Unpopular opinion: crimp connectors are better than solder for most speaker wire jobs

Got into it with an audio guy at a supply house in Denver last Tuesday. He swore up and down that soldering gives cleaner signal and lasts longer. I told him I've seen solder joints crack on subwoofer runs in 3 different bars I've wired, but my crimps on a 200 foot run at a church are still solid after 5 years. He said I was just lazy and didn't care about quality. Who's right here for the average install? Has anyone else had crimps hold up better in a high vibe spot?

2 comments

2 Comments

alicecooper10d ago

I feel like that guy in Denver was probably the same type who insists Monster cables make his system sound "wetter" or whatever. @bettyfox is right on the money about solder getting brittle, I swapped out a bar's blown sub last year and the factory solder on the old one was cracked to hell, pure dust. Crimps with a real ratcheting tool and some adhesive lined heat shrink will outlast most installs unless you're wiring up a tweeter in a room that never gets touched. People act like you're committing a sin by not soldering, but they've never had to redo a whole PA rack because a joint failed mid service.

bettyfox10d ago

Oh man, I've been in that exact argument. For high vibe spots like subs or car audio, crimps win every time since solder gets brittle and cracks from the constant shaking. Stick with a good crimp tool and heat shrink, you'll be fine for most speaker jobs unless you're doing audiophile level stuff.