Banana Plug or no Banana Plug

[rrgrippi]

Okay, I have read mixed reviews...advantages and disadvantages. Any thoughts on whether to use a banana plug or bare wire connections? I have a Yamaha RXV1400, T90eEURO, PSW10, CSi3, and Mirage rears.

[michael_w]

The only advantage to bananas are for convience and asthetics (also to save your wire from being cut every few times you have to take it in or out of the bindings posts. They're just simply handy. I don't notice a difference with or without them in terms of sound quality, but I do find they damn handy when I want to change out my speakers to try something new.

[dorokusai]

I agree, they are simply convenient. I could care less if they aren't the ideal connection method.

[PolkThug]

They make everything look purty.
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=4018

[Tour2ma]

Yup bananas are handy, but can also be borderline essential as tight as the backside of AV amps are packed, e.g., Sunfire Cinema Grands. I favor dual bananas.

But if you do not need them, I favor bare wire. Why introduce unnesessary connections, if you do not need to?

As for trimming.. if you go with bare ends, you may have to do so annually anyway due to oxidation. Tinning the ends with solder can reduce the need to do this, as the solder oxidizes far slower than copper.

Welcome to the forum...

[WilliamM2]

I use both. Banana's for the amp connection, and bare wire at the speaker connection.

I like to remove all my components from the rack to clean/dust them every few months, the banana's make this easier. I use bare wire at the speaker terminals because I rarely ever remove them.

[michael_w]

Tinning also works quite well but I find that the wire still needs to be trimmed back once in a while because it just gets too contorted and smooshed. If you want a solid connection while sacrificing a little convience you can try spades. They offer the clean look and add to the ease of connecting things, but not quite as easy as bananas.

[Willow]

I use them and like them. As mentioned it makes it easier when playing around the backside.

[Eric Wong]

Bananas are great for convenience. If you have a tendency to move your system around or do alot of connect/disconnecting then bananas are wonderful. However they do tend to loose their friction after repeated connecting/disconnecting, and they also add two more connection points (from wire to plug, from plug to binding post). I do like using them on the back of multichannel receivers where it can be almost impossible to get a bare wire within the terminals without strands sticking out or a short being created.

[steveinaz]

Agree, I could never understand the argument that spades are better, bananas have far more surface area contact then spades, IMO.

[Tour2ma]

...and they also add two more connection points (from wire to plug, from plug to binding post).Only versus not connecting the wire... :D... if you connect the wire, it's one more.

[aaharvel]

nanners rock

[doggie750]

Bananas are great for convenience. If you have a tendency to move your system around or do alot of connect/disconnecting then bananas are wonderful. However they do tend to loose their friction after repeated connecting/disconnecting, and they also add two more connection points (from wire to plug, from plug to binding post). I do like using them on the back of multichannel receivers where it can be almost impossible to get a bare wire within the terminals without strands sticking out or a short being created.


This make me believe that Soldered bare wire is better than with terminators.....Please confirm?????????

[shack]

"Yes! We have no bananas..."

Well actually, bananas are all that I use...except for my older speakers/gear that don't have 5 way binding posts...then it's bare wire all the way. The advantage of banana plugs far outwiegh any sonic improvement from bare wire.

[Tour2ma]

^ Well that didn't confirm anything... :p

[aaharvel]

just bought 20 m.cable nanners off of ebay for the back of my 2Adcoms. $30 not too bad.

[shack]

^ Well that didn't confirm anything... :p
We ARE talking about bananas here....what did you expect....War and Peace?

[MLZ]

This is probably a very simple question, but I keep reading about a "Five Way Binding Post" for connecting speakers, etc., but what are the "5 Ways"?
1: Speaker wire through hole at base of post and tighten nut
2: Banana Plug
3: Spade at base and tighten nut?
4: ?
5: ?

[shack]

1) bare-wire
2) spade conections
3) banana terminations
4) pins
5) nothing

[Dennis Gardner]

Locking bananas rule! Best of both worlds.

[BIZILL]

i'm thinking i should've spent double and went ahead and gotten the locking bananas.

[michael_w]

I think the fifth way would be those flexi pin things... more used for the spring clips found on lower quality componnents.

