Hi. I bought a pair of old Bose 901 speakers, but this pair has different connectors. My current speaker cables are just regular wires, but this one needs Y-shaped or spade(?) connectors. Where can I buy them or is it hard to connect them (do I need soldering?) Thank you!
I don't believe the old Bose 901s had a hole through the speaker terminal. But you can wrap the wire clockwise around the post and tighten down the nut. Make sure that there are no loose wire strands that could touch the other terminal.
The 'poor mans' trick for that is to cut the wire clean so there is no bare wire sticking out. Normally you would go back around 3/4 inch and discard that chunk of insulation that comes off. The trick is to go back about 2 inches then only pull the insulation back far enough to expose 3/4 inch of bare wire. The remaining insulation will hold the ends of the strands together so they wont tend to fray as bad but you sill have the exposed section to go around the terminal. Getting a proper connector properly soldered or crimped is ideal but you dont always have them or the tools handy.
Spade connectors do provide the best connection as it has the most amount of surface area, and you can make a very tight connection. You can get spade connectors online or at any hi end audio video store. No the chain stores will not have them. Spade connectors can be crimped or soldered. The advantage of soldered beside the tighter connection is that if the wire is properly tined where no wire is exposed to air, it will minimize the chances of the wire to corrode. Kevin 40 years hi-end audio video specialist
