what are the cons of using bare wire to connect speakers??? (1 Viewer)

[Brian_C]

I don't believe you can hear a difference when using bare wire or connectors such as spades and bananas. So what it all boils down to is convenience and appearance. I don't know about you all, but everyone that comes over to my place that's in to home theater always takes a look behind the scenes.

 

[Randy Prue]

but everyone that comes over to my place that's in to home theater always takes a look behind the scenes.

Lucky you. I have friends who want to rewire the whole thing when they visit.

 

[Jason Watson]

Brian,
That is funny. It seems that the people who are NOT into audio or H/T seem the most curious about my cables. The speakers sit far enough out in the room that the backs are easily visable. The cables look so different than what they know as "speaker wire", they dont realize the big, black monoliths they see are even speakers. The look of horror on a visiting womans face contrasts so nicely with the slack jawed, thousand yard stare of her male companion.I think.
Oh yea. A crimped connection IS air tight at the point of contact. Treat connections(crimped or bare wire) with a little Caig Pro Gold for a oxidation free joint that does not introduce yet another metal into the connection. That is, if you worry about things like that. I for one, am not going to admit whether I do or not.

 

[John Garcia]

Car guy tip - you want to keep oxidation out, use dielectric grease. Will basically last a LONG time and keep the oxidation away. Nearly every important connection in your engine uses this method to keep water away from the inside of connectors, even water tight ones.

I have to say that I used to solder my connectors on also, and over time, the oxidation will still get to the exposed wire and travel inside the jacket. I have some old, large gauge cables that I soldered and the corrosion started after the solder point and worked it's way up the jacket on a few of the ends. Only real answer is to check the ends of your cables every now and then (6mo to a year) for corrosion. If they are corroded, cut them off and start fresh.

Another point for those who haven't done soldering - if you don't do it RIGHT, you will not end up with a good connection. It takes practice.