Is there a best way to splice speaker cables together?

I recently added a sixth speaker for my 1050. Currently I am using an Oxygen Free (more or less) 12 guage line from RCA, but its very unsightly for part of the cable run and I would like to hide it better. The best way to do this seemed to be to use Monster Cable's super flat 12 guage wire for this portion of the run. The original RCA cable seems like a better fit for the portion of the run that I can easily hide and/or run under the house. Its also a whole lot cheaper.

What I am looking for are suggestions on the best way to join these two cables together. There seems to be several ways, the easiest being stripping the ends and using a twist connector. I have also seen a locking connectors for motorcycle wires that is cheap and waterproof to boot. The salesperson at The Good Guys suggested soldering the connections together and then wrapping the cables with electrical wire. Finally, I could go with a standard 12 guage butt connector or some sort of crimping solution.

Any thoughts?

Many years ago, I used something along the lines of your twist connector idea pretty successfully (although I used electrical tape instead of a wire nut). The solder/tape approach would seem pretty reliable, too. It would seem best to keep the connection points as simple as possible, whatever you do (ie, a single splice between the two wires being preferable to adding mechanical connectors to each wire and then hooking the new connectors together).

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Soldering, coverd by electrical tape is the most reliable. If you are not good at soldering though, the wire nut option might be better.

Any of those will work. Whatever solution you use. Look at using some heat shrink tubing around the affected area. This should help keep the connection solid and is a bit kinder on the eyes if it can be seen.

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Stott