Bannana Plugs...

EuroStyle

I finally picked up a set of Rti70's on closeout and am working on getting them hooked up. I am using a Carver TFM15-CB to power them. I hate to say it, but I have always been an "insert the bare wire into the binding post" kind of guy....but my brother is yelling at me to use bannana plugs. What is the best method to attach them to the wire, and the best type to use for a begginer? I need to get them, and also know how to attach them to the wire...any help is appreciated...


Sean

gatemplin

Bare wire is fine, Banana plugs just simplify things. You can use crimp, twist on or solder types. The twist on is the easiest but the solder probably makes the best connection. You can get them from Radio Shack, www.partsexpress.com or any audio store.

JDOGG

I picked up a couple of these at BB with my gift cards. Easy to put on, took me about 10 minutes. Really solid connection.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1051384782167&type=product&productCategoryId=cat08055

EuroStyle

OK, cool...I thought I had read in an old thread that the twist on ones were not that good. I will make a trip today to see what I can find locally...


Sena

pjdami

Don't rule out a good pair of crimp on spade connectors as well. Bananas are convenient if you move around a lot of gear all the time but a lot of folks prefer the spades just as much if not more because of the solid and ample surface area when you tighten down the binding post.

John K.

Sean, in my view you're the one who's right. Forget the connectors and continue to use the bare wire.

EuroStyle

I have always felt the connection to bare wire was the tighest, but I could see a spade or banana giving it more contact area, so I fiugred I was just being lazy...:)


Sean

gidrah

I also use bare wire whenever possible. A connector MIGHT be able to give you more surface area, but you are adding an extra connection.

by23856

I just talked the the resident audiophile here at work and he gave me a good hint on how to make the bare wire connection stronger, with no fraying.

Strip off twice as much insulation as you want for exposed wire (i.e. strip off 1" of insulator if you ultimately want 1/2" of exposed wire) twist that inch of exposed wire tightly, then double it over on itself and twist the doubled up wire with a pair of pliers. That gives you a double thick connector that has a solid point as opposed to the loose ends.

EuroStyle

That's an old trick when you are running car audio wires and one side of the connection requires a small wire to go into a connector, and the other a large one...but for my Polks at least, that would make the wire too big for the post, or neccesitate the use of a smaller wire that when doubled would fit...


Sean

dholmes

Do a search on ebay, I found 30 pairs of banana plugs for less than a 1.50 a pair!

PolkThug

The trick to using bare wire is to not touch the bare wire directly with your fingers. Otherwise, the wire will become slightly corroded in just a short time. Just look at some bare wires you setup a couple months or so ago, the shiny copper will look dirty now.

Regards,
PolkThug