Termination for 12 gauge Speaker Wire?? (1 Viewer)

[Leon O]

I suspect that I'll be purchasing 12 gauge Sound King speaker wire for my surrounds (unless anyone can talk me into alternatives). It seems to be about the best bang for the buck...

At the receiver end (Marantz SR7200) I'd like to use banana plugs. For the speaker end, I'd like to use pins. Target price range $3.00 - $5.00 per termination pair. Besides quality sound, I'd like something fairly rugged and attraction.

QUESTIONS:

- Do you have specific recomendations that would work well with the Sound King wire?

- What size/type Heat Shrink Tubing would you use as finishing touch?

Thanks

Leon

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Well, even the rabid audiophiles do not claim to be able to tell the difference between speakers wired with bare wire and speakers wired with bananas/pins. So the "Quality Sound" issue is moot.

Personally, I like the heavy dual-banana plugs with the solid black spacer bar sold at Radio Shack for about $6 for behind the speakers. Should a kid/dog trip over the wires, the spacer bar prevents shorts if the plugs are pulled out. They look quite nice as well. I did use Monster "Twist Crimp" plugs, but had loose 12 ga wire every few weeks. I have not had a loose wire in years with the dual-bananas. If your speakers can take bananas, I'd really suggest you check out a pair.

Radio Shack also sells a 2-piece banana for behind the receiver that is quite nice and strong. Unscrew the body, thread the wire up the middle and fold the copper strands back over the edge. Screw the top back on and .. done.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

(missed the shrink tube question)

The two plugs I mentioned make it very easy to connect without loose strands of copper poking out. No need for shrink-tubing unless you really want to.

 

[Leon O]

Thanks Bob,

The dual banana plug seems like a good idea to me. I've been considering the heat shrink tubing because I like the looks. After years a birds nests behind my rack, I've decided it's time to clean it up back there.

Leom

 

[Bob McElfresh]

I did a few things to clean up my wires:

- put the receiver on the BOTTOM of the rack. This allows the speaker wires to flow out with a minimum drop, and they dont obscure the other devices.

- Pick a side where most of the power cords come out on the back and mount a power strip on this side of my rack. Route/bundle the power cords to this side.

- The interconnects are allowed to dangle freely down the middle, loosly tied with velcro or split-loom tubes.

I also invested in a few of the multi-cable wires (L/R/Video) or (L/R/SVideo) for my low-quality devices (like VCR/CATV box). One thick cable is a lot cleaner than 3 separate ones.

Good Luck.