HI Soix- you can stop wondering. Bare Wire connections ARE the best performing for a wide number of reasons. Here's the catch- bare wire is the best connection possible for a VERY short period of time. Unless the bare wire connection is treated and/or sealed, it will very quickly start oxidizing and the performance will suffer. That is the main reason for formal terminations- you can seal the connection and dramatically slow down the oxidation effect ( notice I did not say eliminate it).
Bi-wiring with unterminated speaker wire?
Hi, I have an old power amp with bare wire connections for the speaker wire. My speakers have dual binding posts for bi-wiring. Can I make my own bi-wire using two lengths of unterminated wire, twisting the two red and two black together on the “amplifier” end, and connecting the 4 ended side to the speakers binding posts?