Banana plugs (1 Viewer)

[Jammers]

I've just got done hooking up my new home theater system and it took forever since i didn't have the tools to do a good job stripping the cable and i screwed up the length on a couple of the speakers. I'm going to rewire it with stronger gauge wire but i need some advice about banana plugs. It looks like it's much easier to connect with them but since using them means one more connection from the wire to the receiver or amplifier does it make a difference in terms of the connection or sound?

 

[schan1269]

In my opinion, banana plugs are a waste if time.The only benefit is it is easier to remove the wire. How often are you actually going to do it?If once a week, sure...use them. If once a year, waste of time.

 

[gene c]

Banana plugs, or spades, don't help or hinder the connection or sound quality. They're for convenience and/or apperance. I use banana's for both reasons. I particularly like them on the receiver end. Much easier then trying to get that wire under the terminal screw. And no chance of a bare strand of wire touching the receivers cabinet and sending it into self-protect mode. Happens all the time.

 

[FoxyMulder]

I personally recommend using banana plugs, they can be expensive but you can also buy quality cheap ones, the one's i bought are in the link below.

http://www.amazon.com/Sewell-Silverback-Banana-Plugs-Screw/dp/B005BT2KJE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372529437&sr=8-1&keywords=Sewell+Silverback+Banana+Plugs%2C+Dual+Screw+Lock

 

[schan1269]

Banana plugs, or spades, don't help or hinder the connection or sound quality. They're for convenience and/or apperance. I use banana's for both reasons. I particularly like them on the receiver end. Much easier then trying to get that wire under the terminal screw. And no chance of a bare strand of wire touching the receivers cabinet and sending it into self-protect mode. Happens all the time.

Buy some better wire...ha.I always use lamp cord. Lamp cord of 12 or 14 gauge is all you need to fix anything. Irons, coffee pots...Much sturdier than "speaker wire"...so "loose strands" are never a problem. And you can buy it whatever color you want. Brown carpet? Buy brown lamp cord.

 

[FoxyMulder]

The reason i use banana plugs is that i move my receiver downstairs and upstairs depending on whether i am watching a 3D film on the plasma or a 2D film on the projector, much easier to just take the banana plug out and put it back in, i used to just use bare wires, sound quality is the same either way.

 

[gene c]

Buy some better wire...ha.I always use lamp cord. Lamp cord of 12 or 14 gauge is all you need to fix anything. Irons, coffee pots...Much sturdier than "speaker wire"...so "loose strands" are never a problem. And you can buy it whatever color you want. Brown carpet? Buy brown lamp cord.

It's not the wire but the knucklehead trying to stick it through that little whole!

Lamp cord or speaker wire with bare ends works fine for those who know what they're doing. Banana plugs are there for the rest of us . I swap stuff out all the time. They just make things so much easier.

Won an ebay auction for a marantz 7005. Thought it might be a little bit better at driving my Polk LSi's, although the 6005 seemed to be doing just fine. Still might add a two channel amp for the fronts. Not for volume but piece of mind. So I'll be swapping things out yet again.

 

[Gerald LaFrance]

Well if I was not so small in dollars and had deeper pockets I would buy them. they seem a nicer touch to finishing of a Home Theater plus the occasional switch of a receiver.. or just plain messing with the speaker ends..

 

[Dheiner]

I like to use banana plugs on my speaker wire runs because I've recently developed a bad case of "Maybe this receiver will sound better with these speakers..." They really do make swap -out much simpler.

 

[FoxyMulder]

I think there is also the corrosion issue with bare wire, good quality banana plugs help with this.

 

[schan1269]

I think there is also the corrosion issue with bare wire, good quality banana plugs help with this.

Only if you buy solderable banana plugs. Twist on/push in banana plugs do nothing for corrosion.

And as for corrosion. My center speaker wire in my main theater is a former power cord from a coffee pot. The coffee pot died back in the 80s. I simply cut the plug off and removed the bottom plate from the coffee pot. That end was already usable as speaker wire. I left the "spade" on there and just used a dremel style tool to "create a spade". Took about 3 minutes to convert the cord from "power to speaker wire".

 

[FoxyMulder]

Only if you buy solderable banana plugs. Twist on/push in banana plugs do nothing for corrosion.

And as for corrosion. My center speaker wire in my main theater is a former power cord from a coffee pot. The coffee pot died back in the 80s. I simply cut the plug off and removed the bottom plate from the coffee pot. That end was already usable as speaker wire. I left the "spade" on there and just used a dremel style tool to "create a spade". Took about 3 minutes to convert the cord from "power to speaker wire".

I remember reading about the metal coat hanger that performed as good as the very expensive cables, that was years ago, can't remember if it was used as speaker wire or a phono connector but it opened my eyes to the snake oil traders.

 

[schan1269]

That reminds me of the time I used a bunch of copper clad dual RG6 to run some outdoor speakers. The speakers were to be mounted in bushes(no kidding) and the wiring had to survive a weed whacker.

Running 30ft(each speaker) of RG6 wasn't that much more expensive than running "speaker wire".

 

[MattB101]

I personally recommend using banana plugs, they can be expensive but you can also buy quality cheap ones, the one's i bought are in the link below.http://www.amazon.com/Sewell-Silverback-Banana-Plugs-Screw/dp/B005BT2KJE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372529437&sr=8-1&keywords=Sewell+Silverback+Banana+Plugs%2C+Dual+Screw+Lock

monoprice. Inexpensive not cheapSent from my recliner, using my arthritic thumbs.