banana plugs or spades to connect to amp

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  • tboooe
    Senior Member
    • Jun 2005
    • 657

    banana plugs or spades to connect to amp

    Hi, I read somewhere that spades are the preferred method of connecting speaker cables to the amp because banana plugs causes too much of a voltage drop (or something like that). Can someone please explain why one or the other is preferred?
  • akhter
    Senior Member
    • Jun 2005
    • 266

    #2
    Originally posted by tboooe
    Hi, I read somewhere that spades are the preferred method of connecting speaker cables to the amp because banana plugs causes too much of a voltage drop (or something like that). Can someone please explain why one or the other is preferred?
    My dealer told me the same thing--to use spades on the amp end, and bananas on the speaker end. The reason he gave was that the spades give create a better contact and therefore improve the impedence. Maybe someone with a more technical background can explain what that means.

    Comment

    • David Meek
      Moderator Emeritus
      • Aug 2000
      • 8938

      #3
      Hmmm, sounds kind of specious to me. Assuming material types and build-quality are similar a well made, snug-fitting banana plug will give about the same surface contact area that a spade will or maybe a bit more, if my quickie calcs are correct. I don't see what evidence there is for a voltage drop. :scratchhead:

      Any experts wanna voice an opinion?
      .

      David - Trigger-happy HTGuide Admin

      Comment

      • jim777
        Senior Member
        • Mar 2005
        • 831

        #4
        What about no connectors at all... even my dealer is honest enough to say so. Ok you can put a bit of silver solder on the wire if you wish but why add another piece of metal in your signal path?

        It's easy to understand that wire -> speaker connector is more direct than wire -> connector -> speaker connector. Same for the amp.

        Comment

        • efarstad
          Moderator Emeritus
          • Jun 2001
          • 2231

          #5
          I use bare wire whenever possible...connectors, to me, are for ease of install. Show me the proof that connectors vs. no-connectors make a difference and I may become a believer!

          That being said...I have a mix of bannana's and bare wire! :

          E

          The Norwegian A/V Nut!
          E-Cinema

          Comment

          • Cyclesberuff
            Member
            • Jun 2005
            • 42

            #6
            I'm no expert, but I had a hard time connecting the spades to my RB 1080 much less finding a way to use the bi-wire capabilities on the amp,so I called the company that made my cables and they told me that bannanas are better for the long haul because they will expand in the post overtime.

            Comment

            • maddog
              Member
              • Oct 2003
              • 86

              #7
              Originally posted by jim777
              What about no connectors at all... even my dealer is honest enough to say so. Ok you can put a bit of silver solder on the wire if you wish but why add another piece of metal in your signal path?

              It's easy to understand that wire -> speaker connector is more direct than wire -> connector -> speaker connector. Same for the amp.
              But what about the exposed ends of copper oxidizing? That's the argument that I have seen most against using bare-wire connections.

              Comment

              • Adz
                Senior Member
                • Jan 2004
                • 549

                #8
                The WBT expanding RCA banana (see below) is something worth considering. I have it and it works great - stick it in, then turn it and it expands into a snug fit like a spade- - the best of both worlds for sure.


                P.S. There are other companies that use a similar concept and are much cheaper.
                Adz

                Comment

                • jim777
                  Senior Member
                  • Mar 2005
                  • 831

                  #9
                  Originally posted by maddog
                  But what about the exposed ends of copper oxidizing? That's the argument that I have seen most against using bare-wire connections.
                  That's why some suggest to put a bit of silver solder on the bare wire. It won't hurt either to skin off a fresh piece of copper either once every few months.

                  Note that you can have the same problem if your connectors are not soldered on to the cable (if they are only crimped or screwed).

                  And besides that, I have some 4-year-old cheap copper wire here on my older system that is not oxidated at all.

                  That being said, I bought a few banana connectors because my wire is a bit too big to fit OK in my amp connectors (the MA6500 has smaller connectors than all the other macs because they are vertical like with most amps). I will install them the day I need to pull the amp from the cabinet. They have screws on them that expands the banana so that you can't even pull them off after they are installed. If I solder them to my wire, I should get a good connection

                  So connectors can help solve some problems, but I don't like to hear that you *must* have connectors to get a good connection when the speakers or amp already make great connections to a wire.

