Cheap banana plugs?

[BMXTRIX]

Be aware that the double screw type Sewell banana plug, which I consider to be the gold standard for how banana plugs should work, is made in some factory in China and has branding by a ton of different companies with small variants to the plug (or not) available.

This is the same one as the Sewell (or very close) for about $1 a plug...

12Pcs Golden Nakamichi Speaker Banana Plug Connector Adapter Connectors J_ZKUJ9 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 12Pcs Golden Nakamichi Speaker Banana Plug Connector Adapter Connectors J_ZKUJ9 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

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I would NEVER use a side-entry banana plug. And I don't like plugs with actual metal shells that aren't insulated in case you touch a live connection to the shell, you don't want to short it out and fry your amp.

There are a ton of options on eBay that ship for free (or cheap). You can put in the number of plugs you are looking for and see what works for you.

 

[highfigh]

So you have to soldier the wire to tinn it? I don’t have a soldier yet never used one. I guess plugs are for convenience connections directly aren’t that challenging I’m worried they will oxidize quicker??
But tinning stops this ?

'Tinning' is the word used when soldering. It's an old practice of literally coating metal with tin, but it has been used for a long time.

Bare wire can oxidize much faster than tinned wire but if you don't live near salt water and nothing in the air is more likely to cause a reaction with the Copper in the wire, it's not worth worrying about. Worst case, loosen each binding post annually and re-tighten- that will create bare metal and re-make the connection but in reality, any oxidation is unlikely to cause audible problems.

 

[highfigh]

Be aware that the double screw type Sewell banana plug, which I consider to be the gold standard for how banana plugs should work, is made in some factory in China and has branding by a ton of different companies with small variants to the plug (or not) available.

This is the same one as the Sewell (or very close) for about $1 a plug...

12Pcs Golden Nakamichi Speaker Banana Plug Connector Adapter Connectors J_ZKUJ9 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 12Pcs Golden Nakamichi Speaker Banana Plug Connector Adapter Connectors J_ZKUJ9 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

I would NEVER use a side-entry banana plug. And I don't like plugs with actual metal shells that aren't insulated in case you touch a live connection to the shell, you don't want to short it out and fry your amp.

There are a ton of options on eBay that ship for free (or cheap). You can put in the number of plugs you are looking for and see what works for you.

A lot less stress on the plugs from side entry, especially when the cable is heavy. I agree that fully insulated plugs are best but if they fit and nobody is horsing around with them, shorting shouldn't be a problem. Inserting bare wire can be a PITA, but it's really the best method of connecting speaker wires- less stress on the posts, little chance of a short.

Yamaha used to include a plastic 'socket' for tightening binding posts and if I can find one, I'll post a photo. It made this incredibly easy and there was no cramming fingers into tight spaces.

 

[BMXTRIX]

A lot less stress on the plugs from side entry, especially when the cable is heavy. I agree that fully insulated plugs are best but if they fit and nobody is horsing around with them, shorting shouldn't be a problem. Inserting bare wire can be a PITA, but it's really the best method of connecting speaker wires- less stress on the posts, little chance of a short.

Yamaha used to include a plastic 'socket' for tightening binding posts and if I can find one, I'll post a photo. It made this incredibly easy and there was no cramming fingers into tight spaces.

Man! I can't imagine dealing with binding posts. They are completely awful to use. You DO have a chance to short them out if you aren't careful. Had a client kill his amp because he had too much wire sticking through. Obviously a silly error, but it is one that is easy to make when the posts are so close together and it isn't always easy to get behind things to look at them directly to see how things fit.

I've been using double screw banana plugs for around 20 years now and haven't had a single issue with any installation where they have been used. Takes a while the first time I terminate them, but then the installation and any follow up service work has been a breeze. I've swapped out AV receivers in minutes because of the plugs being in place. Super easy way of doing things overall.

Of course, on the budget of @Kingnoob I think I might just use bare wire.

Do keep in mind that I typically perform cable management on my setups, so there isn't a lot of heavy pulling on any plugs that I am working with.

 

[highfigh]

Man! I can't imagine dealing with binding posts. They are completely awful to use. You DO have a chance to short them out if you aren't careful. Had a client kill his amp because he had too much wire sticking through. Obviously a silly error, but it is one that is easy to make when the posts are so close together and it isn't always easy to get behind things to look at them directly to see how things fit.

