questions about making a connection..please help! (1 Viewer)

[Zack_b]

i apologize if my questions are a bit on the newbie side as i am new to the form, but the question is: i have a basic newbie HT and the wiring im using is 14 ga. monster XP. is this a decent wire for my applications? also my receiver has binding posts but my speakers have spring clips. should i use bananna plugs in the binding posts and a pin connector for the clips or how should i connect this stuff? thanks for the input all, and any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

zack

 

[Allan Jayne]

If you can get the bare wire end securely and snugly into the binding post or whatever, with good metal to metal contact, and without stray strands touching other metal, you don't need banana plugs or other accessories. Twist the strands to make them stay together.
For binding posts with a plastic screw down cap, it is better to insert the wire end through the cross hole (if any) and a little out the other side, rather than wrap the wire around. It is OK to cut off some of the strands (not more than a third of them) if they all don't fit into the clip or hole.
If it turns out you need to take apart the equipment and re-assemble it a lot, for example a portable setup taken into auditoriums, banana plugs come in handy.
I believe the 14 gauge wire is good to about 30 feet, some others say 20 feet. If you have lots of amplifier power want to play the sound loud, and the speakers are further away, get some inexpensive 12 gauge stranded wire such as from Radio Shack.
Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm

 

[Ted Lee]

i'm on the opposite camp than allan...
i prefer banana plugs and pin connections for the exact reasons he listed. if this, and that, and that...just too many variables.
imo, it's easier to just connect everything with the banana plugs...no worries about frayed or missed wires, no worries about solid contact, quicker and easier disconnects/reconnects, etc.
you can purchase really inexpensive connectors from radio-shack. they work fine.
of course, to each his own...

 

[Ted Todorov]

Ted,

I was just in Radio Shack today looking for that exact thing: speaker cable and banana plugs and I came out completely confused. Which banana plugs do you recomend: they had bigger ones (gold plated, labeled for 12 gauge wire, 5.99 the pair), smaller ones for 6.99 (10-12g.), etc., etc.

The thickest wire they had was 14 gauge (or was it 16??) -- presumably those 12 gauge plugs will work for something thinner and 12 is the upper, not lower limit?

My distances are fairly short and volume levels should be moderate so is 14/16 good enough?

Thanks for any and all help!

My new speakers are waiting -- I'm pretty excited...

Ted

 

[Ted Lee]

hi ted!
here's the scoop:
1. i use something similar to this for the connections on the back of my receiver. the only difference is on the ones i have are not all one color...one side is black, the other red. these should fit any "standard" binding post.
2. i use this for the connection on the back of my receiver. i have to use this style on the receiver because the speaker terminal spacing is non-standard.
i really like these connectors...they work well, seem to make a very solid connection to the wire without using solder, make plugging/un-plugging cables a breeze, and are in-expensive.
hope that helps!

 

[Ted Lee]

oh yeah...regarding the speaker wire:

i'd go to home depot, get a bunch of their 12g speaker wire and use that throughout. the rat-shack plugs will fit those with no problem.