I noticed the 7700 user manual has three ways to connect the amp to the speaker cables. This is probably a very basic question for this forum but which,if any,is best.

Are you referring to banana plugs, spade lugs, and bare wires into the binding posts? Any one of the three is a reasonable choice, each with plusses and minuses. Banana plugs are very convenient. Spade lugs are less convenient, but provide a more solid connection. Bare wires are the "least pretty" (just the stripped ends of the wires inserted into the holes in the posts). Bare wires can offer the best connection (conductors directly in contact with the post), but also offer more opportunities for shorting the posts together with stray strands of the conductor. Spade lugs offer a connection that should be as good (assuming the spades are properly installed) and are easier to make sure there's no stray strands crossing over. Cheap banana plugs can loose the "springiness" that maintains the connection and give you a less solid signal path, but better banana plugs should not have that problem. Spades and bananas both need to be properly installed on the ends of the cables (no loose connectors or bad solder joints).

I use spades on the cables that I bought for my mains and center, but I have bananas on the surrounds for convenience.

The one you already have. I don't think you'll get a clear winner on any of the three methods and for all intents and purposes they're the same. Others may feel differently.

As I am always moving things around or trying new gear, I use banana plugs on everything. It takes longer to properly solder the connections on, but once you do it the time you save if you will be swapping them out if you are like me is invaluable.

I'm a big fan of banana plugs for convenience. Hard core folks seem to prefer spades. Bare wires would be my last choice.

Cheers,

I have to say I am with Doug and Ritz on this one. Banana plugs are so convient when you change gear very often.

Thanks all for the help.

If you get locking bananas, which are a bit more expensive (I pay $3 per plug), you will get convenience and a connection that won't degrade.

Any opinions, sorta off topic, on cable material? Copper vs silver? There's so much snake oil...love to hear what people have tried and liked.

There's not a significant difference in conductivity between copper and silver. Silver does have an edge, but it's very slight (242 btu/h*ft^2*defF*ft for silver vs 232 for copper; for comparison, gold is 196 and aluminum is 130). Copper's so common because it is so well-suited - 96% as conductive as silver for a lot less money, so it's easy to upsize the conductor a fraction and achieve the same performance with copper as silver at a much lower cost.