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#1
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Spades or bananas?
I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or
banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Mike Prager North Carolina, USA |
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#2
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Spades or bananas?
Many home theater receivers by Onkyo and Sony do not accept spades
because of a high plastic collar at the base of the binding post. Some speakers such as Wharfedale Diamond 8.1 Anniversary do not take bananas. You may run your speakers through a subwoofer. In order to get it right, you need to be quite precise about what components you are connecting and their binding post capabilities. Mike Prager wrote: I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Mike Prager North Carolina, USA |
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#3
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Spades or bananas?
As a dealer I usually use bananas for convenience in swapping speakers. My
untested opinion is that spades may be better if you have the right spade lug and a terminal that will withstand a good tightening. Choosing is difficult because there are significant construction and materials differences between the various bananas and the various spade lugs. For example you can get cheap spade lugs that are made of some unknown material with what apears to be cadmium plating, or you can get expensive pure copper spades with silver plating. I have assumed that there would be a performance difference, but I have never done a serious study, or read one. I just use the nearest thing that looks well made that isn't too expensive. It would be a service if someone who has made a study of the relative merits of various spades and/or bananas would post the results here. Wylie Williams The Speaker and Stereo Store Saint Louis Missouri "Mike Prager" wrote in message news:mxdvc.29842$pt3.29510@attbi_s03... I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Mike Prager North Carolina, USA |
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#4
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Spades or bananas?
Mike Prager wrote in message news:mxdvc.29842$pt3.29510@attbi_s03...
I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Mike Prager North Carolina, USA I prefer XLR connectors or similar bayonet systems. Several are on the market. |
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#5
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Spades or bananas?
I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or
banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? My sense of it is that spades make a better connection. But you're right- dealers do use banana plugs, but there's a reason- with banana plugs, it's far easier to move speakers around, switch speakers connected to a certain amp., etc. |
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#6
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Spades or bananas?
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#7
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Spades or bananas?
Dealers often use bananas for ease of switching speakers. Both bananas and
spades may be had in a variety of materials and levels of wirkmanship, so the question is probably more complicated than "which one is better". Sorry I don't have definitive nnswert, but perghaps someone has done a serious comparison and will inform both of us. Wylie Williams "Mike Prager" wrote in message news:mxdvc.29842$pt3.29510@attbi_s03... I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Mike Prager North Carolina, USA |
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#8
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Spades or bananas?
On Wed, 02 Jun 2004 05:25:38 GMT, Mike Prager wrote:
I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Spades will always make a better connection, but bananas are quicker for dealers who are swapping speakers and amps all the time. -- Stewart Pinkerton | Music is Art - Audio is Engineering |
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#9
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Spades or bananas?
"Nousaine" makes the point
Spade Lugs drive me Bananas. The newer large style spades are worse as they tend to want to work loose when used with 5-way binding posts. I used Google to check connectors and found a site (cablepro.com) that has small (manageable size, not clumsy jumbo size) silver-plated copper spades for $1.50 each, and also a few other connectors including WBT expanding banana plugs for $35 each. Although I'm sure generic spades can probably be had from Home Depot for a lot less I would spring for the $1.50 ones on general principles. On the other hand I would have to be seriously persuaded to pop $35 each for a single banana. While I recall that years ago The Absolute Sound was all gaga about Monster Cable expanding banana plugs, the subject is generally ignored. With so many RAHE contributors who have compared various expensive audiophile wires to Home Depot wire you would think that the terminals would have been examined at some point. There are some very expensive connectors on the market, and knowing their relative merits would be helpful. Wylie Williams The Speaker and Stereo Store |
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#10
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Spades or bananas?
"Michael Scarpitti" wrote in message
... Mike Prager wrote in message news:mxdvc.29842$pt3.29510@attbi_s03... I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Mike Prager North Carolina, USA I prefer XLR connectors or similar bayonet systems. Several are on the market. What speakers are you using that have XLR or similar connectors? I haven't come across any in the mainstream. |
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#11
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Spades or bananas?
Wylie has got it right. The reason that you see bananas in a dealer
showroom so often is for the dealer's convenience in changing speakers. It also makes for a quick swap without a long wait for the customer in set-ups that do not have a speaker selector. I think both connection types work equally well as long as they make a solid connection. Spade lugs are good for a semi-permanent installation, where you want to connect it and forget it. For commercial assembly of electrical equipment where a quick disconnect is not required, ring terminals are the favorite as they stay connected even if a screw is not torqued fully. The spade is the next best thing and is still fairly convenient. -Bill www.uptownaudio.com Roanoke VA (540) 343-1250 "Wylie Williams" wrote in message ... As a dealer I usually use bananas for convenience in swapping speakers. My untested opinion is that spades may be better if you have the right spade lug and a terminal that will withstand a good tightening. Choosing is difficult because there are significant construction and materials differences between the various bananas and the various spade lugs. For example you can get cheap spade lugs that are made of some unknown material with what apears to be cadmium plating, or you can get expensive pure copper spades with silver plating. I have assumed that there would be a performance difference, but I have never done a serious study, or read one. I just use the nearest thing that looks well made that isn't too expensive. It would be a service if someone who has made a study of the relative merits of various spades and/or bananas would post the results here. Wylie Williams The Speaker and Stereo Store Saint Louis Missouri "Mike Prager" wrote in message news:mxdvc.29842$pt3.29510@attbi_s03... I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Mike Prager North Carolina, USA |
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#12
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Spades or bananas?
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#13
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Spades or bananas?
Mike Prager wrote:
I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Mike Prager North Carolina, USA I use bare wire ends at home. I bought Monster cable, but when I realized how ludicrous their terminations were, snip and voila. A bit fussy, but the speaker binding posts *do not* come untorqued anymore. Is this practice not recommended for some reason? -Sean |
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#14
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Spades or bananas?
"Mike Prager" wrote in message
news:mxdvc.29842$pt3.29510@attbi_s03... I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Mike Prager North Carolina, USA Are the other wires broken? The best connection is one that is connected securely. It makes absolutely no difference what you use to accomplish it. Unless you plan to be moving your speakers around a lot, you don't really need anything other than the bare wire. As a DIY speaker hobbyist, I use banana plugs since they disconnect easily. Please yourself is the first and only rule you need to follow on this issue. Pleasure is not a luxury, it is a necessity. |
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#15
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Spades or bananas?
"Mike Prager" wrote in message
news:mxdvc.29842$pt3.29510@attbi_s03... I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Mike Prager North Carolina, USA If spades are made of good quality copper, heavy guage that won't splay out when tightened, and soldered onto the speaker cable, then spades are better. There are some banana plugs with expanding mandrels that fit very well, but the general test equipment bananas don't retain their springiness for long, and a poor contact results, IMO. And if they get pulled sideways just once, the plug will need to be replaced or the "peel" re-bent. They were never designed to carry much current, they are test equipment connectors, useful for quick connecting and reconnecting. I use speakon connectors extensively in my sound reinforcement work, but not in my home system. I wonder how stable their contact resistance is? Tom |
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#16
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Spades or bananas?
On Wed, 02 Jun 2004 05:25:38 GMT, Mike Prager wrote:
I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? What about double banana plugs? They help to avoid short circuits when changing equipment, unlike spades or standard banana plugs. -alan -- Alan Hoyle - - http://www.alanhoyle.com/ "I don't want the world, I just want your half." -TMBG Get Horizontal, Play Ultimate. |
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#17
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Spades or bananas?
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#18
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Spades or bananas?
Gold plated bananas are readily available and reasonably priced.
Anyone owning a good wheatstone bridge might measure the difference in contact resistance using both methods. I think factors such as bi-amping and using active crossovers make much greater performance differences. IMHO On Wed, 02 Jun 2004 05:25:38 GMT, Mike Prager wrote: I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Mike Prager North Carolina, USA |
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#19
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Spades or bananas?
Bare wire makes a very good connection with many types of connectors,
but some wire is solid core and must be terminated for the best fit and longevity. Whatever gives you the best connection and lowest resistance is good. The ultimate connector would be no connector where it is practical. -Bill www.uptownaudio.com Roanoke VA (540) 343-1250 "Sean Fulop" wrote in message news:FBMvc.46472$Ly.17733@attbi_s01... Mike Prager wrote: I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Mike Prager North Carolina, USA I use bare wire ends at home. I bought Monster cable, but when I realized how ludicrous their terminations were, snip and voila. A bit fussy, but the speaker binding posts *do not* come untorqued anymore. Is this practice not recommended for some reason? -Sean |
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#20
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Spades or bananas?
"Sean Fulop" wrote in message
news:FBMvc.46472$Ly.17733@attbi_s01... Mike Prager wrote: I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Mike Prager North Carolina, USA I use bare wire ends at home. I bought Monster cable, but when I realized how ludicrous their terminations were, snip and voila. A bit fussy, but the speaker binding posts *do not* come untorqued anymore. Is this practice not recommended for some reason? Bare wire is typically not used as it leaves the wire exposed and more highly susceptible to oxidation. Terminating into a gold plated connector, either banana or spade, is generally better, assuming good soldering practices are adhered. -Sean |
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#21
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Spades or bananas?
Bruce Abrams wrote in message news:M3Ivc.3037$%F2.2418@attbi_s04...
"Michael Scarpitti" wrote in message ... Mike Prager wrote in message news:mxdvc.29842$pt3.29510@attbi_s03... I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Mike Prager North Carolina, USA I prefer XLR connectors or similar bayonet systems. Several are on the market. What speakers are you using that have XLR or similar connectors? I haven't come across any in the mainstream. Neutrik connectors are the ones I was thinking of: http://www.neutrik.com/start.asp |
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#22
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Spades or bananas?
Michael McKelvy wrote:
Are the other wires broken? not long enough for new setup Mike Prager North Carolina, USA |
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#23
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Spades or bananas?
Bruce Abrams wrote:
"Sean Fulop" wrote in message news:FBMvc.46472$Ly.17733@attbi_s01... Mike Prager wrote: I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Bare wire is typically not used as it leaves the wire exposed and more highly susceptible to oxidation. Terminating into a gold plated connector, either banana or spade, is generally better, assuming good soldering practices are adhered. A gold plated connector might have some use in automobile HiFi, but when the receptacles are not of the same material it will not be of any advantage other than optical. Dissimilar metals create a thermic voltage at their joints. Migration of ions can pollute the surfaces etc. Soldering the cable ends is a bad practice. Much better is crimping. If you solder a stranded cable it becomes brittle where the soldered part starts and the individual strands break much easier. IMHO it is better to use bare wires, if you do not have the crimping tools. Even if it is against "common sense", engineers use crimping as the most reliable and least corroding connection practice. -- ciao Ban Bordighera, Italy |
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#24
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Spades or bananas?
While that is true, it is very uncommon for a tinned lead to break-off
under normal use. In addition to the numerous banana connectors that we use here, I also make-up a couple pairs of cables with bare ends and then tin the ends with silver solder. That makes a strong pin connector that protects from oxidation and eliminates the possibility of shorts from a loose strand. These can be used over and over again without any failure or maintenance. In fact, the joint of a crimped connector and the joint of a well soldered connector share the same weak point, which is the bare wire itself at the joint. I do rather like the idea of a bare wire connection in cases where it can be made gas tight and of a good crimped connection when a terminator is desired. If I am feeling especially industrious, I also sometimes silver solder over the crimped connection for added strength. -Bill www.uptownaudio.com Roanoke VA (540) 343-1250 "Ban" wrote in message news:PB1wc.50512$Ly.12660@attbi_s01... Bruce Abrams wrote: "Sean Fulop" wrote in message news:FBMvc.46472$Ly.17733@attbi_s01... Mike Prager wrote: I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Bare wire is typically not used as it leaves the wire exposed and more highly susceptible to oxidation. Terminating into a gold plated connector, either banana or spade, is generally better, assuming good soldering practices are adhered. A gold plated connector might have some use in automobile HiFi, but when the receptacles are not of the same material it will not be of any advantage other than optical. Dissimilar metals create a thermic voltage at their joints. Migration of ions can pollute the surfaces etc. Soldering the cable ends is a bad practice. Much better is crimping. If you solder a stranded cable it becomes brittle where the soldered part starts and the individual strands break much easier. IMHO it is better to use bare wires, if you do not have the crimping tools. Even if it is against "common sense", engineers use crimping as the most reliable and least corroding connection practice. -- ciao Ban Bordighera, Italy |
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#25
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Spades or bananas?
I prefer spade connections like the Postmaster type that have a wafer of
silicone between two spades, they stay tight and don't need much effort to tighten down. Terminals that aren't chassis keyed occasionally get over-tightened with conventional spades so its possible for the whole assembly to rotate causing the twisting or fracturing of the internal connection. Mike Gilmour "Mike Prager" wrote in message news:mxdvc.29842$pt3.29510@attbi_s03... I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Mike Prager North Carolina, USA |
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#26
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Spades or bananas?
Bruce Abrams wrote in message news:M3Ivc.3037$%F2.2418@attbi_s04...
"Michael Scarpitti" wrote in message ... Mike Prager wrote in message news:mxdvc.29842$pt3.29510@attbi_s03... I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Mike Prager North Carolina, USA I prefer XLR connectors or similar bayonet systems. Several are on the market. What speakers are you using that have XLR or similar connectors? I haven't come across any in the mainstream. I bought a set of Rogers Studio 1's in 1981, which had XLR terminals, as these were designed as studio monitors. I recently acquired a set of Yamaha NS-1000M's and had XLR connectors installed. I imagine any pro shop can perform such mods on most speakers. There are other clip-on styles besides XLR's, but I cannot think of the brand name... |
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#27
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Spades or bananas?
Bruce Abrams wrote in message news:M3Ivc.3037$%F2.2418@attbi_s04...
"Michael Scarpitti" wrote in message ... Mike Prager wrote in message news:mxdvc.29842$pt3.29510@attbi_s03... I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Mike Prager North Carolina, USA I prefer XLR connectors or similar bayonet systems. Several are on the market. What speakers are you using that have XLR or similar connectors? I haven't come across any in the mainstream. See also: http://www.audiogear.com/Neutrkcart.html |
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#28
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Spades or bananas?
They are fine when you can use them, but many components and speakers
do not have connectors with standard spacing. -Bill www.uptownaudio.com Roanoke VA (540) 343-1250 "Alan Hoyle" wrote in message ... On Wed, 02 Jun 2004 05:25:38 GMT, Mike Prager wrote: I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? What about double banana plugs? They help to avoid short circuits when changing equipment, unlike spades or standard banana plugs. -alan -- Alan Hoyle - - http://www.alanhoyle.com/ "I don't want the world, I just want your half." -TMBG Get Horizontal, Play Ultimate. |
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#29
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Spades or bananas?
The Monster Cable locking banana plugs are worthless! I bought a set of
these very expensive plugs. The spade lug slides into a collar which, after tightened, can be locked into position with an incredibly small Allen wrench. Unfortunately, the nut strips out very easily. Then, to expand the banana plug for a really tight fit, ones turns a knurled screw until it tightens. Again, two stripped out preventing a tight fit. I wrote to Monster and they replaced two of them and one was defective. They again replaced the bad one and its replacement was no good! So, to heck with them!! "Mike Gilmour" wrote in message news:QP5wc.9047$%F2.4640@attbi_s04... I prefer spade connections like the Postmaster type that have a wafer of silicone between two spades, they stay tight and don't need much effort to tighten down. Terminals that aren't chassis keyed occasionally get over-tightened with conventional spades so its possible for the whole assembly to rotate causing the twisting or fracturing of the internal connection. Mike Gilmour "Mike Prager" wrote in message news:mxdvc.29842$pt3.29510@attbi_s03... I am buying a pair of speaker cables & wonder if spade lugs or banana plugs are preferred by rahe folks. I had always thought that spades made a better connection, but I notice many dealers seem to be using bananas. Comment? Mike Prager North Carolina, USA |
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