Can a bad speaker connector have a bad effect on sound?

FargateOne

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Preamp, Processor or Receiver
Rotel RSX-1562
Additional Amp
Bryston 3B3 for fronts mains
Universal / Blu-ray / CD Player
Cambridge CXU
Front Speakers
B&W 804 D2
Center Channel Speaker
B&W HTM4D2
Surround Speakers
B&W 705
Subwoofers
SVS PC-2000 and SVS PC-2000 Pro
Other Speakers
10 PEQ filters/channel in receiver with REW
Video Display Device
Samsung UN55ES8000
Other Equipment
miniDSP 2x4 HD
I had bananas connectors on my front speakers since 5 years not cheap but not expansive (I listen music in stereo only). They feeled "slac" but I didn't care. I needed space behind the speakers and I changed only to be more convinient the bananas for spade terminal connectors. Then my jaw droped down. More depth in bass, med warmer, the sound stage moved backward with greater depth too etc. But the FR graphs with REW are the same or so.
Is there a scientific reason for that or is it again my brain who tricks me. I assure you, I wasn't searching for snake oil promesses. I bought them for a reaonnable price (25$\pai) but what a difference. I know measurement is proof but...
 
Good connections usually do sound better than bad connections. Your description of the change is a bit audiophile-y, but I'm not surprised that you heard a change. It's one of the reasons why manufacturers can get away with selling $500/foot speaker cables with really solid terminations..
 
I was so surprised. Interesting explanation for the speaker cable!
 
I once had a very cheap electric guitar to amp cable that had a intermittent static when the cable was bent in certain directions. When I upgraded the cable to a not too pricey $50 one the sound was completely changed...the old cable was crazy thin sounding for a reason I can't explain. I did back and forth A/B'ing just to make sure I wasn't hearing the placebo effect. I immediately threw that cheap cable away.
 
Any metal to metal electrical connection can suffer from dirt and other contaminants as well as oxidation... This can affect the conductivity of electricity... Cables and their connectors/connections, fuses and tubes are all suspect...
 
What you are hearing now maybe caused by knowledge bias. Knowing you made the changes to your connectors may have made you more aware of the sound of your speakers. Perhaps what you are hearing now is what you've heard all along but never took notice. I was forced to do the same as you but I noticed no difference in sound compared to using bare wire connections.
 
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