Binding posts Brass vs Copper : does really makes differences ?

[tvrgeek]

Pallis,

I use both kinds. Euroblock is the way to go to butt two wires. The old US style is better when you are using ring or spade lugs. You can put two lugs below each screw reliably. Three gets ugly and you need longer screws. Neither should ever be used with un-tinned stranded wire. When I can get the ones with a single screw and a post out the back I use them. Otherwise I bring a solid wire through the back of one row of screw holes and solder it to the plate. Same effect. All of the euro-block bars I have bought seem about he same quality (just fine) , where there are big differences in quality of the US style terminal strips.

If I was worried about cosmetics on the speaker rear, I think I would recess the connector add put a cover plate over it.

Crossover trick: I cut up about 50 positions out of the euro-blocks. I use them for prototyping crossovers. I found my bundle of EZ-clip jumpers did not always give a reliable enough connection and made measurements erratic.

[mondogenerator]

Originally Posted by tvrgeek

Splitting hairs: The very expensive AMP crimpers , the ones that left three little dimples in the crimp, produced a cold weld that was superior to soldering. Unfortunately, these are $800 crimpers for the cheap manual ones; production were pneumatic. They were Mil Spec certified. Of course, Mil Spec is just a spec, not a grantee of good design. Just it was known what it was. I have not seen any of these in about 35 years. So I use my $80 ones and solder. The best way is to use un-insulated lugs so you can heat sink at the wire end and not get wicking that can lead to fatigue cracks. Then a flexible boot or heat shrink. Handy tip if you are building spacecraft.

My old Tanburgs came with internally attached speaker wires. As was mentioned, the best connector is no connector. It can't fail.

This also concurs with my experience. Ive made up devices and cabling using some amphenol stuff (think theyre mil spec). Thats exactly what id do. Bare crimp, solder with croc clip heat sink, heatshrink. Most of my cabling has to survive rough treatment and oil saturation (through abuse rather than necessity). And true, decent crimpers cost £sss. The bootlace crimps are, well.....

[Helmuth]

I get tired of people who want to tell there is no difference where others simple do the test and can hear improvement.
Then the nonbelievers try to convince them it is only in their mind. With that kind of thinking you can not improve your current level.

[tinitus]

Originally Posted by Helmuth

With that kind of thinking you can not improve your current level.

on the contrary
you can avoid chasing down a blind alley
and focus on what really matters instead

sure, if you have the money, why not
just don't believe its that important or critial to achieve good sound
I would say its more like mounting a fishing rod handle with diamonds
looks good, and worth every penny, or more
but if you try to convince your fishing friends that it also catches bigger fish, they will just shake their heads and laugh, as always

[Helmuth]

My experience is that every part contributes to the end result, question is how much is the influence of the separate part. In this case the binding post.

There are for example designers who state when you use copper then use everything made of copper,input connector to loudspeaker.

I can imagine there are thermocouple effects with different metals.

Wiring like copper has group-delay effects personally I think there we can find a answer on the cable effects. Carbon for example has no group-delay. The problem is not resistance losses it are other effects that cause sound differences. Deny it wont solve the question.

People who deny these effects, they better do not bother these kind of topics they are just ballast.

[tinitus]

Originally Posted by Helmuth

There are for example designers who state when you use copper then use everything made of copper,input connector to loudspeaker.

I reckon that one originally comes from Japan...if you use silver, everything
must be silver

hey, remember all them screws must be non magnetic brass
but man, even when its true, and works...it will drive you nuts, and get you nowhere, really
you can trust me on that, it's a wild goose chase
been there, done that

[SY]

Originally Posted by Helmuth

Wiring like copper has group-delay effects personally I think there we can find a answer on the cable effects. Carbon for example has no group-delay.

No, this is not correct at all.

[tvrgeek]

Please. Just do a little exercise on paper. Draw the circuit. Every single piece of the output. Transformer, rectifier, caps, final stage, etc. Every connection, wire, relay, and component. Continue out the amp through the binding posts, cables up to the binding posts in question. Now continue on inside the speaker to the wires, connectors, coils, caps, resistors, and eventually down to the voice coil made of several Ohms of copper, or for some aluminum. Try to redraw it with all the parastatic components. Then come back and tell me the percent of copper in the binding point can be relevant beyond aesthetics. Sorry, hope or belief just don't change physics.

There are a lot of things we need to do to improve in our speakers. Things that make dramatic differences. Drivers, crossovers, even a lot of differences in opinion about high or low Q cabinet material, e.g MDF vs plywood arguments. Is 3/4 inch baffle radius really enough? Why can't we build a decent coaxial?

[a.wayne]

The material makes a difference, the power cord on your equipment makes a difference, everything makes a difference to the sound,Not when you have cloudy speakers ....

[tinitus]

Originally Posted by a.wayne

The material makes a difference......... everything makes a difference to the sound
Not when you have cloudy speakers ....

yes it does make a difference
just pray and hope you won't depend too much on it

and btw, if you depend on it, and don't have the right revealing sound and reproduction of music without 'it', then you do have cloudy speakers
so... if you think carefully about it, it's really the other way round