Ancient question: bare wire, banana plugs, or spades?
- Thread starter socioloco
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Wich ones do you prefer, and why?
Troll alert.
Blue Shadow
Waiting for Vintage Gear from this century
I like banana plugs when usable and bare wire when not. because that is easier.
Spades already on the wire or installed never fit properly.
Spades already on the wire or installed never fit properly.
socioloco
Freakapottamus
thanks...
Thank you so much. I'm just wondering that because I have to buy some cables and don't know what to do... which is the best way to secure the conection between the bananas an the cable? Some people says soldering it it's just a crime... :scratch2:
Thank you so much. I'm just wondering that because I have to buy some cables and don't know what to do... which is the best way to secure the conection between the bananas an the cable? Some people says soldering it it's just a crime... :scratch2:
socioloco
Freakapottamus
Arkay
Lunatic Member
At one time or another, I have used all three, because sometimes I don't want to alter the original connectors that came on a piece of gear (although sometimes I do, if the originals are no good), but MOSTLY I use bare wire, and I tend to prefer it. In a few cases, I use bananas, and only very rarely use spades (haven't done so for several months).
Bare wire theoretically gives the best connection (fewest interfaces at which the signal might degrade), so these days I tend to use it, even with connections where you could use a spade. I always try to imagine the "flow of electrons" in the wire when putting a thick, multi-strand wire into a narrower socket, and allow for maximum contact/flow. I've thought of using those needle-like insertable things that clamp onto the wires, but haven't tried them yet, so for now I use mostly bare wire.
Bananas
have the advantage of being the quickest and easiest to insert and remove (Oooh, maybe I should re-word that? 
), but probably don't give the best contact/connection, especially if you leave them in after a while. Some of the newer banana plugs work better (tighter fit, larger connection area, still easy to remove). When I'm playing around with combinations of gear (swapping things around just to hear them), I'll usually test them with bananas first. If I intend to leave something hooked up for a while, I'll switch over to bare wire, if the connector type allows it.
Especially with bananas and spades, remember to periodically clean the connections with DeOxit. Maybe not necessary if all surfaces are gold-plated (?), but otherwise corrosion will build up at speaker-wire connections just as it does with control pots, relays, etc... Once a year is a good rule of thumb for this, but it may vary with your environmental circumstances.
Bare wire theoretically gives the best connection (fewest interfaces at which the signal might degrade), so these days I tend to use it, even with connections where you could use a spade. I always try to imagine the "flow of electrons" in the wire when putting a thick, multi-strand wire into a narrower socket, and allow for maximum contact/flow. I've thought of using those needle-like insertable things that clamp onto the wires, but haven't tried them yet, so for now I use mostly bare wire.
Bananas
have the advantage of being the quickest and easiest to insert and remove (Oooh, maybe I should re-word that? ), but probably don't give the best contact/connection, especially if you leave them in after a while. Some of the newer banana plugs work better (tighter fit, larger connection area, still easy to remove). When I'm playing around with combinations of gear (swapping things around just to hear them), I'll usually test them with bananas first. If I intend to leave something hooked up for a while, I'll switch over to bare wire, if the connector type allows it.Especially with bananas and spades, remember to periodically clean the connections with DeOxit. Maybe not necessary if all surfaces are gold-plated (?), but otherwise corrosion will build up at speaker-wire connections just as it does with control pots, relays, etc... Once a year is a good rule of thumb for this, but it may vary with your environmental circumstances.
OvenMaster
Baby, you're my winterblue
Gold-plated RatShack banana plugs. Why? Because my KEFs' binding post knobs kept loosening when I used bare wire, plus they look cool.
Tom
Tom
dread31
Addicted Member
Of these three choices? Spades.
I can get a much more solid "gas tight" connection
with spades.
Bare wire?
A more direct connection, true.
But from my experience, it's rarely a solid connection.
Bananas?
Convenient, thats for sure.
But also kinda loose.
So, for me, when possible, it's spades.
Dave
I can get a much more solid "gas tight" connection
with spades.
Bare wire?
A more direct connection, true.
But from my experience, it's rarely a solid connection.
Bananas?
Convenient, thats for sure.
But also kinda loose.
So, for me, when possible, it's spades.
Dave
I prefer spades, then tinned bare wire, bananas, bare wire. Unless it's been tinned, bare wire always scares me with the possibility of a stray strand touching the wrong thing and causing a short. Plus, I like my connections to be real secure; bare wire in a 5-way binding post just never feels secure enough, and if you clamp down too hard, you can actually break the wire. Plus clamping and unclamping bare wire in a 5-way binding post more than a couple of times damages the wire to point that you have to re-terminate the wire.
bowtie427ss
Lunatic Member
Get rid of those things Simi, bare wires twisted together are a better connection and i GUARANTEE you'll hear/feel a difference.
The contact area is so small with 1/4 TS that you're amp is probably seeing funky things happen to the impedence under load, and those contact points cannot carry much current at all.
I use tinned bare wire, soldered spades, and Neutrik NL's.
For tinkering and experimenting twisted bare wire and wire nuts ensure safe connections that'll handle all the current you can throw at them.
