banana plugs

[pauldownton1979]

wondering what the general concensus is on blowing at least 25% of speaker cable budget on banana plugs ? are they worth it or would you rather spend on better quality unterminated cable ? also should they only be bought if professionaly fitted ? i have used basic ones before only as convenience rather than sonic qualities.

please no replys from the ' i dont believe in cable makes a difference ' cynics. i dont share your view and there is enough threads already!

 

[Anonymous]

dont know but dont forget to burn them in for 100 hrs for best results?.

 

[chebby]

My connectors cost nothing.

Naim provided a set of these connectors free in my amplifier box. They and the banana plugs - at the speaker end - were soldered onto Naim NAC-A5 cable by my dealer for free.

 

[Anonymous]

pauldownton1979:
wondering what the general concensus is on blowing at least 25% of speaker cable budget on banana plugs ? are they worth it or would you rather spend on better quality unterminated cable ? also should they only be bought if professionaly fitted ? i have used basic ones before only as convenience rather than sonic qualities.

Banana plugs make a lot of sense. They are a tidier solution than bare wire, reduce the risk of shorting, and are quicker and more convenient should you need to disconnect. Basic, screw on ones (e.g. from Maplin) are quite good enough for the job. I personally see no benefit in anything more sophisticated.

 

[a91gti]

I've gone for the basic cheapies, taken the plastic covers off and soldered them on myself.

 

[Messiah]

I certainly would not be spending 25% of my budget on it!

As others have said, I would just get some standard cheap plugs and solder them to the cable. If soldering is not an option then the standard screw connection will be fine.

 

[Don Jr]

Paul. It's definately worth it. The signal rides on the outside diameter of the copper. That's why the insulation is so important. It keeps the signal from jumping to the other pair. When you totally encompass the outside diamter of the copper with solder, which is conductive, you're utilising the entire outside diameter of all the strands of copper. The solder is filled into the banana plug, touching all areas of the plug and the copper of the cable. If you use bare wire or a screw on type connector, you're not utilising the entire conductor. That creates signal loss. You can make them yourself if you want to save money, and it will be better than using bare wire or screw on connectors. You can easily read on this forum, reviews from people who are demoing several different biwire cables in a single night that state the unbelievable differences between each cable.

 

[pauldownton1979]

just got 2x 1.5m unterminated runs of chord rumour II for £8!!! cant believe nobody bid at that price. going by the reivews it seems it may be my answer for now. worth a punt at this price surely?