Need speaker connection help!

[GregS351]

I bought a set of Klipsch RB-61s for a great price. Anyway these are the first speakers I have with a banana plug connection. While looking for connectors i noticed the vary in price form a few $$ a pair to more than $50 for a pair. SO my question is, how much difference in performance is there between the plugs, how can I tell if the a quality pieces or not? I want a quality connectors for the cheapest I can get them

 

[Matt34]

Your not going to see/hear a difference generally between different types of speaker cable as long as it's the correct size for the length of run. Cheap and decent looking with good build quaility, not much more you can ask for.

I run these in my setup, there are different lenghts available depending on what you need.

http://store.audioholics.com/product/406/115/10ft-velocity-12awg-speaker-interconnect

 

[GregS351]

I was looking for the banana plugs themselves, I have the speaker already.

 

[Midcow2]

bana plugs ; stage (1) -> stage (2)

I bought a set of Klipsch RB-61s for a great price. Anyway these are the first speakers I have with a banana plug connection. While looking for connectors i noticed the vary in price form a few $$ a pair to more than $50 for a pair. SO my question is, how much difference in performance is there between the plugs, how can I tell if the a quality pieces or not? I want a quality connectors for the cheapest I can get them

I just went through stage two of my connection upgrade.

First and for a long time I connected bare wire to the speaker terminals. It is a pain to twist the braided wire and ensure you have a good conenction and also iensure you don't have any whisker shorts.

Okay banana plug stage (1) I bought some banana plugs from Monoprice, inexpensive, good quality. You screw down , but they are not locking. Not likely under most normal conditions, but you can pull the wire loose.

Here is a Link to Monoprice banana plug : $2.17 /pair

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



Now stage (2); I ordered these they should arrive today for my "new" upgrade plasma den system. Unique products locking banana plug 20 pack/ 10 pair = $60 or $6 /pair. Ordered two packs

URL : http://www.uniqueproductsonline.com/lobapl20pa10.html


Good Luck!

MidCow2

 

[markw]

No

Hate to thread jack but got a quick question. It seems I have to turn the master volume up quite a bit to really get any good sound. Is this due to my speaker connections (bare wire)?

Start a new thread.

 

[GregS351]

I just went through stage two of my connection upgrade.

First and for a long time I connected bare wire to the speaker terminals. It is a pain to twist the braided wire and ensure you have a good conenction and also iensure you don't have any whisker shorts.

Okay banana plug stage (1) I bought some banana plugs from Monoprice, inexpensive, good quality. You screw down , but they are not locking. Not likely under most normal conditions, but you can pull the wire loose.

Here is a Link to Monoprice banana plug : $2.17 /pair

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



Now stage (2); I ordered these they should arrive today for my "new" upgrade plasma den system. Unique products locking banana plug 20 pack/ 10 pair = $60 or $6 /pair. Ordered two packs

URL : http://www.uniqueproductsonline.com/lobapl20pa10.html


Good Luck!

MidCow2

So you had no trouble with the screw design? My speakers dont move so Im not worried bout wires coming loose. Let me know if you notice any difference with the new connectors.

 

[Alex2507]

Let me know if you notice any difference with the new connectors.

If you mean sound wise, any difference anyone claims to hear is (from what I understand) their imagination or a flat out lie (if they are trying to get money from you).

That being said I just get my stuff here:

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/speaker/index.htm

I have the locking variety.

 

[Midcow2]

New banana plugs superior

So you had no trouble with the screw design? My speakers dont move so Im not worried bout wires coming loose. Let me know if you notice any difference with the new connectors.

GregS351,

The new ones are awesome! far superior. I will start a new thread about.



Later MidCow2

 

[highfigh]

I bought a set of Klipsch RB-61s for a great price. Anyway these are the first speakers I have with a banana plug connection. While looking for connectors i noticed the vary in price form a few $$ a pair to more than $50 for a pair. SO my question is, how much difference in performance is there between the plugs, how can I tell if the a quality pieces or not? I want a quality connectors for the cheapest I can get them

You're aware that you don't actually need any kind of terminal on the ends of your speaker cables, right? Banana plugs only make it easier to remove and re-insert the wires. Plus, they add a connection to the audio path.

 

[GregS351]

You're aware that you don't actually need any kind of terminal on the ends of your speaker cables, right? Banana plugs only make it easier to remove and re-insert the wires. Plus, they add a connection to the audio path.

I know its not needed but doesnt it give a better connection than bare wire? What do you mean by "adding a connection to the audio path".

 

[Midcow2]

adding a connection to audio path

I know its not needed but doesnt it give a better connection than bare wire? What do you mean by "adding a connection to the audio path".

In the electrical path you are adding another point : bare wire to banana plug to speaker terminal, where before it was bare wire to speaker terminal.

Normally it is a good practice to minimize the number of individual items in an electrical path ( or any other system fro that matter) to minimize the number of points of failure.

Hover IMHO putting a banana plug on a wire has very, very minimal impact on reliability and introducing a new point of failure.

Bare wire is fine, you just need to spend time, maybe even extra time up front to insure they are exactly the right length ( too short not enough contact , too long posibility of shorting) and to insure the braided wire is twisted so that it is like a single solid cable so there are no wire whiskers that can cause whisker shorts ( sometime whisker shorts are not obvious at low volume and cause AVR overload safety power trips at higher volumes).

I like banana plugs becuase of secureness of connection and the ease of conencting if you even do updgade or cahnge like most audiophiles do.

For a similar reason I do not like spade connections at all. The connection must be tightened and physically secured or a spade connection can easily come loose, even more so than stranded bare wire , becuase stranded bare wire is somewhat compressible and acts like its own lock nut.

...enough of my rambling

Take care,

MidCow2