Does 10-gauge wire fit inside standard bananna plugs? (1 Viewer)

[MichaelDDD]

As above. I want to use 10-gauge wire with my new speakers and bananna plugs. Never used bananna plugs before; I want to go "upscale" this time around. Makes for quicker installation too.

I'm talking the 10-gauge, 100-foot spool you buy at Partsexpress. Thanks!

 

[MichaelDDD]

I found out it does indeed. Thanks.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Radio Shack has some dual-banana plugs that claim to be able to handle 10 ga wire.

But in general, 10 ga is a bit thick for most home systems. I do STRONGLY suggest you put your amp/receiver on your lowest shelf so you have a minimal drop for all that copper.

 

[MichaelDDD]

Hi Bob,

"Minimal drop?" I don't understand. I've had my receiver on the top shelf for years so that it had nothing on top of it. (for good ventilation) I've never had any issues.

I'm always looking to expand my education though. What gives?

 

[Keith Mickunas]

Michael, 10 gauge cable will weigh a lot, it could put excess strain on the banana plug and speaker jack. You'll need to be careful on that depending on how sturdy your equipment is.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Keep in mind that RCA plugs are friction-fit. 5 runs of 10 ga wire is a lot of weight. If you ever have to mess around back there and jiggle the wires - the plugs may pull out.

(They do make a "Locking Banana" that has a little flange that locks into the hole from the inside. To remove it, you must twist the banana to un-lock before pulling it out. You might want to look for these.)

I'm a big fan of the 'receiver-on-the-bottom' rack layout for the following reasons:

- Low drop reduces strain on the speaker connectors
- Heavy amp on the bottom is a lot more stable (yes, I do live in Earthquake country).
- The speaker wires naturally flow out/away from everything else and you dont have to fight through them to wire other things up.
- Putting the receiver on the top shelf of a enclosed cabinent is actually very BAD for cooling. The top of the cabinent acts like a blanket and does not give the heat somewhere to flow. Putting the receiver on the lowest rack make all the empty space in the rack available for heat flow.

Without the speaker wires to mess with, the rest of the wires fall into 2 separate catagories:

- AC power cords
- Interconnects

It is really easy to separate these in bundles away from each other with velcro straps to create a neat, easy to maintain rack.