Banana Plugs

thriondil
thriondil Posts: 2
I just recently bought a pair of RTi4s. To hook them up, I got some speaker wire and banana plugs from monoprice. The banana plugs seem very loose in the binding posts of the RTi4s, and bumping them causes the speaker to lose the connection. The banana plugs on the other end (in my Yamaha RX-V667) fit just fine, and have no problems. Are the posts on the RTi4s unusually large, or am I just missing something silly?
Post edited by thriondil on

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  • jinjuku
    jinjuku Posts: 1,523
    edited January 2011
    thriondil wrote: »
    I just recently bought a pair of RTi4s. To hook them up, I got some speaker wire and banana plugs from monoprice. The banana plugs seem very loose in the binding posts of the RTi4s, and bumping them causes the speaker to lose the connection. The banana plugs on the other end (in my Yamaha RX-V667) fit just fine, and have no problems. Are the posts on the RTi4s unusually large, or am I just missing something silly?

    You aren't missing anything. The Monooprice banana plugs suck. I would look at GLS locking banana plugs.
  • jinjuku
    jinjuku Posts: 1,523
    edited January 2011
    Monoprice is great, the banana plugs they use suck. The issue is that the tip is removable / screw type and it loosens up. If they went to one a one piece top then they wouldn't suck.

    Another to check is is Knu-conceptz.
  • ohskigod
    ohskigod Posts: 6,502
    edited January 2011
    I've used those Daytons with great results......that bulge in the middle seems to always ensure a great snug fit.
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  • thriondil
    thriondil Posts: 2
    edited January 2011
    Thanks for the recommendations guys! I think I'll be getting a couple of the Daytons.
  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited January 2011
    thriondil wrote: »
    very loose in the binding posts of the RTi4s...
    Obviously you got a couple not bowed out enough to fit tightly... If you're not going to try to return them, try to bow them out a bit more.

    Can pry with small screwdriver or tap on end with a hammer or if you have a vice... What have you got to lose???

    I'm a dual-nanner plug gut myself...
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

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  • Polkie2009
    Polkie2009 Posts: 3,834
    edited January 2011
    +1 on using a small flathead screwdriver to open the male plug for a snug fit. I've been slowly adding the Radio Shack dual banana plugs(yes,I know,not cheap) into the system.
  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited January 2011
    ^Not cheap... just thifty... :wink:
    Keiko wrote: »
    It's good practice to tin the ends of the wire and give all your cables a shot of Caigs, Deoxit every year. Keeps everything clean and ensures contact for a good connection.
    Doesn't that get messy?:tongue:

    Yup... and make/ break any non-gold, IC connections...

    I do it every time change... right after I change the batteries in the smoke alarms...
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner

    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
  • Doug Hess
    Doug Hess Posts: 21
    edited January 2011
    Sorry to jump onto a mature thread here, guys, but you'll never get a better connection than with bare wire. I get the convenience of bananas, but why put yet another connector--no matter how high-quality--between your wire and your speakers? Strip them once a year or so and you'll get the best connection money can buy . . . without spending any money.

    -Doug
  • kawizx9r
    kawizx9r Posts: 5,150
    edited January 2011
    Doug Hess wrote: »
    Strip them once a year or so and you'll get the best connection money can buy . . . without spending any money.

    -Doug

    If money is an issue, then I'd have to ask 'why the hell are you into audio as a hobby' then?

    Banana plugs are far from breaking the bank, even good ones. Quality cables are already terminated with spades/plugs anyway....check out what MIT offers, Signal Cable, AQ and other cable companies big or small.

    Anyway, I love GLS plugs. Here's a snapshot of the plugs on my speaker cables -

    SNV13205.jpg
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    heiney9 wrote: »
    Any clue how to use the internet? Found it in about 10 sec.
  • Doug Hess
    Doug Hess Posts: 21
    edited January 2011
    Don't misunderstand me, kawizx9r. I'm all for spending money where it makes a difference but there is nothing you can put on the end of any speaker wire that will improve the sound or the signal strength. Even if it were solid silver (which is a better conductor than gold), it would still be an added connector.