                  Just my opinion

                  Comment

                  • Snap
                    Super Senior Member
                    • Feb 2005
                    • 1295

                    #10
                    I agree with E. and Jim777, It helps in installation for sure! Much easier for tight spaces where the amp does not have a lot of room to move around. Or the AWG and the connections do not match up right. If you can get to your stuff easy then save the loot for a soda or something. But if you need them use'm.

                    You do run a less chance of problems if you don't use the plugs. Less chance of something not being tight, falling out ETC.
                    Had banana plugs on my speakers and amp. Now I just have them on my amp so I do not have to take the back of the DLP stand off to hook them up. And my 2 year old can not pull the speaker wire out of the speaker now that it is screwed in! :T (She did that LOTS)
                    The Bitterness of poor quality last longer than the joy of low prices.

                    Comment

                    • jim777
                      Senior Member
                      • Mar 2005
                      • 831

                      #11
                      Originally posted by Snap
                      You do run a less chance of problems if you don't use the plugs. Less chance of something not being tight, falling out ETC.
                      You still need to check if the connections are tight once in a while. But ya, the wires won't fall out as with regular bananas

                      Comment

                      • bigburner
                        Super Senior Member
                        • May 2005
                        • 2649

                        #12
                        I use bananas at the amp end for ease of connection, and bare wire at the speaker end because ease of connection is not an issue.

                        Comment

                        • David Meek
                          Moderator Emeritus
                          • Aug 2000
                          • 8938

                          #13
                          Well made bananas don't slip out (does that sound just a bit naughty, or is it just me? : ) - at least in my experience. There are even some that expand a tiny bit to grip that much better. Spades can provide a somewhat tighter joint and are better IMO as far as not having the cables pointing directly away from the back of the component like a standard banana does.

                          Another part of Tommy's original post was a question about potential larger loss of current with bananas. Any takers?
                          .

                          David - Trigger-happy HTGuide Admin

                          Comment

                          • Herbonbay
                            Member
                            • Jan 2005
                            • 55

                            #14
                            A few months back I bought a pair of speaker cables from Raymond Cable on Ebay that had locking bananas. This week I bought another pair. In my mind they offer the best of all worlds, the ease of bananas and the secure connection of spades. The bananas have little thumb screws at the back of the clip that expands the banana in the female plug. Somewhat like dogs in heat that get stuck together in your backyard. I also just purchased some locking interconnects from Raymond that work wonderfully. I hate loose connections.
                            Herb

                            Comment

                            • Adz
                              Senior Member
                              • Jan 2004
                              • 549

                              #15
                              Originally posted by Herbonbay
                              A few months back I bought a pair of speaker cables from Raymond Cable on Ebay that had locking bananas. This week I bought another pair. In my mind they offer the best of all worlds, the ease of bananas and the secure connection of spades. The bananas have little thumb screws at the back of the clip that expands the banana in the female plug. Somewhat like dogs in heat that get stuck together in your backyard. I also just purchased some locking interconnects from Raymond that work wonderfully. I hate loose connections.
                              Yes, the best of both or all worlds. I'll repeat my post from above as these are the rolls royce of interlocking bananas:

                              The WBT expanding RCA banana (see below) is something worth considering. I have it and it works great - stick it in, then turn it and it expands into a snug fit like a spade- - the best of both worlds for sure.
                              Adz

                              Comment

                              • aud19
                                Twin Moderator Emeritus
                                • Aug 2003
                                • 16706

                                #16
                                I use bananas and mine never come loose... or haven't so far anyways (Knock on wood)
                                Jason

                                Comment

                                • audiofan
                                  Senior Member
                                  • May 2004
                                  • 272

                                  #17
                                  Try Ultralink banana plug, not locking type. Very well-made plug and easy to work with. For some reason, i don't like locking banana plug much. I twist my thumbs every i connect it! But spade is my most favorite type.

                                  Comment

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