest thing to do. Video hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm
i've heard of people who say that the spades/banana plugs not only inhibit the signal, but that they'll actually modify the signal. in other words, those darned things will actually change the way the music sounds. i think that's a bunch of hooey, but to each his own. to me, the convenience far outweights any sonic affects that may be heard. of course, i'm not golden eared so your results could be different. the only way to tell for sure is to try it yourself and see what your ears tell you.
Even if a banana/spade connector did change the sound, I would venture to guess that the sound would change more from the oxidation that would occur on bare copper over the course of a year in a suitable environment. So, like you said, it comes down to convenience, priorities, and so on. I believe some people use bare copper, and cut off a few centimeters at the ends every year or so.
