It's not just bare wire; the red coating is the equivalent of a protective jacket. You need to remove an inch or so of the red coating at the wires' ends using sandpaper or steel wool.
I just went through this myself. The posts on my speakers were too small to accomodate the anti-cables' bananas, so I cut them off. (The wires were still too big, I replaced the binding posts and ultimately got rid of the speakers.)Now using the sanded ends with new speakers and excellent results.
I just went through this myself. The posts on my speakers were too small to accomodate the anti-cables' bananas, so I cut them off. (The wires were still too big, I replaced the binding posts and ultimately got rid of the speakers.)Now using the sanded ends with new speakers and excellent results.