I've been using double screw banana plugs for around 20 years now and haven't had a single issue with any installation where they have been used. Takes a while the first time I terminate them, but then the installation and any follow up service work has been a breeze. I've swapped out AV receivers in minutes because of the plugs being in place. Super easy way of doing things overall.

Of course, on the budget of @Kingnoob I think I might just use bare wire.

Do keep in mind that I typically perform cable management on my setups, so there isn't a lot of heavy pulling on any plugs that I am working with.

Well, that's the difference between a user and someone who makes these connections more frequently- one knows that removing more than 1/2" of insulation is unnecessary.

I don't actually like using binding posts on AVRs, especially since they usually require needle-fingers but it's just something I need to do- some are worse than others, but that Yamaha piece fits the nuts on their posts and it can be used with a small battery-powered screwdriver. I haven't tried it because the butt end is so wide, but wire nuts fit into my Ideal electrician's screwdriver- if someone wanted to, they could find a way to make something that fits- wood or plastic, it could be made easily.

I think the first time I used banana plugs or binding posts was in a science class (possibly Physics), in the early-mid '70s and I saw the usefulness, but I never dreamed they would reach consumer audio or that the level of discussion would reach this level.

And the Pro/commercial markets don't see a need for them......Hmmm

I had a customer who called to say that their family room system had stopped working and when I arrived, 2 of the front speakers had been completely disconnected, the 3rd only had one wire connected and the AVR only had one HDMI and the optical connected. All of the others had been disconnected, including the power cord. From that, I deduced that someone had decided to connect their new video game, but they didn't know how to do it. When I found only one amplifier channel working, I told her that it had to go in for service and she asked "Will this be free?". No, it's not free when a customer effs it up.

 

[Kingnoob]

Well, that's the difference between a user and someone who makes these connections more frequently- one knows that removing more than 1/2" of insulation is unnecessary.

I don't actually like using binding posts on AVRs, especially since they usually require needle-fingers but it's just something I need to do- some are worse than others, but that Yamaha piece fits the nuts on their posts and it can be used with a small battery-powered screwdriver. I haven't tried it because the butt end is so wide, but wire nuts fit into my Ideal electrician's screwdriver- if someone wanted to, they could find a way to make something that fits- wood or plastic, it could be made easily.

I think the first time I used banana plugs or binding posts was in a science class (possibly Physics), in the early-mid '70s and I saw the usefulness, but I never dreamed they would reach consumer audio or that the level of discussion would reach this level.

And the Pro/commercial markets don't see a need for them......Hmmm

I had a customer who called to say that their family room system had stopped working and when I arrived, 2 of the front speakers had been completely disconnected, the 3rd only had one wire connected and the AVR only had one HDMI and the optical connected. All of the others had been disconnected, including the power cord. From that, I deduced that someone had decided to connect their new video game, but they didn't know how to do it. When I found only one amplifier channel working, I told her that it had to go in for service and she asked "Will this be free?". No, it's not free when a customer effs it up.

Haha hard to get Sound with your system unplugged.. weird pro audio doesn’t use banana plus but xlr. I Had no idea banana plugs existed before home audio usage .

 

[highfigh]

Haha hard to get Sound with your system unplugged.. weird pro audio doesn’t use banana plus but xlr. I Had no idea banana plugs existed before home audio usage .

Binding posts and banana plugs were originally used for test eqiupment, like signal generators, oscilloscopes, Volt/Ohm meters, etc. They became part of audio in the '70s or early-'80s and IIRC, the first to get them were speakers. Before binding posts became a thing, most speakers had terminals with screws that accepted spade lugs or bare wire, spring clips or some kind of twist lock terminal (JBL used these). Long multiple double-screw wiring terminals are called 'barrier strips' and those were used when wires needed to go to multiple locations, often seen with wires going out daisy-chained on one side and the other side was often the source. Many manufacturers still use screw terminals.

Another kind of termination that's used extensively is called Euro-style or Phoenix connectors and these have small set screws to secure the wires and a barb that prevents the plastic block slipping out of the base.

XLR were used for low power speaker connections but not in a long time. SpeakOn has become very common, especially in high powered Pro/PA/Commercial amplification but for commercial, it's very common to see screw down and Phoenix connectors.