spade or banana?

[JoeESP9]

My Magnepans don't give you a choice. They have jacks that are compatible with Banana plugs with one slight difference. The jacks have setscrews that lock the Banana plugs in.

 

[hopeless]

I use bananas if I'm going to be swapping gear, but spades when it's in for the long run. Not much swapping these days. I'd have to locate my bananas.

 

[woofmytweets]

I use bananas if I'm going to be swapping gear, but spades when it's in for the long run. Not much swapping these days. I'd have to locate my bananas.

locating one's banana is certainly an enjoyable passtime round these parts

 

[woofmytweets]

Good terminations are important for the health of your system, regardless of what you're using for wires. After all of your audio passes through the relay in a dot smaller than the diameter of a pin, it needs to get to your speakers and a good qualiy connection that won't loosen, and won't corrode is important. Mechanical connection (such as a crimp) is best, soldering will seal out the oxygen, should last longer than the wire connecting it.

People do expect those relays to last much longer than they actually do though, ... I'd love to see a study of new vs old relays (especially at high current & high frequency) to see how much noise is introduced and how much it affects the output at those levels.

interestingly, i do still have the old relay - i was thinking about building a test rig to measure the resistance or current limit of both a spade and locking banana pin to a 5-way terminal. of course, not all terminals are created equally, and as you point out, there are some serious chokepoints in the audio path - like the speaker relay, which could certainly be tested as well. I would think the thing to do would be to eliminate and minimize them as much as possible - hence my speaker terminal project. i think the air-gapped parts like press-fit connectors, terminals, relays....anything that's not soldered, has an oxidized surface, etc....things like this would matter much more than, say, whether or not your speaker cables have the right kind of crystalline structure or if they're suspended from the ground on a mahogany block that was blessed by an elf.

i did want to solder my relay, my friend convinced me not to - looking at how the thing works, i can see his point - i mean there's a tiny point of contact in there. i didn't look, but i'm pretty sure all the leads from the power transistors weren't 10awg copper, either. still, i think there's room to improve anything. certainly i'm happy with the time and money spent in my project.

 

[SaturationPt]

I can sayfrom experience that if you cryogenically treat the elf, it does lower the noise level.

 

[woofmytweets]

I can sayfrom experience that if you cryogenically treat the elf, it does lower the noise level.

is that an African elf or European?

 

[Poultrygeist]

Sometimes you need both.

 

[sturgus]

I like spades. I have no problems with them working their way loose, you just have to make sure they are good and tight. I use my Audioquest post wrench. You just have to be sure not to crank to much or you can crack the plastic that are on some binding post.
https://www.audioquest.com/accessories/audio-enhancements/binding-post-wrench

 

[egellings]

I use spades because they can provide tight connections. I use lock washers to prevent loosening. Difference between a Ford and a Mercury? Mercury has lock washers!

 

[Bob in WI]

i think the air-gapped parts like press-fit connectors, terminals, relays....anything that's not soldered, has an oxidized surface, etc....things like this would matter much more than, say, whether or not your speaker cables have the right kind of crystalline structure or if they're suspended from the ground on a mahogany block that was blessed by an elf.

agreed. So why does no one ever mention putting a bit of dielectric grease on the wire ends before mechanically securing? The grease is not a conductor & should retard or eliminate corrosion/ oxidation. Seems like a no brainer to me. Am I missing something?

 

[the skipper]

I can sayfrom experience that if you cryogenically treat the elf, it does lower the noise level.

Will that stop them from making those delicious cookies?

Seriously, with the lack of real estate on the back of an AVR, bananas are almost a necessity.

 

[Bob in WI]

Sometimes you need both.

View attachment 2014404

Leave no current behind!

 

[woofmytweets]

agreed. So why does no one ever mention putting a bit of dielectric grease on the wire ends before mechanically securing? The grease is not a conductor & should retard or eliminate corrosion/ oxidation. Seems like a no brainer to me. Am I missing something?

i would think the right grease to use would be one that is a strong conductor of electricity - if there was such a product i would use it, it would be like liquid gold (pun intended)

no elves were harmed in the production of this thread

 

[NH-MAN]

i would think the right grease to use would be one that is a strong conductor of electricity - if there was such a product i would use it, it would be like liquid gold (pun intended)

no elves were harmed in the production of this thread

Dielectric grease wouldn't be used in a ton of applications if it was an issue.

 

[Bob in WI]

i would think the right grease to use would be one that is a strong conductor of electricity - if there was such a product i would use it, it would be like liquid gold (pun intended)

no elves were harmed in the production of this thread

The current flows thru the mechanical connection. The grease is just to prevent corrosion.
You wouldn't want a stray blob of grease causing a short altho, you really would only need a dab to coat the wire.

 

[woofmytweets]

Dielectric grease wouldn't be used in a ton of applications if it was an issue.

The current flows thru the mechanical connection. The grease is just to prevent corrosion.
You wouldn't want a stray blob of grease causing a short altho, you really would only need a dab to coat the wire.

gents, i'm from the PC world where one puts dielectric grease or thermal compound between the heatsink and cpu to promote good thermal transfer. i think the same principle could be applied to speaker terminals, spade connectors on speaker relays, fuse holders, etc....if one could find an equivalent paste that WAS conductive and also didn't run, so as to avoid short circuits. obviously one would have to posess elf-like electrical skill to apply such a product, but i belive it could be done.

i am already combating oxidation of my speaker terminals by means of their gold plating

 

[coonmanx]

Can I vote for bare wire?

 

[woofmytweets]

Can I vote for bare wire?

nope, just like the real election, you have to choose which one you dislike the least

 

[Bob in WI]

i am already combating oxidation of my speaker terminals by means of their gold plating

a conductive paste would be the nuts but I don't know of any.
My connectors are gold plated but not the wires & the Cu wire oxidizes.

I'm not married to the idea, just wondering why its not commonly done..... whats the drawback....

 

[woofmytweets]

a conductive paste would be the nuts but I don't know of any.
My connectors are gold plated but not the wires & the Cu wire oxidizes.

I'm not married to the idea, just wondering why its not commonly done..... whats the drawback....

ive got the spades soldered on, and then shrink tube covering the exposed parts, hopefull that will keep the air out for a good long time.

i'll start a-googlin' for some conductive paste, seems like a thing that must exist somewhere.