Connectors for bi-wiring question

nickherum

Whats the best type of connector to use when bi-wiring your receiver? Unless I'm totally missing something I can't use banana plugs to wire the receiver and the onkyo won't accept spade lugs. Should I use a flex pin connector or just go ahead and use good old bare wire? Thanks.

ben62670

Bare wire. Be careful that even a single strand doesn't cross paths.
Ben

michael_w

Bare is pretty easy and simple, especially if your receiver uses the spring terminals. Flex pin isn't really worth it - might as well use bare. It depends how much you switch out components and speakers too. I just use bare on the amp sides of things and bananas on the speaker side.

If you want to make things easier for yourself you can make something that would be very similar to the flex pins, but IMO better. If you happen to have a soldering iron just tin the very tips of the bare wire so that all the strands are joined together. Then you have a solid-stranded piece that easily fits into the terminals without fraying but still has a direct connection to the wire itself. With bi-wiring, you could even twist and tin the ends together?

ShinAce

If you tin your wires, I recommend cleaning it after.

Isopropyl alcohol and some swabs works fine.

zingo

Tinning the wires has worked very well for me in the past. Just make sure you don't goop too much solder on there and make the wires too big. Good luck!