"Cardas Patented binding posts, and Having the internal and external wire making contact with each other and taking the binding posts out of the signal path is a VERY good thing IMO."
I was very impressed with this idea.... One of the best tweaks I have seen in a while.
Hats off to Jim Salk!
Call me a whiner or whatever
but we would like to make a correction.
This innovation was developed using the Cardas posts by Ridge Street Audio, not Salk Sound or anyone else. It's an RSAD exclusive used in our Sason Ltd loudspeakers that, I feel, we were kind enough and happy to share with Jim to accommodate Marble's project requests. Marbles had requested it since he was going to be using our wire harness inside the project and this arrangement could be used as naturally intended without compromise. Rob's a great guy, I like him a lot and...it's always been very hard for me to say "no" to him...just something 'bout the dude
!
Certainly hats off to Jim for recognizing the virtues of this arrangement and for being willing to put the extra effort into using this arrangement as an option. Most manufacturers wouldn't.
As a courtesy, we simply would like to be recognized and acknowledged for our unique contribution
.
On ward....
The only other binding post I'm aware of that will (mostly) facilitate this arrangement is the Eichmann Cable Pod only after, like the Cardas, it's modified. For what we're doing, the Cardas post arrangement is still the best when modified appropriately.
One could use the round wire from the more standard wire harnesses found inside loudspeakers but some compromises will be introduced. First, most harnesses use stranded wire. One of the compromises I see here is that now, because of the strands, you will have multiple small contacts. Aside from a few other undesirable issues, this will allow air into the connection where oxidation can form. You will not get a good "gas tight" connection. In some instances where a round solid core is used as the internal harness, the solid core round conductors won't provide the best "surface area" of contact to the partnering speaker cable. Much of the spade's surface area on the speaker cable gets wasted. It is good that solid core provides a single point contact but the contact's surface is very small...not good for the current demands of dynamic speakers. Also, because of the density of round solid core, assuming an appropriate diameter was used, this will be a source of signal reflections at the speaker cable to speaker connection. Whether stranded or solid core, one could terminate spades onto the wire harness that come out of the speaker but then you've compromised the whole idea and might as well just use binding posts as they were intended.
Not to "plug" our products and services but, aside from the performance of our wire harness in and of itself, the use of our internal wire harness in this arrangement is optimum and eliminates all the above issues and then some which I've not brought up.