+ Reply to Thread
Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 29

Thread: Quality in Spades

  1. #11
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    In my experience, you can usually talk them out of that, especially if you have impeccable feedback as a seller (an immediate payer)

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  2. #12
    Join Date: Nov 2010

    Location: Yorkshire

    Posts: 9,302
    I'm Andrew.

    Default

    YA AUDIO from hifi collective is an old favourite of mine and I use there components when modding speakers, excellent stuff.
    SS
    CD Teac VRDS25X(Audiotuned) DECK 1210 Mat Crystal Audio Mods MN Base/Bearing/Platter+Ebony armboard Feet Isonoe PSU Paul Hynes SR7EHD-27XL/DCSXL Ag DC lead/3 Stage Regs/Recap PCB+No Pitch/Strobe/Light ARM SME V(Kondo Ag Rewire&Tags) MC Cadenza Black FGS CABLES Arm Yannis SPD-4 IC Yannis 222 Litz+Ag bullets Power WAR PRE ATC SCA2 SPEAKERS ATC 50ASL STANDS Atacama PHONO Sugden Masterclass PA4 SUT Ortofon ST80SE POWER PSAudio P10

    VALVE
    PRE
    Croft Epoch(Modded) AMP Sondex S100 (Modded) SPEAKERS Tannoy 15"MG+RFC Warwick cabs+ Ref XO + Batpure supertweeters DECK Garrard 301 Mat Teunto Bearings 401(Bastin) Plinth Bamboo Arms 3009/3012 PSU Eagle+Tachometer MC Ag Meister II/FGS + Ortofon SPU MONO CABLES Arm Yannis 420.5 Litz+ SpeakerPC Tripple C+WBT-0681 Ag IC Oyaide FTVS-510 AgWBT 0110Ag Phonostages Paradise(4 Box Mega-Modded) / Croft Musicmaker



  3. #13
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by alphaGT View Post
    Thanks Marco, those YA spades are almost identical, right down to the little word stamped into the face. Except, mine have a stepped width inside, and the YA's don't. Similar in price, I paid just a little less, and would have paid the $5 each if I could have avoided the month wait from China.
    No worries, unfortunately I don't think HFC stock them anymore...

    The posts on the Krell are impressive, big wing nuts with a fat post, easy to get a nice tight fit with lots of surface area mating. But, I do believe they are brass.
    Yeah, but like you say, they're superb. Probably my favourite type of speaker terminals, in terms of how they operate. You can get a really nice, tight secure connection.

    So I suspect that even these copper terminals you've posted here are copper plated something. Or a copper alloy that's harder than pure copper.
    Nope, defo solid copper, as when you see them in the flesh, and look at the holes drilled where the solder terminals are, you can see that they're copper, through and through

    Pure copper spades are more practical, if they deform a bit that's no big deal. And both copper and brass require a bit of maintenance, they do tarnish over time. A yearly cleaning wouldn't hurt them. I used to tear my whole system down and clean all connections, and open all components and clean the circuits and switches and knobs.
    I do that religiously once a year, and like you say the results are always worthwhile. Yes they do tarnish over time (and change colour), but I don't mind that, as lightly tarnished solid-copper plugs and terminals are still more conductive than even the cleanest brass ones!

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  4. #14
    Join Date: Apr 2015

    Location: Central Virginia

    Posts: 1,736
    I'm Russell.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by jamie123 View Post
    it also says does not ship to the uk
    Bummer! I did not see that. Sorry about that, perhaps I should buy a load and resell them?


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

  5. #15
    Join Date: Sep 2016

    Location: Basingstoke

    Posts: 115
    I'm Jonathan.

    Default spades

    So what would be the recommended fitting of spades, screwed with allen screws, soldered, crimped?

    ive always generally used bananas soldered, but get the idea that the spade has more contact surface.

  6. #16
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Longmanjon View Post
    So what would be the recommended fitting of spades, screwed with allen screws, soldered, crimped?

    ive always generally used bananas soldered, but get the idea that the spade has more contact surface.
    Indeed, and yet only the Yanks seem to have properly cottoned onto this?

    Not only that, but when quality (appropriate) speaker terminals have been fitted, you can get a ring-spanner around them and gently 'nip up' the connections, to make them really tight and secure, by virtue of 'clamping' the spades directly onto the contacts of the speaker terminals.

    I could probably lift my amp up in the air, by simply grabbing hold of the speaker cables, the connection is *that* solid! The internal connections of the speaker terminals would give way before the outer ones would...

