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Please recommend a "very good" quality (but not crazy-expensive) banana plugs !

7K views 12 replies 11 participants last post by  uniquepattern 
#1 ·
Please recommend a "very good" quality (but not crazy-expensive) banana plugs !

I am having difficulty "stuffing" speaker wire into my Denon AVR. Probably about the same situation on most AVR's where they engineer/place the receiving (ports?) so tightly together. It makes a nightmare to jam the speaker wire into that tight a space. Then, (at least on my Denon AVR) there is that receiving "hole" at the 8 o'clock position.
I have always kinda thought "one less connection" by going with raw speaker wire right into the receiver on the back there, but now it seems that a banana plug straight into the receiver is much less of a hassle??

So I am asking what banana plug manufacturer you guys like. I would want a "very good quality" (yea, what does that mean?)...gold plated, I suppose/non-corrosive, at a moderate price (just not any crazy-expensive ones).
I have just about sworn off most "Monster" products...I have had only ONE HDMI failure, and guess what??...yea, it was Monster. I like the speaker wire and HDMI cables from Blue Jean Cable.
Thanks for any advice on the banana plugs !
 
#5 ·
I have the monoprice ones and was a little disappointed that the banana part can come loose and screw off. After a good tightening I thinking they'll probably be fine though.

I actually prefer the dual bananas when that spacing is offered (many US based speakers, never UK, and only some AVR/amps). In a pinch you can also saw them into two.
 
#8 · (Edited)
First, measure the center-to-center spacing of your Black and Red jack posts at both ends of the cable. If that separation is 3/4 inch, go with the dual plugs on that end. They are easier to manage (half as many to worry about) and they often have a plastic ring molded into the center to help strain-relieve and dress the wires (if they're not too big). The duals also usually have a small plastic ear molded on the negative (black) terminal so that you can verify/reverse the phasing of the connection by feel alone.

These were often called GR (for General Radio) connectors, as they were used in General Radio test equipment. Later, they were sometimes referred to as Pomona jacks/plugs, as Pomona Electronics was for quite awhile the prime supplier before they became popular with audio enthusiasts.

The dual plugs are available in a wide range of colors, if you have a lot of connections to make and want to keep track of them. IMO, the gold plating is strictly for looks. To secure the conductors, you will need a small flat screwdriver to access the setscrews.
 
#10 · (Edited)
In the Star Wars movie Phantom Menace when young Skywalker is losing power during the pod race he reaches down, manually yanks out a black plastic dual banana jack and pushes it into another location to enable his reserve power tank and it of course saves the day. . . I guess in the future they forget how switches work.:p

8m34s into this:
 
#11 ·
......not to mention the legacy Star Trek episode when, with the Warp Engines about to blow, Spock instructs the Engine Room to "Reverse the phase!" with seconds to spare. (Could only be done that quickly with dual plugs....)

In the shop, when something acted like it was connected out of phase, we would say "Spock it!" to correct the problem.
 
#12 ·
I've used tool less types before and could never get a secure enough connection to my liking. These are the best I've found which I use and believe to be better suited on the speaker end. If you can find the straight end version of this for the amp side, you'd be set.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X9CWAE0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here's what I ended up using on the amp side for as secure a connection as the one above.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0072KOHQ4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Downside of the Sewell is that the backshell will not secure down (kept backing off during handling and connection). Fixed that issue with this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HBGHFY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hope this helps.
 
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