Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Stupid Questions?

I am fed up with trying to get my bare wire into the small crammed space into my receiver, A few questions i have are, when using banana plugs how do you get the speaker wire into the plug, just screw it in? do you have to use banana plugs for both the connection to the speaker AND the receiver? Will the quality of my sound be affected? Thanks for helping a beginner

You would stick the stripped end of the wire through the hole in the banana plug(the same as sticking it through the hole in the binding post on your receiver)and then tighten the screw on the banana plug. The sound isn't changed in any way and it doesn't matter if you use different connections at the receiver and speaker. Banana plugs can be a convenience if the speakers are being frequently connected and disconnected, but otherwise there's little reason to use them. I'm not sure what you mean by "crammed space" but if it's that the wire is too thick to easily fit through the hole in the binding post, there's nothing wrong with trimming off some of the stripped strands so that it fits more easily. The thinner wire for the last 1/2" makes no difference in the overall resistance.

There are "crimpable" banana plugs, as well as wire-crimping tools. Visit places like partsexpress.com that carry many such products. You can use banana plugs on one side and bare wires on the other, without a problem. As long as you correctly install the plugs ensuring good connection, there will be no adverse effects on the sound.

Just to add to what sushi said, there are a lot of types of banana plugs, from those requiring no tools at all (screw onto the wire just like wire caps you'd see connecting an outlet in your home) to soldered ones. They all work well and relieve the problem I suspect you're having (binding posts on amp are too close together). The tool-free ones tend to be less durable than the crimped or sidescrew type, so avoid them if you're regularly plugging and unplugging or have pets that like to trip over wires behind your gear. :-)

All thoughts appreciated guys. Im going to use your suggestions!