BFA Banana Plugs

@golden210 - there nothing is wrong with bare wire - it’s just that some people prefer a specific style of connector.

To their ears it provides some specific benefit that they prefer.

In my system I prefer very specific cables and connectors, because to my ears they make a difference..

If I go to a friends house to listen to music I simply enjoy the music. Does his system sound better or worse than my own? I do not care, because I am there to enjoy the music -.I still enjoy his/her system.

My goal in this "hobby is to is to get the absolute best sound out of the components I have selected - not to compare my system to other systems.

I might be able to convince you that specific connectors make a difference - IF - I were able to demonstrate a specific connector on your system, but even then I cannot be certain you will hear an improvement.

Different system, different cables, different room acoustics and a completely different set of ears!

I have demo'd my cables to others and the results were different from person to person.

So - Embrace bare wire, because in your system and to your ears you like what you are hearing :-)

That’s all that really counts - Steve

I'm curios, what is wrong with bare wire. Up to a couple of years ago I was running Infinity Kappa 8's with electrical cord until joining this site. I had some audio quest wire left over from a surround system upstairs. I exchanged the electrical cord with it and noticed a slight change. I have been a music lover for 50 years so I don't want any bashing, my love for music no matter how it sounds should not matter. I looked in my Infinity manual and it actually said to use electrical cord. Last year I spent $20,000.00 upgrading and still using the audio quest cables with bare end connections. So. are banana plugs or spades worth anything if you don't plan on disconnecting them for years. I'm open for any positive comments. My new system which I don't need anymore negative comments is what I consider the best for me. I have two people in my area invite me over to hear their  1,000.00 to $200,000.00 systems. Both times I had to say how great they are but I like mine better. Invited them over to hear  not to make them feel bad but just to hear what I have. I was told to bring my own music with me so I brought a few CD's what I feel is best on my system, also brought one of my 3 SPL meters just to compare. I like 80 decibels or a little less for serious listening but with listening under the influence then 90 gets in the range. I pushed both of these systems to that point and not impressed.

@jrpnde - Take a look at the KLE Innovations Banana plugs...
https://kleinnovations.com/kle-innovations-klei-products/klei-harmony-banana/klei-classic-harmony-ba...

I have used several types of banana plugs in the past and the gold plated spring variety are normally made from beryllium copper, which is less conductive than pure copper . The gold plating normally requires a substrate plating for the gold to bond to the copper. This all impacts sound quality.

KLEI bananas are very pure copper with silver coating. They are engineered such that if your speakers are designed for bi-wire, but you only want to use a single cable, then you can connect a jumper into the back of the banana. I currently use this feature on one pair of speakers and it is the best they have sounded. The little jumpers on many speakers are sometime made from brass + gold plating, which deadens the sound.

First time I tried the KLEI bananas I could not believe hoe much better the system sounded.

At one point I was using Furez Bananas - another silver plated pure copper plug. I use their Spade connectors when bananas are not an option - all highly recommended connectors!

Here’s my review of the KLEI plug...
http://image99.net/blog/files/f6ae775e30339e2b0375b739988237b7-77.html

If you are interested in some killer speaker cables and up for a little DIY challenge, take a look at this link
http://image99.net/blog/files/category-002ahelix-speaker-cable.html

The KLEI bananas are a little more expensive than other brands, but the improvement in sound quality will reward you.

You might be interested to read my posts on this Agon thread about connectors 
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/spade-vs-bare-wire

Good luck with your quest - Steve

I haven't comapred them for sound quality, but I like the low-mass type that is shown on the Moon Audio site.

This is not the vendor I've used in the past to purchase my BFA style banana plugs, but these low-mass BFA style banana plugs look like the ones I've used in the past. I'm guessing the same one, or at least the same style, are available from multiple vendors.

https://www.moon-audio.com/bfa-gold-banana-plug.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw27jnBRBuEiwAdjQXDBxSG5U7-ovA8GR2-oQd-blBAuCC1zw1aYl8MB8JBK74ZJb094cC3xoC3HMQAvD_BwE

I typically clip off the crimp wing and solder them to the cable. They work perfectly. They have a large contact area, fit tightly and don't loosen over time.