    I know this truth can be unpopular, but nothing beats going bareback.

    -Doug
  • kawizx9r
    kawizx9r Posts: 5,150
    edited January 2011
    Doug Hess wrote: »
    Don't misunderstand me, kawizx9r. I'm all for spending money where it makes a difference but there is nothing you can put on the end of any speaker wire that will improve the sound or the signal strength. Even if it were solid silver (which is a better conductor than gold), it would still be an added connector.

    I know this truth can be unpopular, but nothing beats going bareback.

    -Doug

    I didn't misunderstand you nor am I in an attempt to argue.

    I know that bare wire would be your best bet to maintaining a clean/uninterrupted/uncolored signal; however with some quality plugs combined with the caliber of most members' systems on here, I can almost guarantee they won't hear any loss of sound quality.

    If you reread my post, I never said anything about it improving the sound/signal. Plugs offer convenience, while locking plugs add peace of mind. Have you ever tried to pull off a GLS Audio locking plug that's properly connected in a 5-way binding post and locked into place? You won't get it out if you tried (without unlocking it).
    Truck setup
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    heiney9 wrote: »
    Any clue how to use the internet? Found it in about 10 sec.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,717
    edited January 2011
    Doug Hess wrote: »
    Don't misunderstand me, kawizx9r. I'm all for spending money where it makes a difference but there is nothing you can put on the end of any speaker wire that will improve the sound or the signal strength. Even if it were solid silver (which is a better conductor than gold), it would still be an added connector.

    I know this truth can be unpopular, but nothing beats going bareback.

    -Doug

    You mean the truth that bare wire oxidizes and a good soldered banana or spade connection doesn't? Yeah, that's what I thought.

    Look, we don't need you coming here thinking you are going to save us from ourselves. Clear enough?
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."


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  • Doug Hess
    Doug Hess Posts: 21
    edited January 2011
    Okay, okay. Didn't mean to start ruffle any feathers, just wanted to point a couple things out. Seems you two already know those things, so I'll just mosey on over to another topic.

    Have a wonderful day.
  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited January 2011
    F1nut wrote: »
    Look, we don't need you coming here thinking you are going to save us from ourselves. Clear enough?
    Yeah... whad'r'ya tryin' to do... Take Jesse's job?
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner

    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
  • kawizx9r
    kawizx9r Posts: 5,150
    edited January 2011
    Reported.
    Truck setup
    Alpine 9856
    Phoenix Gold RSD65CS

    For Sale
    Polk SR6500
    Polk SR5250
    Polk SR104


    heiney9 wrote: »
    Any clue how to use the internet? Found it in about 10 sec.
  • comfortablycurt
    comfortablycurt Posts: 6,745
    edited January 2011
    F1nut wrote: »
    You mean the truth that bare wire oxidizes and a good soldered banana or spade connection doesn't? Yeah, that's what I thought.

    Look, we don't need you coming here thinking you are going to save us from ourselves. Clear enough?

    ^^^^^^^^^^

    That.

    I don't think anyone's necessarily claiming that nanners or spades "improve" the sound, so to speak. However, when properly terminated, good connectors will completely prevent the possibility of the wire oxidizing, and won't degrade the signal at all. I suppose you could argue that the connection between the wire and the connector creates another "junction point" for the signal to travel through, but if terminated properly, that connection won't degrade the signal at all. There are hundreds of electrical connections and solder points through out your audio setup. If you think that one little connection point between cable-connector is degrading your sound, then you need to find something more important to worry about.:wink:
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  • larry777
    larry777 Posts: 480
    edited January 2011
    Some people say the Monoprice Banana Plugs suck...but mine work great pluged into my RTi10's. They fit snug and are the open screw type. They fit snug in 2 of my Receivers also.
    Home Theatre.............

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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,179
    edited January 2011
    Doug Hess wrote: »
    Sorry to jump onto a mature thread here, guys, but you'll never get a better connection than with bare wire.
    Doug, all due respect on your opinion but it is just that. An opinion. You speak as if it is fact, when in fact, it is simply not true.

