BFA Plugs

[GregNJ]

Hi all! New member, first post. I have a very basic question. I recently purchased a set of Blue Jeans speaker cables for my vintage Dynaco A25s. I've been using banana plugs which have worked perfectly, but I wanted to try BFA plugs. Don't ask me why. The BFAs enter the 3- way binding posts nicely, but about 1/4 of the connection sticks out. It's snug but it seems weird to see so much of the plug to be sticking out. Can someone lmk if this is normal? Appreciate your help! Thx so much!
Greg

 

[TLS Guy]

Hi all! New member, first post. I have a very basic question. I recently purchased a set of Blue Jeans speaker cables for my vintage Dynaco A25s. I've been using banana plugs which have worked perfectly, but I wanted to try BFA plugs. Don't ask me why. The BFAs enter the 3- way binding posts nicely, but about 1/4 of the connection sticks out. It's snug but it seems weird to see so much of the plug to be sticking out. Can someone lmk if this is normal? Appreciate your help! Thx so much!
Greg

The BFA plug stand for British Federation of Audio.

This is all part of EU stupidity. European AC sockets but not UK, ones can accept banana plugs. Apparently some knucklehead did put banana plugs in an AC receptacle and killed himself. So the EU banned banana plugs including in the UK. So the UK came up with the slightly different BFA plug to get round the EU ban, since you can't connect anything except an MK plug to an MK socket, until the longer grounding pin is inserted and the holes are not round anyway, like in the EU.
So the EU also banned the BFA plug, but the UK left the EU and banana plugs and BFA plugs are legal in the UK, but not the EU. Amps sold in the EU have to be sold with plastic plugs placed in the speaker terminals which the buyer has to remove with difficulty.

Just more EU stupidity. When the EU should have done and should do, is to make the AC plug design safe, and also not make live and neutral reversible. This is just another example of why the EU is a disaster.

 

[lovinthehd]

My .02 is if they make a firm connection I wouldn't worry about it. Bananas sometimes can have size variances too as there is no particular standard for bananas....

 

[GregNJ]

My .02 is if they make a firm connection I wouldn't worry about it. Bananas sometimes can have size variances too as there is no particular standard for bananas....

Thanks for the reply. I needed to hear that from someone else.

 

[TLS Guy]

My .02 is if they make a firm connection I wouldn't worry about it. Bananas sometimes can have size variances too as there is no particular standard for bananas....

You are correct about that. The Banana plug is not specified and there are wide variations, which leads to problems and poor connections. The BFA plug is specified, which makes it a better option, and it is what is use for my speaker connections to power amps.

 

[lovinthehd]

You are correct about that. The Banana plug is not specified and there are wide variations, which leads to problems and poor connections. The BFA plug is specified, which makes it a better option, and it is what is use for my speaker connections to power amps.

Are all the binding posts and other receptacles for "bananas" uniform otoh?

 

[TLS Guy]

Are all the binding posts and other receptacles for "bananas" uniform otoh?

Not sure, but I doubt it. I don't have to ponder this much as all my power amps are Quad and I use BFA plugs. On the speaker end I use screw down connections always, as these are not easily accessible in most cases in my systems. My rear backs, center and great room system are built in and my mains are 350 lb a piece at least. So I have to make sure they don't get loose plugs. The in walls have no speaker terminals and the speaker wires are soldered to the driver terminals, and the crossovers are external behind the amps. I don't want to ever have to take those enclosures out of the wall.

 

[Verdinut]

You are correct about that. The Banana plug is not specified and there are wide variations, which leads to problems and poor connections. The BFA plug is specified, which makes it a better option, and it is what is use for my speaker connections to power amps.

Not to forget is the SpeakOn product which is also an excellent connector. I use it for some of my speakers. It also has to be used with some of my QSC amps.

 

[lovinthehd]

Not to forget is the SpeakOn product which is also an excellent connector. I use it for some of my speakers.

Yes my amps that support speakon I use those and built those into my diy subs.

 

[TLS Guy]

Not to forget is the SpeakOn product which is also an excellent connector. I use it for some of my speakers. It also has to be used with some of my QSC amps.

Speakon should probably be the speaker connector of choice, but I must admit, I have never used it. Probably because I have had lots of the others in the parts bins on hand.

 

[GregNJ]

You are correct about that. The Banana plug is not specified and there are wide variations, which leads to problems and poor connections. The BFA plug is specified, which makes it a better option, and it is what is use for my speaker connections to power amps.

TLS if you use BFAs for your speaker/amp connection can you plz tell me if your connection to the speaker sticks out about a 1/4 of the way? That's all I'm trying to find out.

 

[TLS Guy]

TLS if you use BFAs for your speaker/amp connection can you plz tell me if your connection to the speaker sticks out about a 1/4 of the way? That's all I'm trying to find out.

No, they don't. However all my amps, all the thirteen in use now, were made in Huntingdon England by Quad Acoustics, who at the time were leading members of the Federation of British Audio. So you would not be surprised if the speaker sockets were to the BAFTA specs.

I would not worry that your BFA plugs stick out that quarter inch. As I said, the manufacturers can make banana plugs pretty much how they want. The problem is there is no specification for banana plugs or sockets, but there is for BFA.

 

[GregNJ]

Alright great. That makes 2 ppl now that have said no worries. Thank you! I sincerely appreciate the replies.

 

[highfigh]

No, they don't. However all my amps, all the ten in use now, were made in Huntingdon England by Quad Acoustics, who at the time were leading members of the Federation of British Audio. So you would not be surprised if the speaker sockets were to the BAFTA specs.

I would not worry that your BFA plugs stick out that quarter inch. As I said, the manufacturers can make banana plugs pretty much how they want. The problem is there is no specification for banana plugs or sockets, but there is for BFA.

And yet, the original design and use of banana plugs was for test equipment which, I would think, had some specification/standards by the EIA or another governing body and as it turns out, the Hirschmann Co and General Radio Co both claimed to have invented it.

. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_connector