Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Screw on banana plugs

alright y'all, i want to put banana plugs on my speaker wire and i want to know if its worth my while to use screw-on plugs. i know monster makes some, and loathe as i am to contribute to that group of shysters, they're to only brand i can find. Has anyone here tried or is still using them and how do they rate vs. soldered plugs or bare wire. thanks for the help!

Radio Shack has screw-on DUAL Bananas that I'm using and am happy with.....

yeah, but im not sure if those'll fit on the denon 3805. i may just go with crimp-ons, im not sure. i just dont want to shell out 20 bucks for two pair of the monsters

Welcome Ashley. I use these from Radio Shack, and like them very much.



They're not cheap, $6.29 for 2, but they are easy to use, work very well, and look good too.

Parts Express has a few options.

Here are some links to different choices:
http://www.ez4u123.com/prod.itml/icOid/3174
http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp?cat%5Fid=412&sku=29785
http://www.hometech.com/techwire/audioconn.html
http://www.impactacoustics.com/product.asp?cat%5Fid=301&sku=29785

Having shorted across the connectors once with a dropped wire I like the plastic covers on the ends to minimize exposure.

I use the screw ons made by Acoustic Research (I could also not give Monster my money) that you can get at any Best Buy. 2 pair for like $10. I'd recommend however that you use 12 gauge wire or better with the screw on. My surround wire is 14 gauge and it took me a few tries to get in on tight. The 12 gauge to my mains is plenty thicker and holds the screw good and tight very easily.

I found some on eBay...cost me $45 CDN (incl. shipping) for 8 pairs. They look and feel EXACTLY like the Acoustic Research that I paid $10 per pair.

I'm happy with the ones I bought from Home Depot on a whim. They need a very small screwdriver, but they hold the wire tightly, and work with my huge double 14 gauge wires. I'm not as happy with the ones I got from Blue Jeans; I probably just don't have the hang of it, but it seems that the wire slips out easily.

i may just go with the old radio shack plugs. i'' have to check and make sure they'll take 16 gauge, cause thats what ive got for all the wire. its monster xp 16 gauge which ive heard is effectively a 14 gauge wire (yeah, yeah i know... look i got it cheaper per foot than even monster sells it for) also i got 93' for the price of 75', not too bad. do you guys think i need heavier wire going to the m60s, vp-150 or qs-8s?

It all depends on the length of the cable runs, and the impedance of the speakers. This Wire Table will help.

I am using thes ebanana plugs . Substantial, well made and easy to work with.

If you already have the Monster Price 16ga wire, it should be fine. I opted for 14 ga from a bulk roll at Home Depot.

Why, those look EXACTLY like my Home Depot ones. Imagine that!

Yeah, they ARE pretty close. Probably the same OEM. Aren't the ones from Home Depot in an RCA package?

jack- well it looks like im ok then. running ~30 ft to each qs-8 @ 8 ohms should leave me good. i think i'll take your suggestion for the shack's screw-on's. now ive just got to woo my brother-in-law over with his fish tape and i'll be all set!

Those are the ones! It just cracks me up that such commodity parts are being sold under so many different brands. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if Radio Shack has the same ones, too!

Well actually, the QS8s are 6 ohms, but you're still just fine at 30ft. with 16 gauge. You won't want to use banana plugs on the end of the wire that connects to the QS8s, because there isn't room for them. Just bare wire will do fine.

Also, with 16 gauge wire, you might find you need to double up on the bare wire that goes into the banana plug in order to get them to hold snugly. Here's what I mean by that. With 12 gauge wire, which is what I use, you have about a half inch, or so, of bare wire which you insert in through the hole in the base of the plug. Then you splay the little individual strands of wire, and bend in down over the lip of the plug, and screw the top part of the plug onto the base, which grabs the wire and holds it in the plug.

With 16 gauge, you won't have as much wire as with 12 gauge. Should you find the 16 gauge not thick enough to be held tightly by the two pieces of the plug, just leave about 3/4 of an inch of exposed wire instead of a half inch (experiment with the length to see what works best for you). Insert the bare wire up through the bottom of the plug, and, after splaying the individual strands bend the exposed wire over on itself to leave about quarter inch of doubled bare wire, then fold that over the lip of the plug. This in effect doubles the amount of bare wire that the top part of the plug will have to grab onto when you screw it onto the bottom part of the plug.