Banana Plugs or Not

JGaf
JGaf Posts: 3
edited January 2014 in Basic Hookup/Wiring Questions
Happy New Year! Getting my new system today as noted below. Will pair with 2 older Polk Monitor Series 2 bookshelf speakers as the surrounds and 2 subs - an 8 inch Polk and an 8 inch Yamaha. I want to add banana plugs to terminate the the speaker wires but confused. Most of the good plugs seem to be metal and concerned with them touching thus creating a short circuit. Are there any that are shielded? I've seen a few made of brass and some postings state not to use brass. Need some direction please.
Also do I need oxygen-free copper wires or speaker wires with the correct gauge. the farthest speaker from the receiver will be 12 feet.


Onkyo TX-NR626 home theater receiver
Polk Audio CSiA4 Black Each Center Channel Speaker
Polk Audio RTiA3 Black Pair Bookshelf/Stand Mount Speakers

Thanks.
Jay
Post edited by JGaf on
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,647
    edited January 2014
    The binding posts on your speakers and AVR are spaced far enough apart that they will not touch each other.

    There are a lot speaker cable choices, buy the best you can afford.
    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."

    President of Club Polk

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  • Mikey081057
    Mikey081057 Posts: 7,127
    edited January 2014
    I like locking banana plugs on the amp side... you don't have to worry about them wiggling out
    My New Year's resolution is 3840 × 2160

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  • JGaf
    JGaf Posts: 3
    edited January 2014
    Thanks for the input. Initially I connected all speakers using the old 12 gauge copper wire I had in the old system without any terminals. I will try 2 banana plugs today to see if there is a difference and if so will terminate all of them with the plugs. The wires I have are 12 years old. Should I change them also?

    Everything is working fine and the sound is good except certain lyrics - I noticed words ending is "S" seem distorted. The sub also goes on standby when I have the volume on low.
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  • chumlie
    chumlie Posts: 8,658
    edited January 2014
    Spring for some new wire. Canare 4S11 works well and is affordable.
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  • leftwinger57
    leftwinger57 Posts: 2,917
    edited January 2014
    This is true.Most all avr/ amps placement of input ports allow for proper spacing of bananas. They do have dual insulated types but I prefer single wire double set screw w/ banded marked collars.Also far easier than getting the wire into the hole of the binding post and if you don't have the correct crimper stay away from spayed lugs.
    2chl- Adcom GFA- 555-Onkyo P-3150v pre/amp- JVC-QL-A200 tt- Denon 1940 ci cdp- Adcom GFS-6 -Modded '87 SDA 2Bs - Dynamat Ext.- BH-5- X-Overs VR-3, RDO-194 tweeters, Larry's Rings, Speakon/Neutrik I/C- Cherry stain tops Advent Maestros,Ohm model E

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  • Glen B
    Glen B Posts: 269
    edited January 2014
    JGaf wrote: »
    Everything is working fine and the sound is good except certain lyrics - I noticed words ending is "S" seem distorted. The sub also goes on standby when I have the volume on low.
    What you are hearing as distorted "S" sounds may be excessive sibilance. It is a problem that occurs in audio reproduction with "s" and "sh" sounds. The problem could be anywhere from source to interconnects, in my experience, and can be ameliorated by careful system matching. Excessive sibilance can occasionally occur in the recording itself.
    Main System: Denon DP-59L | Audio-Technica AT33EV | Marantz SA-11S2 | Classe DR-10 | Classe CA-300 | Classe RC-1 | PSB Stratus Gold i's | DIY Balanced AC Power Conditioner | Acoustic Zen and NeoTech cables | Oyaide and Furutech power connectors | Dedicated 20A isolated ground line.

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  • fun_dador
    fun_dador Posts: 28
    edited January 2014
    I second chumlie....
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  • JGaf
    JGaf Posts: 3
    edited January 2014
    Thank you all for your input. I have everything connected and running well. Now I'm just tweaking to see what else I can do to enhance the performance :)
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  • pogo
    pogo Posts: 5
    edited January 2014
    Don't waste your money on fancy wire. Good is good enough. Just make sure your wire isn't so small (such as 24 gauge) that it has too much resistance. I use banana plugs but only for convenience. The binding post works just as well and you'll be better served by just cleaning the contacts occasionally. That's advice that comes from an engineer for McIntosh - not me.
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  • RR09SS
    RR09SS Posts: 32
    edited January 2014
    I disagree with "good is good enough" but I do agree with having a decent gauge wire. I went from an ok brand 14awg 4 conductor with 2 of the 14awg conductors twisted together to essentially make it 11awg. it sounded good, but I came across a second hand set of Kimber Kable 4pr wires and there was a big difference. It was enough of a difference, that when a-b comparing them i couldn't believe the difference. better clarity, and detail especially in the mids and highs. I use banana plugs, but mainly for convenience, when you think about it you are adding another piece in line with your wire. some will say the best connection is bare wire to your terminal.
    Receiver: Yamaha RX-V667
    Fronts: Polk LS90 / Polk SDA-2
    Center: Polk CS350-LS
    Rear: Polk M3 II
    Sub: Polk DSW MP3K / Velodyne DEQ-10R
    Amp: Adcom GFA-5500 (Strapped for SDA's)
    Interconnect: Kimber Tonik
    Speaker Wire: Kimber 4PR
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