Which banana plugs?

pploeser

Can anyone recommend some inexpensive banana plugs that provide good clamping? I found some so-called Nakamichi plugs on ebay that work well thanks to the two set screws used to hold the bare wire in place. They come with a screw-on outer sleeve that comes loose too easily though. They were about $1 each shipped, so they're a nice plug for the money IMO. I like the Audioquest bananas with the two allen screws, but those go for more like $5-$10 each. I'd rather not spend that much. I've tried the cheaper parts-express bananas but they only have one set screw, and are pretty shallow. I'd like to have the option of using 10-16 awg wire with them. Any suggestions?

pploeser

I would honestly be ok with good solder type plugs too, if anyone can recommend some of those. Ideally they would have some way of indicating polarity (colored sleeve, etc.) but I suppose I could do that with heat shrink tubing as well.

krauley

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

i use these and i really like them. monoprice.com

ALL212

I've used ViaBlue 'nanners. Put a copper sleeve over the bare wire - crimp the heck out of it - put the nanner over the copper and two set screws will keep it there.

http://www.av-outlet.com/en-us/dept_379.html

zingo

GLS Audio plugs

NotaSuv

Furtech F 202 lockin nanners, these are on a set of speaker cables I'm now using and work great..

Face

How about solder type nanners? http://soniccraft.com/products/connections/banana/vampire_b12.htm

wutadumsn23

I bought some of these a week or so ago, and man do they make life easy, lol. Got them at the BX on base and paid way too much for them, but it was an impulse buy, lol. Could have gotten 16 of them at monoprice for less than what I paid for 8 of them here, lol.

-Jeff

pploeser

Thanks for the tips (pardon the pun )

Anyone know what range of cable diamaters the GLS plugs work with? It looks like they clamp down on the OD of the insulation where it enters the plug. I could see that not working well with a wire that was too small. I'd hate to count on one set screw to hold it all in there.

I've considered the viablue and furutech connectors before. They appear to be well designed and constructed - and look great too. I'm just not sure I want to spend that much just yet.

The monoprice and solder-type plugs are definitely high on my list of options.

Face

Skip the monoprice nanners, IMO they degrade sound quality.

mantis

I like Niles because you can reuse them over and over. As much as I switch out wires and custom make my own , these are fantastic. Yeah you pay slighty more but you get so much more.
No need to shop around buy these and be happy
http://www.smarthome.com/6744GB/Niles-GC-BPR-Gold-Plated-Single-Banana-Plug-Wire-Connectors-Pair/p.aspx

fbm211

Get pure copper or silver.Pay a little extra for quality.Bronze,nickle,brass,etc=Bad

zingo

pploeser wrote: »

Anyone know what range of cable diamaters the GLS plugs work with? It looks like they clamp down on the OD of the insulation where it enters the plug. I could see that not working well with a wire that was too small. I'd hate to count on one set screw to hold it all in there.

I've used them with 12g wire, and I think the screw goes almost all the way to the other side of the barrel, but if you wire is still too small, you could always just strip a little extra back and double it up (but then your speaker wire might be too small anyway). I like the GLS plugs because they not only clamp on the conductor, but the bottom part of the barrel claps on the jacket when you tighten them down.

polkatese

I use GLS nanners like Zingo has. On a couple sets of them, for some reasons or another, the leaf springs became flatten out, thus, came lose from the power-amp socket, causing a short that luckily I immediately noticed and turned off the amp before it caused any damage. Still, a reason to be PO for me. Luckily I had enough of these, and I replaced them with new sets.

I wonder though, how those leaf spring could flatten over time since I hardly touched them. The best nanners for me is the sawtooth kind. Those hold very tightly, no risk of these looseing up.

pploeser

zingo wrote: »

...not only clamp on the conductor, but the bottom part of the barrel claps on the jacket when you tighten them down.

This is more specifically what I was wondering about. If the jacket on the cable is too small, the set screw on the bare wire will be the only thing holding the cable and plug together. Just curious if anyone knows the smallest id of the clamping area.

Nice looking cables. I just made a set of bi-wire cables using Canare 4S11 and the same pants shown in your photo. Just curious, what wire do you use?

Krazyz1

Check out Parts Express. 24kt. plated. 1 piece pressure screw. Stack-able , and will hold 10ga. wire. Very satisfied.

jinjuku

krauley wrote: »

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

i use these and i really like them. monoprice.com

I have some of those and have one complaint. The actual male leaf plug also screws in. It is not a solid piece with the top half of the plug. I could see that causing some issues. My solution was to simply crank up the soldering iron and run a bead around where it screws in.

Just an FYI for those who may not know.

I have been use the locking banana's from GLS. Fortunately I picked up my stash before the ~30% price hike. I do like them.