Unique Products Locking Banana Plugs

[Midcow2]

Even though I have GLS locking plugs on everything but my sub, I have to admit the the Monster Cable banana plugs that you push the wire through and then mushroom out the wire and screw the end on are my favorite. I ran to the Rat Shack and grabbed these when Andrew was bringging my sub over. I hate Monster just like the rest of you but I had no time to look around when I got these. They are very easy to use and I can pick my sub up by my speaker wire if I was so inclined.

Sorry but it's true.....

Hey Dawg,

Did you have to special order the connecters to manhandle your 00 gauge wire ?

Monster is good, it is just pricey and usually I can think of better things to do with $$$ than burning to keep warm or buying from Monster-Bose (oops I didn't let the merger news leak out ahead of press release did I - Mea culpa ).

 

[yettitheman]

Yettiman, Thanks for the feed back

Maybe I wasn't clear the Unique Products also has the speading pin for locking tight in the banana socket.

Take care and have a good breakfast

Later ,

MidCow2

P.S. - Reminds me of a guy I had working for me pulling RD 232 cables connected to a mainframe front end. He pulled so hard he broke a RS232 cable ( for those that are quite following RS 232 was from the earlier days of telecommunciations whne 19.2 kbps was fast and had 25 wires with a sheath around it; they were virtually indestructable )

Ahahah... I have an old Centronics 25 pin Parallel cable made by AMP. It's a tank.

And, I didn't see the spread end until I looked at the site.... haha

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I love you Adam.....

A little piece of me just died.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Holy cow, I just bought some more Monster Cable crap. I am becoming a fanboy.

I needed 3 more RCA cables for the new amp and thought I would just run to the Rat Shack and get whatever they had at a good price. (forgot to order from Monoprice)

They had MC stuff cheaper than the RS stuff as it had "out of date packaging".

I think I am up to 50% MC at this point!

 

[lsiberian]

I'm calling for an intervention!

Holy cow, I just bought some more Monster Cable crap. I am becoming a fanboy.

I needed 3 more RCA cables for the new amp and thought I would just run to the Rat Shack and get whatever they had at a good price. (forgot to order from Monoprice)

They had MC stuff cheaper than the RS stuff as it had "out of date packaging".

I think I am up to 50% MC at this point!

We must help him. He's lost it.

 

[Highbar]

Dawg you have lost your way. If you need help finding the way again we are here for you.

Monoprice has become my best friend as of late, well that and Amazon.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I think I may need help!

It's funny, the package on the MC cables states that it is for less expensive, entry level systems. How stupid are they?????

Dawg you have lost your way. If you need help finding the way again we are here for you.

Monoprice has become my best friend as of late, well that and Amazon.

 

[Highbar]

Can we get a pic of that package? I want to see just how dumb they are.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

It is already in the trash can.

Can we get a pic of that package? I want to see just how dumb they are.

 

[jostenmeat]

googling locking banana plugs leads me straight back to AH. HAH! I guess that means I really never need to look elsewhere . . .

I ordered a set on your rec MC2. Cheers.

 

[fractile]

Boots for Unique Products Locking Banana Plugs

I started looking for rubber boots to keep out atmospheric contamination and then flashed that heatshrink tubing would probably work fine.

 

[emorphien]

A lot of cables are made with some sort of heatshrink to hold on techflex or other things, cover gaps between the plug and shielding of the cable depending on the way the cable is made, make things look nicer and keep crud out.

 

[fractile]

Techflex

My Marantz SR8002 came with an 'IXOS' HDMI cable covered with that kind of stuff. It does emit an aire of durability. Covering it with some clear shrink tube would even add to it. Thanks, I'll remember that when making cables, especially ones that will be handled a lot, like mike cable; keep the conductors from fatiguing.

 

[jcilforever]

talk about exspensive look at these http://www.thecablepro.com/cableDetail.php?cID=107&cgID=1

and these http://www.audiyo.com/product_desc.php?plid=2&cat=4

and thesehttp://www.oregondv.com/WBT_0600_Topline_Banana_Connector.htm

some of you guys can afford but do you really consider spending $1400 for 28 banana clips??? thats what my speakers cost

These are more my speed http://www.speakerrepair.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=BL28&Category_Code=locking

Also might want to reference this thread http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26211

 

[fractile]

Spades

All this talk has got me thinking to maybe avoid all this bulky metal and go with the crimp-on silver-plated copper spade lugs. Silver, even if more prone to oxidation is a better conductor than gold. Shrink tube can reinforce from the connector to insulator, which is the main reason I don't just use bare wire.

Regardless of how much expensive metal is in a banana, it's still a physical mass complex between the conductor and terminal to be traversed by a signal.

 

[fractile]

Spades

Here ya go: http://www.thecablepro.com/cableDetail.php?cID=111&cgID=1

 

[davidtwotrees]

I've tried some big fat hot looking spades and am not thrilled with the connection it makes on my Canton Karats. It holds fine right up until you move the speaker or the speaker wire.......then there is a good chance the weight and mass of the spade can physically turn the binding post nut and you end up with a loose connection.
The banannas I have tried were non locking and it was a crummy connection.
This thread has me thinking locking is THE WAY.

 

[fractile]

Agreed

I've tried some big fat hot looking spades and am not thrilled with the connection it makes on my Canton Karats. It holds fine right up until you move the speaker or the speaker wire.......then there is a good chance the weight and mass of the spade can physically turn the binding post nut and you end up with a loose connection.
The banannas I have tried were non locking and it was a crummy connection.
This thread has me thinking locking is THE WAY.

You made the right points. Plus, I forgot that this Marantz sr8002 doesn't even take spades on the weird terminals; even a bare wire is not so easy; there is no hole thru the terminal, just a gap. I'll break down and get some of the locking banana plugs.

 

[Highbar]

talk about exspensive look at these http://www.thecablepro.com/cableDetail.php?cID=107&cgID=1

and these http://www.audiyo.com/product_desc.php?plid=2&cat=4

and thesehttp://www.oregondv.com/WBT_0600_Topline_Banana_Connector.htm

some of you guys can afford but do you really consider spending $1400 for 28 banana clips??? thats what my speakers cost

These are more my speed http://www.speakerrepair.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=BL28&Category_Code=locking

Also might want to reference this thread http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26211

Hey man you missed the silver version of the first Banana's you listed,Silver. Even more expensive

 

[alexwakelin]

I picked up these banana plugs from eBay for really cheap, $18 for 8 pairs, and I don't have any complaints yet. Plus, I think they look nice, not that it matters because they are all behind my receiver, but you guys understand.

All this DIY and moving speakers around has me wanting to add banana plugs to my speaker wire. I looked these up on ebay, and they are now just $11.90 with free shipping. A darn good deal if you ask me.