banana plug questions

[young]

never used a banana plug but figured i'd try it out.

i see these on ebay - not too bad, i think - but the seller says i should solder the wires if they're not 4-8 gauge.
http://www.speakerrepair.com/ebaypics/banana-l-side-appart.jpg

frankly, i don't want to solder anything. are there any good ones that you can recommend w/out soldering? or should i really be soldering? (in which case, i'll just stick to bare wires).

[F1nut]

Those have got to be the worst banana plugs I've ever seen. I take it you're looking for something inexpensive, so take a look at the ones at Rat Shack. They are not too bad from what I understand. What's the hang up with soldering? It's easy to do and will result in the best connection to the banana plug. Bare wire is not a good way to go because the copper oxidizes which results in a poor connection.

[Early B.]

I agree. Don't buy those.

[young]

here's the link to the ebay auction
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3087540525&category=32838&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBWA%3AIT&rd=1

they're bad? :confused: they're not that cheap - $57 for 10 pairs. (or are they?)

[LittleCar_w/12s]

Go radioshack!
They are easily available, and you certainly won't go wrong soldering... look online for some tutorials, and get a length of wire... play around with soldering for a while, then do your plugs. You won't regret learning the skill.
You can get really good connections without solder, but it will oxidise and it will degrade. Solder is also a good mechanical connection and will make the wires much sturier at the ends.
-Jerry

[Early B.]

If you don't want to go through the hassle of soldering, then don't DIY. Buy speaker cable that's already terminated with banana plugs. They cost a little more, but they're worth it.

[EuroStyle]

Just a tip, bare wire oxidizes because after you strip some insulation, you tend to touch it. Try to strip some insulation, and then use a pair of pliers if you want to twist thw strands together...but never touch it with your fingers....


Sean

[Willow]

I use the compression type and they work very well..and with the pressure of 12awg cable on the posts of the receiver the plugs now have no problems of become loose do to the pressure the wire puts on the binding posts

[young]

i found some AR compression banana plugs on ebay. they are great! :) about $25 for 10 pairs which i thought was a great price. took me a minute to figure out how they work, another minute that the holes for the banana plugs had a little removable cover and walla!

[Zen Dragon]

Not sure how much of an audio purist you are. When you solder connections you create a junction of dissimiiar metals, which introduces a very small difference of potential at the junction. Silver solder would be a much better match for an audio grade junction than the standard tin/lead solder used for general electrical connections.