Speaker parts and connectors

Braddock

Braddock

Junior Audioholic
I hate to start a thread on this, but maybe others will benefit from it. Where do you guys buy your spade clamps for your speakers? Ive looked everywhere and 80% of the shippers are overseas. I dont want to wait that long to get them. Does anyone have a stateside company they buy from that wont break the bank? I refuse to pay overinflated prices for this particualr part. Its ludicrous to pay $25 for 4 clamps when I can use something that costs $3 and will do just as good of a job. Ive found good deals overseas, but nothing in the states. Any suggestions? Thanx!
 
JerryLove

JerryLove

Audioholic Samurai
What is a spade clamp? I'm imagining the spring-loaded cable connector (or perhaps a 5-way binding post).
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
I hate to start a thread on this, but maybe others will benefit from it. Where do you guys buy your spade clamps for your speakers? Ive looked everywhere and 80% of the shippers are overseas. I dont want to wait that long to get them. Does anyone have a stateside company they buy from that wont break the bank? I refuse to pay overinflated prices for this particualr part. Its ludicrous to pay $25 for 4 clamps when I can use something that costs $3 and will do just as good of a job. Ive found good deals overseas, but nothing in the states. Any suggestions? Thanx!
I don't think many people use spades. Banana plus are better with less chance of shorting.
 
Braddock

Braddock

Junior Audioholic
What are yall talking about??? Ive got some Infinity Betas and some B&W 804s and neither accommodates a banana plug. Im not talking about the back of the amp, I have banana plugs for those. Im talking about the speaker binding posts. You either use the bare wire or what Im asking about.

Jgarcia, if you dont use them, then what do ya use buddy?
 
Swerd

Swerd

Audioholic Warlord
What are yall talking about??? Ive got some Infinity Betas and some B&W 804s and neither accommodates a banana plug. Im not talking about the back of the amp, I have banana plugs for those. Im talking about the speaker binding posts. You either use the bare wire or what Im asking about.
Unlike yours, most speakers sold now have binding posts that accept banana plus, bare wire, spades, or rings.

Your speakers seem to have screw terminals that do not accept banana plugs. The problem with spades is that they have been known to vibrate loose with time. Check to see if the screws in your speaker terminals come out and allow using ring terminals. With a ring terminal, the screw can still vibrate loose, but the ring won't fall off so easily.

Nearly all plated brass terminals (spades, rings, or banana plugs) are made in Taiwan or China.

Here is a seller in the USA that has an assortment of gold plated brass rings and spades in different sizes that crimp onto bare wire:

Solderless / Crimp Terminals in the Connectors & Adapters Department at Parts Express | 65

Depending on your speakers' terminals, you may have to contact Parts Express to learn their outer and inner dimensions.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
What are yall talking about??? Ive got some Infinity Betas and some B&W 804s and neither accommodates a banana plug. Im not talking about the back of the amp, I have banana plugs for those. Im talking about the speaker binding posts. You either use the bare wire or what Im asking about.

Jgarcia, if you dont use them, then what do ya use buddy?
Madisound have what you want. You order the Red and Black separately at $3.35 each.



I don't use spades. I either use a banana plug, or more usually bare wide and screw it down very tight. That is actually the best connection.
 
Alex2507

Alex2507

Audioholic Slumlord
What are yall talking about??? Ive got some Infinity Betas and some B&W 804s and neither accommodates a banana plug. Im not talking about the back of the amp, I have banana plugs for those. Im talking about the speaker binding posts. You either use the bare wire or what Im asking about.
The Infinity binding posts I have seen have a black and red plastic plug inserted into the posts. Those can be removed although it's not easy. They are meant to be removed for use with banana plugs. The last one I removed actually snapped and made removing it a serious pain. I had to use one of those dental picks to push the plug up from the hole that bare wire would normally go through.

The binding posts on all my Infinities have all been too fat to accommodate those types of spades. I have a sh!t load of extra ones that I use when I can because they look cool but even the ones from BJC loosen up over time. The locking bananas from them are super slick and I love them.
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
What are yall talking about??? Ive got some Infinity Betas and some B&W 804s and neither accommodates a banana plug. Im not talking about the back of the amp, I have banana plugs for those. Im talking about the speaker binding posts. You either use the bare wire or what Im asking about.
The Betas do for sure, and unless your 804s are unusual and/or rather old, they do as well. I am fairly certain you are mistaken there. Pretty much every speaker I've bought new came with those little caps inserted in the binding posts that Alex is talking about too.

Jgarcia, if you dont use them, then what do ya use buddy?
Try clicking on the link provided :rolleyes:

Here are a few MORE places that have spades:
Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & more
HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more!
http://www.speakerrepair.com/

804 Matrix

804
 
Last edited:
Braddock

Braddock

Junior Audioholic
Im an idiot. No sooner than I post this I learn something new. Yes, you can remove the caps of some spekaers so that they will accept banana plugs and, something I already knew but slipped my mind, "the holes in the binding posts accept banana plugs too". Thanx yal for pointing out what an idiot I am!!:D
 
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