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Banana Plugs, both sides?

10K views 11 replies 11 participants last post by  pase22 
#1 ·
I've been watching tutorial videos on how to use banana plugs and they seem to only use it on the receiver side and just strip the wire like usual and connect it default on the speakers.

Is it recommended to use banana plugs on the speakers and the amp/receiver?
 
#3 ·
I like them on both sides for convenience, I use spades on the speaker end though because it allows for less tension on the wires.
 
#4 ·
Please understand that this is a convenience issue and not a sound quality issue.

If you can manage it, bare wire on both ends can work well.

Spades on both ends can work just as well.

Pins on both ends can work as well, depending.

Bananas on both ends can work well in most cases.

Mixing and matching to suit can work fine.

Its all about clearances and convenience.

I suspect that bananas on both ends is pretty popular. The biggest problems with bananas is their extra height. This can cause problems if you hang speakers on a wall, and they can make the receiver unacceptably deep in some cases.
 
#5 ·
Totally for convenience but I use banana plugs on both ends. Definitely makes things much easier and quicker on the receiver side especially when connecting 5 or 7 sets of speakers. Helps prevent shorting with loose or bare wire too.

On the speaker end allows for quick disconnect if moving or swapping speakers around.

If you're wall or flush mounting a speaker then bare wire is probably better because bananas take up extra space.
 
#6 ·
Is it recommended to use banana plugs on the speakers and the amp/receiver?
I don't use them at all. They're convenient if you're in the habit of disconnecting cables on a regular basis, otherwise they serve no particular purpose.
 
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#7 ·
Sorry to dig up an old post, but I'm attempting to get serious with my setup. Right now I have bananas at the receiver only. I'm looking to add atmos and I'm going to do some in wall wiring for them and the surrounds which currently have painted cable covers. To keep it nice in the event we sell someday I'm adding wall plates and was kind of amazed to see I could technically do plugs into the back of the plates, plugs out of the plates and into the speaker lol.
As others have stated, I know that it's a preference thing and thinking I'm going to just do bare wire at the speakers all around and plugs at the receiver plate out and into the receiver.I don't disconnect anything, but like a nice clean look/finish even if nobody ever sees it.
Any flaws to this plan?
 
#9 ·
I tend to agree, using Banana Plugs is purely a convenience issue. My Amp is on the 2nd shelf of a TV stand, and it has a lot of other cables plugged into it. Trying to get bare wire into the speaker terminal is a mess. But plugging Banana's is is easy.

But there is some advantage to Banana Plugs in that they are under Spring Tension. I've found that over time, Terminal Nuts can work loose from the speaker wires. If you have Terminal Nuts clamping down on the Speaker Wires, then you should check them every month or two because they are probably losing their grip.

This is cause by a combination of Vibration and Temperature Fluctuations in the room. Though it does take some time; a month, two months, three months, but in time, likely the connection will loosen up.

But Banana Plug are under spring tension, so they can absorb these fluctuations.

I fiddled with Bare Wire and Spade connection, and it was just easier, and for me more reliable, to put Banana Plugs on both ends.

Though there are dozens to choose from, for me the simplest and easiest to install were Sewell Deadbolt Banana Plugs (and Spades) or the Mediabridge Banana Plugs (or Spades). Neither requires any tools for installation.





I believe these will work for anything from 20ga up to 10ga wire. Though most will be in the 14ga and 12ga range.

If I have to move a speakers or connect something new to the Amp, or for a variety of other reasons, it is just so much easier to have Banana Plugs.

But then ... that's just my opinion.

Steve/bluewizard
 
#12 ·
Bare wiring the receiver end with everything so close together can be tricky a may lead to the use of countless colorful adjectives if you have fat fingers and little patience like I do. Speakers on the other hand are much less troublesome and don't generally get removed once in place. Banana plugs generally come in sets of 20/24 so plenty to wire a whole 7 speaker setup. I used banana plugs on both ends to facilitate instruction and because I just simply had them.
 
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