Supra makes great banana plugs as well. They can be configured inline or at 90 degrees. The run about $100 for four pair, enough for one set of cables. Of course, it rubs me the wrong way to spend twice as much on connectors as the cable itself, especially when the connector may actually degrade the cable performance.
In the case of the Supra cable, the conductors are tin-plated copper and won't suffer from exposure to air like unplated copper or silver cables. If I were using cable that required sealing (such as Neotech braid) I would want a connector with a gas-tight connection, sealed with solder.
The whole idea behind cold welding is to keep oxygen out and to not have the conductor possibly compromised by the heat of soldering.
To my knowledge QED has been in the business of performance cabling longer than anyone else so I think they should know what they are doing. The proof is in the pudding - they sound great. If spending more on the cable than on the ends makes one happy, then great, have at it. Multi thousand dollar speakers are put with the little Zen amp because they work together, ditto the 79 Strand wire and the ends that cost more than the wire.
The reason I love Decware, Omega, and Wolf Ear is the insane value for dollar. QED falls into the same category.