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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:

  • Set and Forget: I do not plan on swapping gear, moving equipment, or dealing with tight/narrow spaces behind the rack.

  • 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.

  • 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,

ctlesq
ted_b
89 posts
 

@ctlesq For banana plugs, I second the Viborg VB401 series as excellent, reliable, cost-effective connector. These are not the usual gold plated brass, but feature a connector of pure copper either plated in silver (VB401S) or gold plated on top of silver (VB401G), solderless with conductor held by dual screws. 

For spades, I like the Pangea Audio Xtreme, machined of tellurium copper (high conductivity) and gold plated as a cost-effective option. The spades are designed like a spring to maintain positive contact pressure, and features a solderless, dual screw conductor attachment.

The Pangea Xtreme bananas are the same metallurgy and conductor clamp as the spades, but are a Z-plug design, and deliver highly positive contact. I use these as well.

A very good, cost-effective speaker cable option is Supra Ply 3.4 (12 AWG) tin plated OFC, which features a higly annealed, high grade of copper that is tin plated (no oxidation), with low inductance (0.20 μH/m). The reviews speak for themselves.

faustuss's avatar
faustuss
852 posts
 

@kmm84 

"I recently came out of the cable rabbit hole for now anyway. I’m very impressed with the solid feel of Kimber SBAN bananas. I tried cables with BFA as well as locking and didn’t care for them. This is after using bare wire for over forty years without issue until I became cable curious."

You're right on the money, I've been using these since 2009 without issue and the nickel-plated beryllium connectors always look like new and never lose their tension.

I've included a link to Kimber's website describing how they do it to share with whoever is reading this post and you can explore from there.

https://kimber.com/connectors/sban

corelli
1,184 posts
 

Regarding the Viborgs and similar banana plugs, a couple other thoughts.

The dual screw design often will damage/cut fine gauge wire like the Supra cable that was mentioned. It really does not produce the gas tight weld I would look for as well.  Lastly, tin in fact does oxidize and it also reacts with gold and forms dendrites--not good.  When i have used that design in the past I suggest a WBT sleeve to capture the wire first.

Simple wire termination is not so simple and can let your ocd run wild.

kmm84
21 posts
 

@campoly It’s a cable brand some people like. I’m not a fan.

faustuss's avatar
faustuss
852 posts
 

@corelli 

"Simple wire termination is not so simple and can let your ocd run wild."

Yeah, you seem somewhat nutty.

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