Spades vs Banana plugs?!!

[Joseman37]

Hi there.
Which would you recommend between metal spades and banana plugs for your speakers and why.

Thank you

 

[slipperybidness]

Hi there.
Which would you recommend between metal spades and banana plugs for your speakers and why.

Thank you

depends entirely upon what works best for your binding posts!

 

[Gmoney]

I use Naked wires. Nothing wrong using Bananas or spades if move gear around a lot.
Good 12 AWG wire naked works also. I was bored one day and cut a lamp power cord just to see if there was a Difference and found nothing different.
That lamp power cord looked like number 1 Copper. Thick wire Strands worked as good as well speaker cable

 

[ryanosaur]

In general, I think you get more surface contact in the following order: Banana Plugs, Spades, Bare Wire.
End of the day, they all work. It comes down to personal preference for many, and convenience for some. Toward that latter, if you are likely to switch gear, move stuff... whatever may result in you pulling cables frequently... Banana Plugs are the way to go. Much more convenient in that regard.

I chose banana plugs for convenience and the aesthetic. I use Monoprice Affinity Banana Plugs. There is a review floating around where they tested as more conductive than many other brands. I liked the looks. The cost is very affordable. They have dual opposing set screws to secure the cable in them. They are available as straight and also 90º plugs. (The 90º plugs are great for the speaker connection!)

Other brands offer locking banana plugs, and other options still.

Again, personal preference is really the main thing at play.

 

[Gmoney]

In general, I think you get more surface contact in the following order: Banana Plugs, Spades, Bare Wire.
End of the day, they all work. It comes down to personal preference for many, and convenience for some. Toward that latter, if you are likely to switch gear, move stuff... whatever may result in you pulling cables frequently... Banana Plugs are the way to go. Much more convenient in that regard.

I chose banana plugs for convenience and the aesthetic. I use Monoprice Affinity Banana Plugs. There is a review floating around where they tested as more conductive than many other brands. I liked the looks. The cost is very affordable. They have dual opposing set screws to secure the cable in them. They are available as straight and also 90º plugs. (The 90º plugs are great for the speaker connection!)

Other brands offer locking banana plugs, and other options still.

Again, personal preference is really the main thing at play.

That’s bro, going check out those bananas on Monoprice.

 

[j_garcia]

Try a search, this topic has been covered literally hundreds of times.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I use bananas on the AVR end for convenience. But I like bare on the speaker end. IMO it gives a nice “crush” to the cable and makes the best contact. Could be just me though.

 

[Pogre]

I'm always switching speakers in and out because I have issues so I love my banana plugs. The one Ryan suggested are my favorite type with 2 set screws for a solid connection. I've yet to have one pull out, tho I did just recently break the tip off one!

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I'm always switching speakers in and out because I have issues so I love my banana plugs. The one Ryan suggested are my favorite type with 2 set screws for a solid connection. I've yet to have one pull out, tho I did just recently break the tip off one!

Rynos link didn’t work for me, but I’ve had good luck with sewells as well. Makes life easier.

 

[snakeeyes]

Bananas always work on AVR side but not always on speaker side so just be aware of that. I agree it’s handy on AVR side when you need to move AVR or dust under it etc.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I use Naked wires. Nothing wrong using Bananas or spades if move gear around a lot.
Good 12 AWG wire naked works also. I was bored one day and cut a lamp power cord just to see if there was a Difference and found nothing different.
That lamp power cord looked like number 1 Copper. Thick wire Strands worked as good as well speaker cable

You mean the lamp cord didn't get shorter or you just didn't notice that it got shorter?

 

[little wing]

Like j-garica said, search the site for prior threads on this topic, there is a ton of opinions out there. But for me it's blue jeans belden with locking banana plugs. Great quality with a super tight connection. I probably wouldn't use anything else.

 

[MR.MAGOO]

Depends on your receiver / speaker, and personal choice. Some older gear can only take spade, while newer with the 5 way binding post can take both and more.
Example below, my turntable pre-amp (top) uses spade for the ground wire, the bottom picture is my old 5 channel surround receiver, has bare wire speaker posts (red/black).

 

[lovinthehd]

I had some older style connectors that accepted only bare wire or spades, but most of my gear now has binding posts that take a variety of connections. I prefer bananas as I move things around often enough I prefer the convenience. Tight back panels on receivers can make using bare wire or even spades more difficult than its worth to me. It's all about what works for you in the end....hard to beat bare wire if you're not prone to moving things around, and less expensive

 

[davidscott]

Used bare wire exclusively until I used some Monster Cable (a gift) with bananas back in the late 80s. Been using bananas ever since

 

[Pogre]

I had some older style connectors that accepted only bare wire or spades, but most of my gear now has binding posts that take a variety of connections. I prefer bananas as I move things around often enough I prefer the convenience. Tight back panels on receivers can make using bare wire or even spades more difficult than its worth to me. It's all about what works for you in the end....hard to beat bare wire if you're not prone to moving things around, and less expensive

The limited real estate on back panels always made me nervous when using bare wire connections. Of course we're all careful and make sure everything is tucked in, but one or 2 stray wires is all it takes.

 

[mtrycrafts]

.... Been using bananas ever since

Using? Eating is better, lots of good vitamins.

 

[warnerwh]

If someone is going to use bare wire it's best to tin the ends so you don't get any stray strands that can potentially cause major problems for the power amp section. I like BFA bananas because they fit tight. I had standard bananas get loose and vibrate part way out. Currently I am using twisted cables I made with spade lugs on the speaker end and BFA bananas behind my receiver due to the fact it is much easier to remove and replace bananas in tight spots.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

If someone is going to use bare wire it's best to tin the ends so you don't get any stray strands that can potentially cause major problems for the power amp section. I like BFA bananas because they fit tight. I had standard bananas get loose and vibrate part way out. Currently I am using twisted cables I made with spade lugs on the speaker end and BFA bananas behind my receiver due to the fact it is much easier to remove and replace bananas in tight spots.

Tinning can make it hard to crush the wire, and leave you with less contact area and could cause the binding post to back off easier.

 

[Verdinut]

The limited real estate on back panels always made me nervous when using bare wire connections. Of course we're all careful and make sure everything is tucked in, but one or 2 stray wires is all it takes.

But that is not a major concern when your amplifiers are designed with protection against short circuits.