What would you do? Nanner's.......

treitz3

Alright, without suggesting another pair of SC's, I have 2 pair of Audioquest CV-8's. Both have the upgraded 72 volt DBS battery pack. Because I have gear going in and out all the time, some of the nanner's have been compromised. Basically, they are 4 prongs that make up the entire nanner and I have a couple to where a prong or two have broken off due to constant swapping of gear. Here's my question.

What would you do?

1 - get the OEM nanner's and reinstall.
2 - upgrade to ????? and why, if you don't mind me asking?

I have found through my audio travels that connections make a rather big difference in the end result and since I have to do some replacing, I would like some opinions as to what you folks have experienced. I do believe that the OEM nanner's were made of silver [very weak might I add] and work quite well with the synergy within my rig.

I would like the tightest fit possible and for right now, I have them plugged into the following gear;

VMPS Larger
Anthem 1 tube amp
Odyssey Stratos SS amp
Tyler Acoustics Taylos 7U's

If you are not familiar with all of this gear and you have a suggestion anyway? I'm not opposed to hearing what you might have to say. I'm about the most open guy you'll ever meet when it comes to audio. That said, for your knowledge, I have 8 nanner's I have to replace and the OEM nanner's are roughly $50.00 for all 8. As far as my budget is concerned? I'm open up to around $250.00. Beyond that and I'd be more interested in getting a different flavor of SC. Please allow me to pluck those brains of yours with experience in such a thing. Thanks in advance and thanks for taking the time to read this post.

Treitz3

Face

If you can deal with spades, I would use Goertz sold silver spades. They're $23.95 for a set of 4 at Parts Connexion. Here's a pic: http://face.cleanandquiet.com/store/Goertz%20AG2.jpg

Whatever you do, I would avoid brass.

Systems

Gauranteed for life so why not send them back for a fix. It only cost you the postage to get them there.

treitz3

I am not the original owner of either pair. Also, I am not opposed to spades although my preference has always been nanner's. For ease of connectivity and not having to constantly worry if the spade has come loose due to vibrations. Having a "no load" on a tube amp because a spade didn't have a connection would mean bad ju-ju. Kna' mean?

sucks2beme

The universal end bananas for AQ CV cables aren't very durable.
They were made so you could screw on adapters for pins or spades.
Some of mine broke, too. I've replaced the ends with AQ spades, since
the ARC needs them anyway. AQ CF-ust connectors are useless.

TNRabbit

WWJD? He'd get a pair of those SWEET locking bananas. Nice quick disconnect but don't get all floppy after a few removals...




http://www.vhaudio.com/connectors-speaker.html

Or these from GLS Audio:




http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31FJ-VpGEHL._AA280_.jpg

treitz3

Thanks for the suggestion Gary, do you know if those are gold or brass?

fbm211

Cryo parts has some real nice silver nanners http://www.cryo-parts.com/banana.html The Deep cryogenically treated Xhadow banana connector looks great.

Face

http://www.partsconnexion.com/t/catalog/connectors.html

On the bottom, click on spades and banana plugs.

Also: http://soniccraft.com/products/connections/banana.htm

Systems

Doesn't matter if you are the orginal owner. No proof of sale required. They stand behind the products anyway. I just sent back a pair of Jaguars that I swapped for a set of Trancendents a few months back. They are repairing the ends for free.

Contact AQ and get a RMA started. They will email you a RMA number and address for you to mail to. They fix for free and mail them back to you.

treitz3

Hmmm, I talked with Allister today with CS at Audioquest and he said that I could order from an authorized internet retailer. No mention of them fixing it. Oh well, if I can make this an opportunity to upgrade? I'm willing to give it a whirl. I don't feel like arguing with AQ CS about the details of what they do and do not cover. Plus, since I bought them used, they haven't earned a penny off of me. Why should they feel the need to do anything to help me?

megasat16

I vote for Spade if you can. But if you need to have banana, I recommended locking type that accepts up to 8AWG.

I know Monster is unloved here but I use Monster QuickLock Gold Spade With 10AWG wire with very good results.

treitz3

megasat16 wrote: »

I vote for Spade if you can.

Would you care to explain as to why? I have never been a fan of spades but maybe you could shed some light on something I may not have thought of......like I said, I'm open.

megasat16 wrote: »

But if you need to have banana, I recommended locking type that accepts up to 8AWG.

