Audio Systems: Tinning, loose strands, humid environments

Question
I heard that you should "tin" ends of speaker wire to prevent it from corrosion, because copper is supposed to corrode really fast.  I guess the only way to "tin" is to solder.  Having never soldered before, this seems kind of time-consuming, messy, and difficult.  I also heard the thicker the wire, the more difficult it is to "tin."  Is there anything else that I can use that would be just as good as soldering?  Is there anything in a tube or bottle that I can just dab on the ends of the wire to prevent it from corrosion?  If so, would there be any loss in signal?   Any suggestions would be appreciated.  Thank you.  

Answer
Dear Bob,

Yes, "tinning" is coating the exposed ends of copper speaker wire with solder. No, copper doesn't corrode exceptionally fast--unless you'd suggest that 20+ years is "fast".

No, tinning is not that difficult. If I can do it, anyone can. All you need is rosin core solder and a soldering iron, easily obtained--even as a kit (Part No. 64-2802, $7.99)--at Radio Shack. You heat the exposed speaker wire with the iron and let the solder flow over the heated wire. Just remember to get a soldering iron that will be hot enough to heat the copper to a point where the solder will flow--30 watts is plenty. Takes about 5 minutes to set up and a minute to actually do. And, no, a thicker wire won't take any more time than a thinner wire--just more solder...;-)

I'm not aware of any "out of the bottle" product that produces the same effect as soldering.

FYI, copper is a fairly sturdy material. In my experience it corrodes very, very slowly, even in fairly humid environments. Using bare wire is just fine. I recommend soldering simply because it tidies up the loose strands that make up speaker wire and makes it easier to slip into binding posts, spring clips, and so on. And if you think the bare wire has become browner and "less coppery", tho' that's natural and doesn't interfere one whit with the sound, you can always chop of the end of the wire and expose a bright, shiny, new coppery length.

Whenever you ADD anything to the wire, you put something, however minute, in the way of the signal. So, the best way to make sure you don't interfere with the signal is to use straight, bare wire. That having been said, I've been using tinned leads, banana plugs, spade lugs, and pin connectors for years and haven't heard appreciable, audible signal degradation from any of them. All you really need is a solid connection.

Good luck. And thanks for choosing allexperts.com!

Kindest regards,

Kevin