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08-12-2003, 03:29 PM
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#1 of 30 
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Join Date: Jun 2003
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Local Date: 10-12-2008
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Banana plugs...who needs stinking banana plugs?
Seriously. I have a Pioneer 45tx with Athena speakers all the way around. I currently just have the Athena's hooked up by straight cable (monster cable) with no adapters...or "banana plugs"
My question. What exactly are banana plugs...and would I benefit (sound quality) by having them? I believe my system sounds awesome as is...but any tweaks that would increase the sound would be nice.
So do I need banana plugs?  |
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08-12-2003, 03:36 PM
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#2 of 30
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They won't make your system sound any better. It does make the ends of the speaker cable cleaner, and makes connecting and disconnecting speakers easier. Basicly plug or unplug.
That's about it.
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08-12-2003, 03:38 PM
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#3 of 30
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Member
Location: San Jose, Ca.
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Local Date: 10-12-2008
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The benefit is, no stray wires to potentially short out, ease of connection, looks better, etc...
They are nothing more than connectors. Sonically, you are adding one more thing in the path of the signal, so no there is no performance advantage.
"The trouble with the world is not that people know too little, but that they know so many things that ain't so." - Mark Twain
HT: Marantz SR-8300, MA500 monoblocks x 2, 5X GR Research A/V-2s, Adire Audio Tempest sub, Denon 2900, Oppo 980H, Toshiba HD-A2, RC2000MkII remote, Panamax 5100, Panamax Max2 sub, Slim PS2, PS3 60G + 320G USB
Bedroom: Marantz PM-7200 Integrated, GR Research A/V-1s, Sony 222ES SACD, RC3200 remote, Panamax M8EX
Audio: Audioquest * Video: Bluejeans
My DVDs  My HT
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08-12-2003, 03:43 PM
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#4 of 30
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James - Your bare wire connection is probably as good as it gets and is prefferred by many. The downside is it is also more prone to shorting-out at some point in time if you aren't real careful. I use bannanas for their convenience and safty, and beleive this is the ideal connection for most people.
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08-12-2003, 03:49 PM
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#6 of 30
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wow...thank you for the quick replies. I think I will just hold off on them...because they are fairly expensive and 14 banana plugs (for the 7 speakers) would take a big bite out of the wallet. Will just be careful when I have to disconnect and reconnect them.  |
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08-12-2003, 04:05 PM
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#7 of 30
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A number of sellers have Banana plugs for sale at Ebay and very reasonable to boot. Including the shipping...
Many sell individually, by the pair, or in large multi packs for a complete 5.1 6.1 system. Seen some very high quality ones extremely cheap, worth a look if one needs some.
Even seen top line Cardas cheap.
Cheers
Geoff
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08-12-2003, 04:34 PM
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#8 of 30
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Banana plugs are good. I personally use spade plugs attached to the speaker cable with silver solder and used a small adjustable spanner to tighten them enough for the best possible fit on the receiver and speakers... 
Cheers Darrin |
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08-12-2003, 07:06 PM
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#9 of 30
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Join Date: Apr 2002
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These connectors are used alot by pro audio soundmen who are regularly setting up sound equipment. Definitely makes it faster and easier to just plug and play. I think I'll take Geoff's advice and check them out on E-bay.
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08-12-2003, 07:17 PM
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#10 of 30
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I'm using spades on one of my amps. Spades also make a nice connection and many people do prefer. However, spades are almost as risky as bare-wire and I plan to replace eventually with bananas. My advice would be not to use spades and definitly don't use spades if you have less then two inches between connectors. The lugs I have are very large and protrude out beyond the tightning screws. I used a little piece of electrical tape on each opposing prong and then built a little "dam" between connectors using rubber and glue. All this because I almost learned the hard lesson the hard way. I'm fairly comfortable now but not totally. If I'd used banana connectors in the first place, all this could have been avoided.
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