Thanks for your input. I haven't noticed a locking nanner yet, or at least I haven't ran across one yet that I have noticed.

megasat16 wrote: »

I know Monster is unloved here but I use Monster QuickLock Gold Spade With 10AWG wire with very good results.

Eh, not to knock Monster but I actually tried those on a set of AQ X2 SC and no difference was noticed in the sound, they came loose very quickly and I couldn't get them out of my rig fast enough. I ended up giving them away. I do however, thank you for the suggestion.

megasat16

treitz3 wrote: »

Would you care to explain as to why? I have never been a fan of spades but maybe you could shed some light on something I may not have thought of......like I said, I'm open.

Thanks for your input. I haven't noticed a locking nanner yet, or at least I haven't ran across one yet that I have noticed.

Eh, not to knock Monster but I actually tried those on a set of AQ X2 SC and no difference was noticed in the sound, they came loose very quickly and I couldn't get them out of my rig fast enough. I ended up giving them away. I do however, thank you for the suggestion.

In fact, I heard the difference in sound while switching from nanner to spade. I used ML335 with 10AWG wires terminated using Monster Gold FlexPin with LSi25 in one of the 2 channel rigs. The ML signature sound of nice smooth highs was missing and thunder bass slam was missing! I can't do anything to get it back till I decided to try a different set of cables terminated with Monster Spade. So, there is a Difference in sound from Monster Gold FlexPin to Monster Spade. I got the thunder of ML335 coming back with the Spade Connectors. I didn't believe my ears so I doubled and triple checked by swapping in and out the connectors. They are easy as to unscrew and screw on again.

I think that is not to say Spade has more magic. I think Spade has better electrical connection to the speaker binding posts than the other ones.

I ordered some Nak Gold Locking Type Connectors (not exactly nanners but it's where they go too) from HongKong and I've been using them with good results. They accepts up to 8AWG and very nice IMO.

I should have known when you are giving away the Monster QuickLock Spade. I paid $20 bucks for two pairs of connectors. I must say that they never came lose once they are tightened so we have different experiences on this one.

Of coz, the WBT spade would be nicer but around $100 for two pairs.

treitz3

megasat16 wrote: »

I must say that they never came lose once they are tightened so we have different experiences on this one.

Eh, well I might have gotten some run on a bad batch. __it happens. Thanks for your input.

NJPOLKER

Maybe I missed it but what gage/gauge are the CV-8's ?

megasat16

CV-8 uses pairs of 16-gauge, 18-gauge, 19-gauge and 20-gauge conductors. Total of 8 conductor / wires (4 pairs of different gauge).

TNRabbit

treitz3 wrote: »

Would you care to explain as to why? I have never been a fan of spades but maybe you could shed some light on something I may not have thought of......like I said, I'm open.

Thanks for your input. I haven't noticed a locking nanner yet, or at least I haven't ran across one yet that I have noticed.

Eh, not to knock Monster but I actually tried those on a set of AQ X2 SC and no difference was noticed in the sound, they came loose very quickly and I couldn't get them out of my rig fast enough. I ended up giving them away. I do however, thank you for the suggestion.

DOOD! The pics I posted ARE locking nanners, dipshit.

treitz3

How do they lock without compromising the cable?

TNRabbit

treitz3 wrote: »

How do they lock without compromising the cable?

Tom, call me today after 3 pm.

ben62670

Contact AQ with your problem. Ask them about the BFA's.

Systems

I talked with AQ yesterday about your cables. They are lifetime warranty and will replace the BFA's at only the cost of you shipping to them. I'm not sure who you talked to that told you the nanners weren't under warranty????????

dragon1952

Those Audioquest BFA's are made out of beryllium copper, I believe, which is very soft. It's a great conductor for cable terminations but it bends and breaks very easily. If you just plug them in and leave them alone (and don't trip over your cables), they are fine. But not good if you are constantly playing with them. So if that's what you will be doing, I'd get something stronger.

ahardy17

i have the monstercable quick connects in banana, flexpin, and spade form. i currently have the bananas on my receiver and the flexpins on my mains. i think those flexpins are the greatest thing since...automatic transmissions haha...its great to not have my conductors get all beat up by the binding posts anymore...oh i also have them soldered on to the ends of my wires