    Back when [years ago] I was in severe doubt that a speaker wire made absolutely no difference in sound whatsoever, I made a discovery. Allow me to digress. The reason I doubted that speaker wire did not change a thing sound wise, besides the gauge of the wire, was due to the fact that I had purchased probably 20 or more sets of speaker wire. Solid, solid and braided, braided only, you name it, I had it and I had never heard one ounce of change even after spending $200.00 on AudioQuest X2 speaker wire and bi-wiring the rig.

    No change whatsoever.

    Well, time went on and I started going through gear and speakers left and right and just for the convenience factor of things, I decided to install some banana plugs. Frankly, I was tired of doing the Flex Armstrong thing, twisting my body in ways that were completely unnatural every time I changed out an amplifier or set of speakers. I acquired a set of no-name brand nanner's from a friend of mine who happened to work in the factory they were made in. Using just basic solder I had lying around, I installed them.

    I was completely shocked when, after installing just the nanner's, the sound had changed. The sound stage was different and there were subtle things that weren't present before. It was at that point, I started posting about what I heard and the differences. I also started to research speaker cables for the first time in my life because I actually had first hand knowledge of a sonic change when it came to this.

    I ended up getting a pair of AQ CV-8's with an additional upgraded battery pack installed on it and it was at that point I understood that a speaker cable did in fact make many a change in sound. For the first time in my life, I could actually relate too and talk about what others had heard and what I had actually heard with different SC's. What a pleasant surprise! I was so pleased with the end result, I ended up purchasing another set just like it so that I could bi-amp.

    Point being, adding just the nanner's to regular speaker wire opened my audio journey to a completely new level. That said, your opinion is false and I hope that nobody out there reading this believes it for one second. As an added note, many times it is rebutted on this subject that there was a placebo effect due to the amount of money spent on the upgrade. I'd just like to take this opportunity to point out that I had spent absolutely nothing on the nanner's or the solder.
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
  • Doug Hess
    Doug Hess Posts: 21
    edited January 2011
    Hi, Treitz. Thanks for sharing your experience, and I appreciate your resisting hyperbole.

    I said that you can't get a better connection than bare wire, which is indeed a fact. Everything you add between the wire and the terminals is another connection. An audiophile like you knows that.

    But what I really like about what you said--or didn't say--is you didn't use subjective terms like "better" or "worse." You said that the banana plugs "changed" the sound and that you preferred the sound. That's completely believable and I've heard those kinds of differences too.

    So I think our differences are all semantics. My assertion is that you can't add anything (passive) to cables that will improve the signal strength. You say that banana plugs can change the sound in a pleasing way. I'm completely on-board with both of those.

    -Doug
  • virtualdean
    virtualdean Posts: 286
    edited February 2011
    Doug Hess wrote: »
    Hi, Treitz. Thanks for sharing your experience, and I appreciate your resisting hyperbole.

    I said that you can't get a better connection than bare wire, which is indeed a fact. Everything you add between the wire and the terminals is another connection. An audiophile like you knows that.

    But what I really like about what you said--or didn't say--is you didn't use subjective terms like "better" or "worse." You said that the banana plugs "changed" the sound and that you preferred the sound. That's completely believable and I've heard those kinds of differences too.

    So I think our differences are all semantics. My assertion is that you can't add anything (passive) to cables that will improve the signal strength. You say that banana plugs can change the sound in a pleasing way. I'm completely on-board with both of those.

    -Doug

    Doug:
    check out BJC's new sonic welding vice soldering at their website. What do you think?
    I agree with you, there is nothing more transparent than bare wire termination, boutique cables are pretty though.
    I use lockable banana termination with 2 screw pinched tinned cable.
    The terminators look good and are cheap. Bare wire is not attractive.
    I will be shocked if I hear a difference as both are sound. But, I want to have the best engineered connection.
    To paraphrase Audioholics, cable views are the most contentious of any audio topic.