So I've recently found myself in need to purchase a slightly longer set of speaker cables to avoid the need to purchase a far more expensive power cord. I'm a DIY type of guy for the most part and when ever possible. During my search for a speaker cable (bulk) I found that there is an obsene number of Spade connectors on the market to chose from ranging in price from cheap to ridiculous.
As an example, I am almost 95% sure that I will be using Mogami 3103 as the cable itself based on its happy medium specs in terms of capacitance,resistance, inductance per foot compared to other brands who actually have the balls to list the specs of their wares. There are a few companies out there who actually sell this wire Pre- Terminated but I have found that there seems to be some short cuts being made in this part of the cable. By this I mean, the cable itself may appear to look ideal in terms of its specs but the Spade connector itself used to terminate said cable is made of something less then "pure copper". The common theme seems to be "copper alloy" with either Gold or Rodium plating on top of that.
So my question is this, can an otherwise excellent cable be ruined by a sub-par termination medium and or termination technique (ie.. Soldering, cold welding, set screw..etc)?
For anyone who has looked into these aftermarket Spade connectors I'm sure you saw that some of these Spades cost upwards of $100 a piece (ie..WBT's new offering).
Another side question would be, is it considered ideal to avoid soldering at all costs? Can a "set screw" actually be that much better? What about the use of "Crimp Sleeves", are they considered required these days in order to achieve a uniform dispersion of wire at the termination point?
Thanks for your thoughts on this matter
As an example, I am almost 95% sure that I will be using Mogami 3103 as the cable itself based on its happy medium specs in terms of capacitance,resistance, inductance per foot compared to other brands who actually have the balls to list the specs of their wares. There are a few companies out there who actually sell this wire Pre- Terminated but I have found that there seems to be some short cuts being made in this part of the cable. By this I mean, the cable itself may appear to look ideal in terms of its specs but the Spade connector itself used to terminate said cable is made of something less then "pure copper". The common theme seems to be "copper alloy" with either Gold or Rodium plating on top of that.
So my question is this, can an otherwise excellent cable be ruined by a sub-par termination medium and or termination technique (ie.. Soldering, cold welding, set screw..etc)?
For anyone who has looked into these aftermarket Spade connectors I'm sure you saw that some of these Spades cost upwards of $100 a piece (ie..WBT's new offering).
Another side question would be, is it considered ideal to avoid soldering at all costs? Can a "set screw" actually be that much better? What about the use of "Crimp Sleeves", are they considered required these days in order to achieve a uniform dispersion of wire at the termination point?
Thanks for your thoughts on this matter