I use bare wire when connecting to the speaker binding post. For those who mention oxidation, while true, it occurs ever so slightly and over such a long period of time that it is of no practical concern. Even so, every 18 months or so I'm inclined to clip off the bare wire, strip another half-inch or so of insulation and use the newly exposed bare wire. Sure, this shortens the cable, so you should start the process with a cable which is 2 or 3 feet longer than otherwise needed and the cable can last a lifetime. Also, I believe its a good idea to keep the binding posts *very* tight (by hand only but with the aid of a cloth or glove in order to tighten that much more), and to check the tightness of the binding post every two months or so as invariably it will loosen ever so slightly. Same on the amp side.
Correct way to attach speaker wires... Wait, what!!!
Okay this is going to sound ridiculous but I've always wondered if I'm connecting the wires in the proper way to the binding posts. I just picked up a Red Dragon S500 power amp and I figured I finally should ask the question. It has the screw down type of posts. Here is a link to the pic on their website. The wires I have are Mapleshade Clearview Golden Helix which terminate in a stiff single 3/4" wire. Any help for a dumb question would be greatly appreciated!