Banana Plug Advice

[jinjuku]

yes i've been reading the same thing. Im def not going with the monoprice ones.

as far as the GLS ones, ive been reading that some ppl had a hard time getting the wire to stay snug in the plug, and had to add electric tape to make it thicker. so that it stays snug, besides that, nothing but positive reviews.

Blue jeans, have gotten good feedback from this forum.

Aperion, cant find any reviews on it (besides their own site).

Nakamichi, mixed reviews.

I dont mind paying a bit more than average, as long as i get the locking system, and something that fits the wire in snug and the banana plug into the receiver and speakers (snug as well)

BJC has two banana connectors. One of them is the same as the GLS.

 

[tomd51]

BTW from personal experience stay away from the Nack's and Monoprice cheapy bananas. They are garbage. They would be workable if the tip and top body half were a single piece. Unfortunately the tip screws in and can easily loosen up. It's a three piece body that really needs to be two.

I agree 100%.

I had to replace every one of those cheap Monoprice bananas. They are garbage.

Strange, I haven't experienced that at all w/the Monoprice banana plugs I've used and they're essentially the same style as the GLS plugs. I ratchet them down pretty tight, so that might help from coming loose.

This is the first time I've heard folks having difficulty with them, but obviously w/everything, YMMV... -TD

 

[jinjuku]

Strange, I haven't experienced that at all w/the Monoprice banana plugs I've used and they're essentially the same style as the GLS plugs. I ratchet them down pretty tight, so that might help from coming loose.

This is the first time I've heard folks having difficulty with them, but obviously w/everything, YMMV... -TD

GLS=Monoprice banana plugs

Which Monprice plugs are you referring to?

 

[tomd51]

GLS=Monoprice banana plugs

Which Monprice plugs are you referring to?

The closed screw connectors I linked to, they have the same three piece construction as the GLS Audio connectors, just different shaped.

Orange County Speaker doesn't have an exploded view of their connector, but I can take a snapshot of one I have to show the comparison next to the Monoprice connector... -TD

edit: they do, just saw their pic..

 

[tomd51]

The only difference is the locking screw is not on the Monoprice connector, which I have found to be overkill.

Again, YMMV... -TD

 

[gmichael]

I just use monoprice banana plugs. But I give them a light tap on the nose to open them up a bit and give them a tighter fit.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10401&cs_id=1040115&p_id=2801&seq=1&format=2

Why does this have me walking funny?

 

[Alex2507]

BJC has two banana connectors. One of them is the same as the GLS.

Except that the pic Greg linked to them (long ago) makes it look like they have a rougher, grainier finish and he says they don't open and close smoothly while the BJC jobs work like a Swiss watch and I love 'em.

 

[skads_187]

have any of you guys seen or used the Aperions? cant find anything on them. But i like that z-lock tip, which is similar to the sawtooth ends.

 

[j_garcia]

Those are BFA style plugs. They are pretty expensive for what they are IMO. Audioquest offers the same thing and they can be found at Best Buy.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/AudioQuest+-+Set-Screw+Banana+Plugs+(4-Pack)+-+Black/9522661.p?id=1218118269261&skuId=9522661&st=banana plugs&cp=1&lp=2

http://www.aperionaudio.com/product/Aperion-HP-Banana-Plugs,49,39,152.aspx

 

[highfigh]

What an eye gouge. $10/ea for banana plugs is ridiculous. Cool looking or not, they can be deleted and the system works just as well. Is it really worth $40 to be able to connect/disconnect speaker wires?

I like these and they come in a bag of 4.
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=091-1260

 

[j_garcia]

What an eye gouge. $10/ea for banana plugs is ridiculous. Cool looking or not, they can be deleted and the system works just as well. Is it really worth $40 to be able to connect/disconnect speaker wires?

$10 each but it is one pair per bag; still pricey. If it were a bag of 10 for $10 it might be OK with me.

I like these and they come in a bag of 4.
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=091-1260

I'm not a fan of those ones at all because they don't stay tight and they damage the wire. Not well built. I like these better, though they cost more (and the price jumped by about 40% recently!! so I don't buy them anymore): http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=091-330 &FTR=091-330&CFID=8136326&CFTOKEN=21623681 The little "bullet" helps protect the wires while screwing them together.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

That is basically what I use on the speaker end of my mains.

http://www.bestdealcables.com/p-147-24k-gold-plated-banana-plugs-pair-1-red1-black.aspx

Those are BFA style plugs. They are pretty expensive for what they are IMO. Audioquest offers the same thing and they can be found at Best Buy.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/AudioQuest+-+Set-Screw+Banana+Plugs+(4-Pack)+-+Black/9522661.p?id=1218118269261&skuId=9522661&st=banana plugs&cp=1&lp=2

http://www.aperionaudio.com/product/Aperion-HP-Banana-Plugs,49,39,152.aspx

 

[j_garcia]

The locking plugs from BJC actually don't fit in the sockets in my speakers. They are some weird size, so I might actually switch to the BFA style despite the price. I haven't found a source that sells this type for a decent price though. Even those ones are the same price.

 

[jinjuku]

Guys...


http://www.flickr.com/photos/33478047@N06/4883572371/

I guess no one checked the link posted earlier.

 

[skads_187]

One last question, do BFA's always fit snug into the back of the receiver/speakers?

 

[j_garcia]

One last question, do BFA's always fit snug into the back of the receiver/speakers?

You can "stretch" them a bit so they fit snug. On the receiver side, they should be fairly standard size. The reason I switched to locking plugs was because after a number of connects/disconnects, the non-locking bananas I was using lost some tension and one fell out of the receiver and I spend a half hour trying to figure it out before I realized that was the problem. One of the things that is supposed to be good about the BFA type is that if they lose tension, you can open them back up to get it back.

My current problem is that I am using 4S11 and it is quite large. Jinjuku's linked ones say they can handle 8AWG so I ordered some to try.

 

[gregcss]

doesn't the speaker and amp need to support the locking style interconnects? sorry if this is a silly question but these were suggested as if it doesn't matter. Just curious.

 

[Junx]

I use the locking banana plugs from bluejeanscable.com, for the money $5.75 a pair you will not find a better plug. Just my opinion.

Especially considering Best Buy wants $25 for a set of Monsters...

 

[skads_187]

yeah its funny, i was at best buy (here in Canada), and for fun i went to the audio section, and saw 4 rocketfish plugs for 25.99
ridiculous. to get 20 would cost 130$.

Currently i have my speaker cables connected without plugs. once i want to connect them using BFA locking banana plug.
Currently I have about an inch of wire exposed, which i will be cut to 1/2 inch to fit the plug. My questions is, is it fine to use that exposed wire that i have had connected for the past 2 years, or should i re-strip the wire before connecting it to the banana plugs?

 

[jostenmeat]

Currently i have my speaker cables connected without plugs. once i want to connect them using BFA locking banana plug.
Currently I have about an inch of wire exposed, which i will be cut to 1/2 inch to fit the plug. My questions is, is it fine to use that exposed wire that i have had connected for the past 2 years, or should i re-strip the wire before connecting it to the banana plugs?

If the wire looks fine, then you're fine, but personally I would just strip new wire especially after being exposed for two years, because I'd want it fresh! To do a 5.1 rig, that should only add a handful of minutes. Might as well.