Spade or Banana end on speaker cable;which do you prefer and why?
- Thread starter MWalt
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Spades. The bananas alway fit too loosely for my taste.
MWalt
Super Member
:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:
Brett a
~◦●○o0o○●◦~
Same here. Spades are a much more solid connection and i only take my speaker cables off once a year or-so to clean the connections, so convenience isn't an important feature.
bowtie427ss
Lunatic Member
Best reason for bananas i've seen.:thmbsp:
But, you'll only find bananas on test leads in this camp, spades or NL's for speakers here.
BinaryMike
Pelagic EE
Contact pressure can be a great deal higher with spades, so there's really no contest. Bananas are just for the test bench and mobile sound systems.
carbonman
It's All About The Music
I use spades with my speakers; they have Cardas posts and only accept spades. My amp accepts spades or banana plugs; banana plugs can be tightened after insertion by turning a collar on each binding post. I use high quality banana plugs at the amplifier because they can be made tighter than spades (with my amp).
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FalconEddy
Audio Mastering Engineer
Spade for the 'permanent' or fixed systems.
Banana for all mobile application power amps. (e.g. live venues for quicker setup and breakdown)
Although most of my mobile systems have become fixed systems in the past 10 years, those still have bananas with a compression sleeve twist-lock connection. It would take more than a simple yank to disconnect those from the back of the power amps. Especially since the cables are mounted at 90° to the banana sockets.
. . Falcon
Banana for all mobile application power amps. (e.g. live venues for quicker setup and breakdown)
Although most of my mobile systems have become fixed systems in the past 10 years, those still have bananas with a compression sleeve twist-lock connection. It would take more than a simple yank to disconnect those from the back of the power amps. Especially since the cables are mounted at 90° to the banana sockets.
. . Falcon
Classic_CJ
Well-Known Member
Either spades or bananas work well as long as you realize the limitations of either. However, I tend to prefer bananas for some practical reasons, so I'll make a pitch in their direction.
1. Easy to install and remove. Does not require crimping tools (that properly fit the spades being used) or soldering (the best way tro attach spades to wires).
2. Available to easily fit either standard or large gauge wiring, just like spades.
3. Available in locking form, gold plated, different colors for channel coding, single, dual.
4. Color coding is especially useful for amplifier connections on theater/multi-channel or multi-room systems.
5. Contact surface area can be larger than some smaller spades; depends of course on posts they're connected to. One could argue that a well made banana plug offers better contact area to a post than most modern (US format) 120vac plugs and receptacles. (Another example-- Ever look at some of those IEC plugs/sockets, and note how little actual contact area there is? I find it kind of scary that some of these items get UL approval.)
6. Dual bananas on speakers prevent or greatly reduce the chance of shorting amplifier outputs if you unplug them from a speaker and forget to turn the amp off first, since it inherently holds the leads apart.
7. Makes trouble shooting faster (swapping channels on amp or speakers).
Last comment and then outa here-- want good plugs cheap? Check out Pomona, the peeps who make all the test equipment cables and connectors and such. They make many different single and double banana plugs/jacks/posts, all very well made and selling for way below the "audiophile" plugs that look suspiciously like they were sourced form same and just marked up about 300-500%.
Available in nickel or gold plate, usually also in different color bodies which can be handy for multi-channel amps, as already mentioned. No, I own no stock in the company, but I've used them in installations (and on my bench) for over 20 years with near zero failures/problems.
1. Easy to install and remove. Does not require crimping tools (that properly fit the spades being used) or soldering (the best way tro attach spades to wires).
2. Available to easily fit either standard or large gauge wiring, just like spades.
3. Available in locking form, gold plated, different colors for channel coding, single, dual.
4. Color coding is especially useful for amplifier connections on theater/multi-channel or multi-room systems.
5. Contact surface area can be larger than some smaller spades; depends of course on posts they're connected to. One could argue that a well made banana plug offers better contact area to a post than most modern (US format) 120vac plugs and receptacles. (Another example-- Ever look at some of those IEC plugs/sockets, and note how little actual contact area there is? I find it kind of scary that some of these items get UL approval.)
6. Dual bananas on speakers prevent or greatly reduce the chance of shorting amplifier outputs if you unplug them from a speaker and forget to turn the amp off first, since it inherently holds the leads apart.
7. Makes trouble shooting faster (swapping channels on amp or speakers).
Last comment and then outa here-- want good plugs cheap? Check out Pomona, the peeps who make all the test equipment cables and connectors and such. They make many different single and double banana plugs/jacks/posts, all very well made and selling for way below the "audiophile" plugs that look suspiciously like they were sourced form same and just marked up about 300-500%.
Available in nickel or gold plate, usually also in different color bodies which can be handy for multi-channel amps, as already mentioned. No, I own no stock in the company, but I've used them in installations (and on my bench) for over 20 years with near zero failures/problems.
voltcontrol
Fizheuer Zieheuer
If I had to choose between banana or spades it would be banana for swappability.
If I had to choose a favourite speaker connector type it would have to be speakon.
I'm a cheap b.stard and my amp only takes bare wire so I'll stick with that for now at home.
If I had to choose a favourite speaker connector type it would have to be speakon.
I'm a cheap b.stard and my amp only takes bare wire so I'll stick with that for now at home.
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Spades here. It's a much more secure connection. Plus I've earned my living using by one albeit a different model for the last 25 years.
I agree that nothing probably work's best, but you risk shorting some loose wire strand's together. Not sure how I settled on this, but sawed down insulator bannana's at the amp, and solder tinned end's at the speaker three way binding post's. Bannana's aren't loose, as I spread them out a bit with a small screw driver.
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