    Banana plugs are inferior, simply because few ever fit the holes in speaker terminals properly, and end up 'wobbling about', even when pushed fully home, simply because the aperture they're supposed to 'mate' with is almost always different from the diameter of the banana plugs used.

    I initially soldered the spades, then simply tightened the existing allen screws, for that bit extra protection against the cable being pulled loose - job done - and you will simply *not* obtain a better connection, short of hard-wiring!

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  7. #17
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,848
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    Indeed, and yet only the Yanks seem to have properly cottoned onto this?

    Not only that, but when quality (appropriate) speaker terminals have been fitted, you can get a ring-spanner around them and gently 'nip up' the connections, to make them really tight and secure, by virtue of 'clamping' the spades directly onto the contacts of the speaker terminals.

    I could probably lift my amp up in the air, by simply grabbing hold of the speaker cables, the connection is *that* solid! The internal connections of the speaker terminals would give way before the outer ones would...

    Banana plugs are inferior, simply because few ever fit the holes in speaker terminals properly, and end up 'wobbling about', even when pushed fully home, simply because the aperture they're supposed to 'mate' with is almost always different from the diameter of the banana plugs used.

    I initially soldered the spades, then simply tightened the existing allen screws, for that bit extra protection against the cable being pulled loose - job done - and you will simply *not* obtain a better connection, short of hard-wiring!

    Marco.
    I would question the claim that spades offer a greater contact surface area than banana plugs. It all depends on the actual type and manufacturer.

    Most of my gear uses banana plug connections (save the Levinson ML2s, which do use 5-way screw teminals and the Quad 510s which use XLR connectors), and I have to say the plugs fit very firmly, to the point that I have some difficulty in unplugging them.
    Barry

  8. #18
    Join Date: Dec 2015

    Location: Alicante. Spain.

    Posts: 1,885
    I'm Adrian.

    Default

    Personally I prefer bare ended cables - I don't like the bananas on my isolda cables but can't change them. I just don't see the point of adding another interface/change of metal/added resistance.
    Technics SP10 mk2
    Jan Allaerts MC 1 Boron mk1 cart
    Miyajima Shilabe cart
    Hashimoto HM-X SUT
    Siggwan (gimballed not unipivot) Cocobola 12"
    Aurorasound Vida LCR Phonostage
    The Truth linestage
    Dave Slagle Autoformer Volume Controller
    Cary 805c SET amps
    Audio Note ANe-SPX speakers
    Townshend Isolda speaker cables
    Cardas Golden Presence interconnects

  9. #19
    Join Date: Mar 2017

    Location: Seaford UK

    Posts: 1,861
    I'm Dennis.

    Default

    The logistics.

    Any even extremely well machined to high finish metal pin, has, under an electron microscope a seriously uneven surface.
    These asperities are so pronounced that only a small potion can interact with any interfacing mating part.

    Considering that the vast majority of plugs and sockets are made from sheet material forced onto formers, and that there is little guarantee that the result will be anything like conforming with the desired shape, there will inevitably be air gaps in addition to the asperity problem.

    I agree with the above re cable ends; I solder the speaker cable together after twisting, and then crush that under the force of the terminal 'nuts' on the speakers or amplifier.

    The soft materials allow some compliance from malleability, and will be crushed by the nuts to increase the surface area of contact.

    Of course cleaning and re-doing are necessary with time, but this saves a lot of money on expensive plugs and sockets which cannot hope to really mate with a good contact surface area.

    The spades above are better, being softer, but they have a screw interface as well, and I would bet that measurement of R would vindicate my approach, which also saves money.

    I would have S.Steel terminals, and use a spanner lightly to do up the nuts, further compressing the soldered wire.

    BT uses bifurcation, a tapered fork into which one strand is forced. The result apparently gives a more reliable connection than other methods because of a 'cold weld'.

  10. #20
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Barry View Post
    I would question the claim that spades offer a greater contact surface area than banana plugs. It all depends on the actual type and manufacturer.
    I would agree, Barry, as nothing is set in stone. However, that's what my experience to date with both bananas and (really good spades) has indicated, although as you say much will come down to the respective designs of both.

    However, what I can say is that in all the years I've been into hi-fi, with all the different kit and banana plugs I've used, I've *never* achieved as solid a connection as I have with my current combination of connectors (as listed earlier)

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


+ Reply to Thread
Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •