Re: Banana Plugs

[Nigel Orr <Nigel.Orr@xxxxxxx>]

At 14:00 17/08/00 +0100, you wrote:
>Anyone got any recommendations where I could get some "nice"
banana plugs=
=20
>to solder onto my speaker wire?

MDP are my favourite, assuming the spacing is right on the speaker and amp=
=20
(most are, 19mm between centres IIRC).  They are screw connection, not=20
solder (which doesn't make any real difference), are neater than
individual=
=20
plugs, and industrial strength!  I haven't needed to buy any for a while,
I=
=20
think they were made by Deltron, I thought they were stocked by
RS/Farnell,=
=20
but I can't find them in the catalogues... maybe someone else knows a=20
source for them?

There seems to be a move away from banana plugs for speaker connections,
as=
=20
most amps are officially able to produce hazardous voltages... which is
why=
=20
products with 4mm terminals now come with little blanking plugs in the 4mm=
=20
sockets... they're not the most wonderful of connections anyway=20
(mechanically at least)

If you possibly can, ie if the speaker terminals allow it, use a crimped=20
spade type connection, or screw the wire down directly into the terminals,=
=20
and use a plug/socket connection at the other end.  So you end up with a=20
speaker and a metre of cable attached semi-permanently.

>rear channel.  At present the wire just comes straight out of the wall
box
>into the back of the speakers.  I'm thinking of cutting this wire and
>putting on faceplate with banana sockets in them and then making a kind
of
>patch lead to go from the wall to the speaker.

I've got the same situation in the kitchen at the moment... Unless there's=
=20
a very good reason, use something like Speakon (or even XLR) instead of=20
banana plugs.  It's much neater if/when the speaker is unplugged=20
(particularly Speakon, if you fit the connector from the rear of the=20
panel), doesn't get dislodged accidentally, you can't accidentally plug=20
things in the wrong way round and have the USS Enterprise sound like
it's=20
flying in the opposite direction from the picture on the screen etc etc...

Prepunched plates are available for XLR and Speakon.

>   Will this extra connection
>have any detrimental effects?

How much do you pay for your phono leads?  Use this handy lookup table
to=20
find out the answer...
<=A350,   "no".
>=A350 <=A3500      "yes, it will make your bass indistinct and
realign yo=
ur=20
trimagnetic particles",
>=A3500           "I'm available for consultancy and custom cable
manufact=
ure".

Nigel


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