Ring Connectors For Bi-Wire Speaker Links (Steve/BlueWizard Style)

MoonUK

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Hello everybody. This is my first post but I have been following the forums for a long time and they have always been a useful and reliable reference source. The regular members are also very nice and helpful, so thank you for all the great information that you have given me through the years.

I would like to ask your opinion about something. Inspired by an old post by Steve/BlueWizard, I decided to update my bi-wire speaker links (I am fed up with spades getting loose) and to make new ones using ring connectors. I looked for good quality connectors but I was not very impressed by what was on offer, until I bumped into these ones by Wirefy (yes I found them on Amazon, of all places...):

Amazon product ASIN B07MY88BDC
What I like about the Wirefy connectors is that they are entirely made of copper and that there is heat activated adhesive, which seals completely the wire ends, on the heat shrink section. The connectors also have brazed terminal barrels that allow for very solid and reliable crimps. My only concern is that the connectors are tinned. Although I totally understand that the tin coating is necessary to protect the copper, given how easily it oxidises, I am a bit worried about the very low conductivity of tin and the higher resistance you will have on the connection due to the tin interface.


So my question is do you think that these Wirefy ring connectors are good enough and suitable for making bi-wire speaker links, even if they are tin coated? If not, could you please recommend an alternative?

Thank you for your advice.

PS I know very well that tin is widely used for soldering cables and also that some people like to coat the bare end bit of their speaker cables to protect them from oxidation, but I don't like tin in my connections. Tinned cable ends also make the connection to the binding post very unreliable in my opinion. That is because the tin is very soft and when you think that you have a tight connection you actually don't. In fact if you wiggle the cable a little bit the tin will compress some more and the connection will get loose. But that is a completely different matter of course.
 
I can’t see any problem there using these...

If the tin coating is an issue for you, you can simply tighten them as much as possible, then do the same the next day.

As you say there is a lot of soldering in circuits, spade and banana connectors so it can’t be a serious issue regarding conductivity.

If it’s a no-no for you, you can simply wire wool it off, and clean and polish the copper twice a year. 20 mins.

And cheers for spotting these.

I’ve lost the bridging links on an old pair of B&Ws. I’ll use these to make some with a bit of spare cable. :smashin:
 
If you are sure that you have Rings of the right size so they fit over the speaker terminals, it is probably fine. I managed to find some gold plated Rings specifically made for Speaker Terminals that worked nicely.


I tried common electrical terminals but couldn't find any that fit my speakers. Then I managed to find the Gold Plated terminals specifically made for speakers.

I wouldn't worry about the Tin Plating, that is so thin as to not really make any difference.

Again, with any Ring Terminal, you have to make sure you find one that will fit over the speaker terminals.

Steve/bluewizard
 
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Hello Paul and Steve, thank you for your replies.

I totally agree with both of you, a few microns of tin will not make any difference. It was actually a bit silly that I even asked and deep down I already knew that a thin tin coating would not be a problem. I simply wanted to hear someone's else opinion as well so thank you. It was also a good opportunity to finally post something here.

Paul, I am glad that you liked my "discovery". Those Wirefy connectors seem to be very well made. I think their crimping tool looks well made too and worth considering.

Steve, you are absolutely right, the rings must be the correct size and in fact I have already measured the threaded bolts of my speaker's binding posts. I actually own four sets of bi-wirable speakers and all the bolts are the (almost) standard 8mm diameter. Based on that figure and on the fact that I am going to use AWG14 cable, the correct connectors should be the blue 5/16" ones, but please let me know if I am wrong. There is a small problem though, on one set of speakers the nut cannot be removed completely and on another set there is a 10mm "lip" just before the 8mm threaded section of the bolt. I will have to simply cut one side of the ring (a single cut) then lift one end up and push the other end down so that I will be able to slide the ring in. That should solve the problem and once tightened the nut will compress and re-align the two severed ends.

Thank you also for the Amazon link to the gold plated rings Steve, I will definitely look into those too.

Just for the record, I only want to use ring terminations to obtain a secure connection and to protect the cable from oxidation. That is because I personally believe, given how short that bridging connection is, that using speaker links terminated with bananas, spades or rings or using just bare wire or even the factory fitted linking bars, makes no difference whatsoever to the sound, or at least I can't hear any. On the other hand a loose connection or an oxidised wire can have a significant negative impact on the sound.

Said that, there are also people who claim that by simply replacing those factory fitted brass linking bars they can hear a much improved sound or that something outrageously expensive like these ChordMusic bi-wire speaker links - The Chord Company made a huge difference to their system's performance. And who am I to say that they are wrong? In the end as long as people perceive and enjoy any sonic improvement in their set ups, being it imaginary or real, then it is all good and I am genuinely glad that they feel satisfied with their achievements.
 
I managed to find photos of the Ring Terminals I used -

i64-ring1as-jpg.302792


i62-term2as-jpg.302790


I can't remember if I used 5/16" or 3/8". I did this a long time ago.

Steve/bluewizard
 
Good pictures and nice links Steve, thank you for posting them. The rings you used could be 5/16" ones, from what I can see, but it is hard to tell from a picture. I will order 5/16" rings and if they don't fit I will send them back and get 3/8" instead.
 
Just a quick update. I ordered the Wirefy rings and they arrived today. The 5/16" size fits the 8mm binding posts' bolts perfectly. The connectors are well made. I removed some of the tin with a file from one of the rings and I can confirm that as expected it is a really thin coating, but thick enough to protect the copper underneath from oxidation. I also bought their crimping tool and it is very well made too. Have a nice weekend.
 

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