Spade vs bare wire

With decent high purity OFC I find bare wire is fine due to its low oxidation levels.

If you want connectors then get tarnish resistant ones that are also air tight giving the cable little or no chance to oxidise. Soldering can have it's own issues, as I discovered with that horrible Linn and Naim cables we were recommended back then. 

I'm pretty sure that although the differences in resistance would be negligible in either case I prefer bare wire as it's cheaper and infinitely more practical.

Bare OFC cable is the simplest and easily the most convenient. Issues with oxidation, if they exist at all, can be dealt with a periodic clean once or twice a year.

Besides, concerns with any oxidation of speaker cable pale into insignificance compared to oxidation of cable used inside amps, speakers, the mains, the power station etc etc.

Paranoia City Arizona.

@ieales, "Tremendous improvements in sound quality can be effected by removing ALL crimps / headers / connectors from the audio path and soldering the connections"

Tremendous?

Perhaps, but only if after 25 years or so they had become terribly pitted.

For many of us going that long without changing gear is beyond comprehension.

I'm sure you mean well but what you're suggesting is risky to say the least, and in most cases I believe, totally unnecessary.