I've read that silver connectors are best and even better than modern "gold plated" ones,
I'm wondering if the original speaker terminals in my Quad 303, 405, 606 are pure silver and if I should prefer keeping them over "upgrading" to something like this:
10PCS gold plated binding post banana socket connector 4mm banana plug amplifier speaker terminals Non magnetic banana connector|Connectors| - AliExpress
I'm wondering if the original speaker terminals in my Quad 303, 405, 606 are pure silver and if I should prefer keeping them over "upgrading" to something like this:
10PCS gold plated binding post banana socket connector 4mm banana plug amplifier speaker terminals Non magnetic banana connector|Connectors| - AliExpress
The original terminals will not be silver - they are no doubt nickel plated.
Replace them if they are badly tarnished and can't be cleaned up, or change them for cosmetic reasons i.e. to improve the appearance of the amplifier.
Replace them if they are badly tarnished and can't be cleaned up, or change them for cosmetic reasons i.e. to improve the appearance of the amplifier.
Pure silver would oxidize on the air. (H/K switches...)
Gold plated is much better, but as Galu said there is no need to change original terminals if they are not badly tarnished.
Gold plated is much better, but as Galu said there is no need to change original terminals if they are not badly tarnished.
All that really matters is that they are not steel (non-magnetic).
Silver plating will tarnish over time (sulfide, not oxide, in fact) which means gold is usually the most reliable even if silver has a slightly lower resistivity, since the actual resistance of a thin plate layer is in the micro-ohm region and irrelevant beyond words!
But simple brass is fine if fresh and new - you might need to clean if reused once oxide has built up, but the pressure of tightening a brass fixing to copper wire usually does a fine job of breaking through oxide.
If you have cheap plated steel terminals, their non-linear inductance will add a small amount (measurable) of distortion at high currents. Easy to test with a magnet.
Anyway why not consider upgrading to SpeakOn connectors, no risk of shorts, reliable connection, easy to plug blind behind a unit?
Silver plating will tarnish over time (sulfide, not oxide, in fact) which means gold is usually the most reliable even if silver has a slightly lower resistivity, since the actual resistance of a thin plate layer is in the micro-ohm region and irrelevant beyond words!
But simple brass is fine if fresh and new - you might need to clean if reused once oxide has built up, but the pressure of tightening a brass fixing to copper wire usually does a fine job of breaking through oxide.
If you have cheap plated steel terminals, their non-linear inductance will add a small amount (measurable) of distortion at high currents. Easy to test with a magnet.
Anyway why not consider upgrading to SpeakOn connectors, no risk of shorts, reliable connection, easy to plug blind behind a unit?
The problem is steel is _much_ cheaper than brass, the gold plating is dirt cheap compared to a lump of brass these days. Copper increased massively in value between 2000 and 2010, so that substituting plated steel for plated brass is very attractive to the bean counters.
Could 😉....Buy a pair (or?) of brass Or copper bolts Usually a 1$ a piece ..and Fit them as speaker wire terminal /connectors .
OR.. albeit at the cost of some inconvenience, If a habitual Fiddler... Solder the speaker wires.. no connector.
Nawww .. no bragging rights in that tho.
OR.. albeit at the cost of some inconvenience, If a habitual Fiddler... Solder the speaker wires.. no connector.
Nawww .. no bragging rights in that tho.
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The 4mm loudspeaker sockets on the Quad 303 can simply be replaced by shiny new ones of the same type. BELLING, TURNER COATES, PLUGS, SOCKETS, QUAD 303 SPEAKER CONNECTION – MULLARD MAGIC
Alternatively, the substitution of gold plated 4mm binding posts is a common feature of the 303's refurbishment - see attachments.
Alternatively, the substitution of gold plated 4mm binding posts is a common feature of the 303's refurbishment - see attachments.
Attachments
The ones I mentioend are indeed from ali, but they seem high quality. They are heavy and doesn't seem to have some kind of cheap gold paint on them:
http://go.diyaudio.com/?id=69111X15...8a6af36f&abp=1&xjsf=other_click__auxclick [2]
http://go.diyaudio.com/?id=69111X15...8a6af36f&abp=1&xjsf=other_click__auxclick [2]
Old (unless steel) would be exactly the same as new (unless steel). Instead of spending money on a Quad 405 - better build a higher class amp with those money for snake-oil binding posts.
Personally, I find the Pomona tellurium copper ones, which are not priced with the audiophool in mind) ones to be more than excellent.
Personally, I find the Pomona tellurium copper ones, which are not priced with the audiophool in mind) ones to be more than excellent.