[Dennis Gardner]

I switch between tube/SS amps on my SDAs often enough that I was loosening the springs on my dual bananas so I tried the expanding center post style and love them.

[BIZILL]

This is probably a very simple question, but I keep reading about a "Five Way Binding Post" for connecting speakers, etc., but what are the "5 Ways"?
1: Speaker wire through hole at base of post and tighten nut
2: Banana Plug
3: Spade at base and tighten nut?
4: ?
5: ?
4: pins
5: bare wire looped around post and tightened instead of through the hole?

[dorokusai]

Look Up....

[F1nut]

I love sticking my banana in tight holes. :D


These discussions about which termination style is best are pointless. I've yet to hear a difference myself or heard of anybody that could tell a difference.

[michael_w]

These discussions about which termination style is best are pointless. I've yet to hear a difference myself or heard of anybody that could tell a difference.
Exactly why I choose banana's. They're convient and I can't tell the difference.

[george daniel]

I prefer the Chaquita Banana :)

[steveinaz]

My next set of wires will be banana all around, my set now is spade/spade, it's a pain in the ass.

[TheReaper]

Look Up....

http://www.audioc.com/library1/connect.htm

1) Barewire

Least expensive, virtually no contact resistance when new, easy to do. Frayed wires can cause electrical shorts. Bare wire oxidizes causing excessive contact resistance if not cleaned frequently.

2) Tinned Barewire

Just requires the addition of solder. Correctly soldered ends won't fray. Wire won't oxidize, very inexpensive and easy. Can corrode over time causing excessive resistance.

3) Spade Lugs

Quick hookup and disconnect from 5-way binding posts. Solid electrical contact. Won't oxidize or corrode if gold-plated. Clean look. For the least oxidation, the spade connector and the binding post it is used with should be the same metal, preferably gold plated.

4) Banana Plugs

Very fast hookup and disconnect from 5-way binding posts. Good electrical contact IF the plug has strong springs. Clean look. Some bananas have only three or four springs, and those springs may not maintain enough tension to minimize contact resistance. The gold-plated bananas with 9 springs are usually of high-quality.

5) Pin Connectors

Neat, quick connection with either spring loaded terminals or 5-way posts. More contact resistance than spades/bananas/ bare wires because of less contact area.

Note: Crutchfield's advisor has dual-banana plugs as 1 of the five, instead of tinned wire.

[doggie750]

GOLD plated............Is good what about the metal underneath the Gold????.........
They vary from Ni, Silver, Cu............I believe it doesn't matter as long you have a plated metal with GOLD. Please confirm.............
Just to remind you POLKs..........Go to Circuit CIty and SACD cables (6 IC400) are on clearance for $35 ONLY.........not offered online.........

[michael_w]

What does a set of rca's have to do with banana's...

[peekobi]

I just bought a few bananas from Blue Jeans. They have an extra little gold piece that I'm not sure what it is for?

[michael_w]

Maybe if you're using really small wire it's a little extension for the post that holds things down? Or maybe it's supposed to go in before you screw the bolt thing in for more surface area that will make contact with the wire?

[louhamilton]

That is for side entry. Most plugs will accept 10-12 ga through the back and 6-8 ga through the side.

And please get your minds out of the gutter. ;-)

-Lou

[doggie750]

I just bought a few bananas from Blue Jeans. They have an extra little gold piece that I'm not sure what it is for?

iT'S a spacer to push cable for side insertion..............personally I dont like that piece..........

[BjornB17]

i got 8 pairs of banana plugs from parts express. As you might expect, there is no noticeable difference in sound, but they make everything look nice and tidy :)

[StopherJJ1980]

Ditto on the nanners making no real difference in sound, but Im anal (again, keep your mind outta the gutter) and like everything behind the amp to be nice and organized. Including all matching interconnects. It bothers me that my PS2 inputs dont match all my other ARproII interconnects. Audiophile OCD is a bitch.

[BjornB17]

Ditto on the nanners making no real difference in sound, but Im anal (again, keep your mind outta the gutter) and like everything behind the amp to be nice and organized. Including all matching interconnects. It bothers me that my PS2 inputs dont match all my other ARproII interconnects. Audiophile OCD is a bitch.

LOL! I'm just happy that my parts express bananas look just like coaxial and RCA cables!