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Re: Banana Plug Adapter Help
brwsaw #385293 11/08/12 08:49 PM
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There was a time in the early 1970s when the only banana plugs I could find in the Toronto area were the solderable type (I still have some speaker cables with those plugs attached.)

It certainly isn't necessary, given the significant voltage/amperage of high-level audio signals from a power amplifier. If you were talking about the tiny output from a moving-magnet or moving-coil phono cartridge (a few millivolts--thousandths of a volt), then losses might be significant.

I haven't bothered soldering banana plugs for years. You could take this to ludicrous extremes, the way some tweaks are prone to do--and solder the entire signal path from the amplifier output terminals to the crossover board inside the speaker, but there's no significant--or audible--loss with high-level signals and typical speaker posts and banana plugs so don't worry about it.

- Alan


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Re: Banana Plug Adapter Help
alan #385296 11/08/12 09:13 PM
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Should you add solder to bare wire before inserting them?



Re: Banana Plug Adapter Help
DanielBMe #385302 11/08/12 09:59 PM
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no


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Re: Banana Plug Adapter Help
DanielBMe #385303 11/08/12 10:02 PM
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I wondered.
I hadn't heard of anyone doing it before until about two months ago when out of the blue two different people told me they had done it and both said they noticed better SQ.

one was my mom.....I'll never live this post down...

Last edited by brwsaw; 11/08/12 10:03 PM.


Re: Banana Plug Adapter Help
casey01 #385368 11/09/12 03:42 PM
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Originally Posted By: casey01
I would caution that if your preference is a heavier duty thicker speaker cable, because of the cables extra weight and stiffness, it can actually break off the connection quite easily in which case it would be better to go to a direct wire or spade connection.


These Radio Shack banana plugs let the wire hang down to reduce that problem. I also like that I know that when the wire exits the bottom, they are oriented with the proper polarity, so I don't have to squint to try to determine "red or black". The knurled knob in the back of them tightens down on the wire. They also accept the 12 gauge wire I'm using.



::::::: No disrespect to Axiom, but my favorite woofer is my yellow lab :::::::
Re: Banana Plug Adapter Help
MarkSJohnson #385370 11/09/12 03:51 PM
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Originally Posted By: MarkSJohnson
I also like that I know that when the wire exits the bottom [...]


I love banana plug discussions.

Re: Banana Plug Adapter Help
MarkSJohnson #385373 11/09/12 04:40 PM
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Nice plugs, Mark! And I agree that it's always important to let your wire hang down. . .

--Alan


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Re: Banana Plug Adapter Help
DanielBMe #385377 11/09/12 05:12 PM
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At least in public.
What makes your wire point up is no one else's business.


With great power comes Awesome irresponsibility.
Re: Banana Plug Adapter Help
Murph #385380 11/09/12 05:37 PM
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Ha, ha! My first LOL of the day. . .

-Alan


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Re: Banana Plug Adapter Help
DanielBMe #385392 11/09/12 06:35 PM
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all this reminds me of the song i hear on Galaxie sometimes:
The Big Bamboo, by Mighty Sparrow.

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