BTW look at Pine Tree audio , good prices and great reviews by Terry London.
Speaker cable termination options
I recently moved my system to a single wall, drastically shortening my speaker cable run from 60 feet (which ran up through the attic) down to about 8 feet. Right now, I’m using Amazon Basics 14 AWG bare wire connected via flex-pin banana plugs to get by, but I want to replace them with a proper set of dedicated cables.
My gear consists of a Luxman L-507Z integrated amp and Wharfedale Super Linton speakers.
I have gone down the cable rabbit hole and frankly find it exhausting, so I’m not looking to rehash standard cable debates. I am strictly looking for perspective on unterminated vs. spades vs. banana plugs for my specific use case.
Here are my parameters:
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Set and Forget: I do not plan on swapping gear, moving equipment, or dealing with tight/narrow spaces behind the rack.
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Safety/Maintenance: I know unterminated wire carries a slight short-circuit risk if a strand strays, and I’m aware of copper oxidation over time.
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Materials: I plan to stick with Oxygen-Free Copper (OFC) cable.
Given a strictly stationary, long-term setup, what termination type do you prefer and why? Furthermore, if I go with a terminated cable, are there specific plating materials (Gold, Silver, Rhodium, etc.) you recommend for the connectors to ensure the best long-term interface?
Thanks in advance for the insights and I hope you find some awesome new music this weekend,
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- 25 posts total
Banana plugs are more consistently reliable, and better for "set it and forget it" situations. These silver over copper are my absolute favorite for DIY cable making. In large part because they use a separate contact surface and spring. That is, the main contact surface is big and solid, making optimal contact with the cylindrical surface, while the spring is a separate component that is really very solid. In my experience, spades are not as consistently reliable. Meaning, they may come loose with no effort at all, either from NO contact or slight cable movement. This is especially true when very hard materials are used, including the pot metal in really cheap spades, or the nickel or rhodium plated kinds of spades or connectors. So, also, avoid rhodium and nickel. Of course, some one always pipes up with "oh but my amp has $3,000 Cardas or Mundorf connectors and will never let go..." and sure in those cases... but for the 95% of all other gear, bananas rule. Over the years I've had many spades just magically twist loose, and NEVER ever had it happen with a banana of any sort. If you must get spades, the WBT with spring loaded spades are about the only one’s I’d take seriously. |
@corelli Viborg VB401S Speaker Banana Plug Connectors Screw Locking,4MM Pure Copper Speaker Terminals. Each has their own signature sound, as they should. I've been VERY happy with these for years now. |
- 25 posts total