Spade vs bare wire


Age old audio cable question. Im thinking of going spades for my next set of cables. I‘ve noticed banana plugs seem to loosen over time. However, bare wire might just be the best. Many old threads on this subject. 

Any thougts, experiences or even measurable differences?
aberyclark

Showing 1 response by tomcarr

My ancient (1979) Vandy 2Cs accept only bananas. My Anticables were terminated with spades (for previous Monitor Audio Silver 8s). After cutting off the spades, I doubled back the ends of bare wire and seated them firmly into the 2Cs. Listened that way for a year or so, then curiosity got the best of me. Cold-welded bananas to said wire, drove 'em home where they belonged and listened. Honestly, I wasn't expecting ANY difference, but there was. Better defined bass. Expectation bias definitely didn't play a role- I wasn't expecting any change at all.
I realize I didn't compare different legitimate connections since the Vandy terminals were not designed for bare wire, but anyway...

Tom