I've made up speaker cables for my HT recently and wanted to avoid the standard options to terminate the cables, i.e. banana plugs and spades. I wasn't happy with the plugs and spades that are available locally, and I don't believe they offer a great connection typically, with all things considered.
So I decided to use bootlace ferrules. Simple. They're tin plated copper and cold weld onto the wire. No more rogue frayed wires when dealing with bare connections, and hopefully no oxidation either. They also look good in my opinion and are dead simple to install. Here is a pic:
Important notes:
Near-final product:
So I decided to use bootlace ferrules. Simple. They're tin plated copper and cold weld onto the wire. No more rogue frayed wires when dealing with bare connections, and hopefully no oxidation either. They also look good in my opinion and are dead simple to install. Here is a pic:
Important notes:
- You will need a bootlace ferrule crimper tool. They are relatively cheap at around R500. My unit crimps into a hex pattern, but one can use the more common box shaped crimpers.
- My plan to avoid banana plugs fell apart when I tried to install the cables on my bi-wired speakers. I wasn't able to get the boot lace ferrules and jumpers on at the same time. So I had to concede and install banana plugs on the speaker side. No shame in admitting it.
- I initially used the cheapo plugs I had on hand (see pic below) by pushing the boot lace ferrule into the banana plug. NB: With the boot lace ferrule in place, I could easily remove and replace the banana plugs at a later date.
- I settled on BFA style "Linx" banana plugs that are available locally. I prefer this style of banana plug over the leaf spring design. These plugs are NOT pictured below. I replaced them after taking the photo.
- To neaten up the cable, I used cloth tape instead of heatshrink. Perhaps it's my background working on electronics design in industry, but I think common heatshrink looks and feels way too industrial on cables. In my experience, cloth tape holds up incredibly well over time. It goes on neatly too (take this from someone that is very discerning)
- A random tip when stripping cables - use a blade to cut the insulation and never one of those cheapo wire strippers. With the latter, you are almost guaranteed to break some of the fine stranded wire that's typically found in speaker cables.
- A solid option to dress up your cables is Techflex. I liked the plain look without it, but that brand works well if you're so inclined.
- I've used Mogami cable. Really well made and worth the money (no cable debate here - 12 AWG ticks the box for AV).
Near-final product:
