In the '90s, when I had my FET-Valve amps powering the B&W 801II with Van Alstine crossover mods (either bridged with the FET-Valve bridge or passively vertically bi-amped), the best sounding speaker cable connection, bar none, was the Pomona dual banana plugs Frank is recommending, used with ordinary Radio Shack 16-gauge lamp cord.
I tried a number of other methods (spades, bare wire, tinned wire, pins) and wires (MIT, StraightWire, AudioQuest). For awhile I even tried what I thought had to be the ultimate: I bypassed the stock binding posts of the speakers and soldered the very pricey WBT expanding/locking banana plugs directly to the internal van den Hul silver wire which went from the crossover to the inside of the speaker's binding posts. I then pulled those outside the cabinet to the FET-Valves which were butted up against the back of the speakers--the internal wiring was plenty long enough--and plugged the WBTs into the amps.
But you know what? In the end, the Pomona/Radio Shack wire just sounded better, hands down. Perhaps that's because it was the way Frank used the speakers when he voiced the FET-Valves of that era.
What cables and connections are you using these days, Frank? From what you've said, I take it that you may still be using the Pomonas.
