MoonUK
Novice Member
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 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.
Electrical Conductivity of Materials - Blue Sea Systems
Engineering high quality marine electrical components for safety, reliability and performance
www.bluesea.com
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.