My PA has a Crest 3001 and a Vs900. Both are old and only have binding post/banana plug speaker outs. I would like to find some really snug fitting plugs!
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Recommend some good fitting banana plugs please
- Thread starter Stinsok
- Start date
Do you need to be able to plug in and unplug the speaker wires, or is this a “set it and forget it” situation?
Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
Pedulla Club #45
Administrator, Tobias Club
Big Cabs Club #23
Pedulla Club #45
You simply insert a small flatblade screwdriver into the gaps on the banana and twist.
This is the beauty of the design--you can make them fit nice and tight again whenever needed.
Eventually, there will come a time when one of the 4 leaves breaks off, but you'll get through the night and a replacement is only a few $$.
This is the beauty of the design--you can make them fit nice and tight again whenever needed.
Eventually, there will come a time when one of the 4 leaves breaks off, but you'll get through the night and a replacement is only a few $$.
Can’t say that I’ve ever encountered any “goose-loose” banana plugs, but then I’ve only used them in my home theater system, never in a situation where they were being plugged in and unplugged all the time. I’d suggest that if they don’t fit tight anymore, maybe you’ve just worn them out and they should be replaced - or "refurbished" as Keith suggested.
If your amps are in a rack, maybe you could install a one space rear panel with some Speakon jacks. That way you could just use bare wire or spade lugs to the amplifiers.
Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
Pedulla Club #45
Administrator, Tobias Club
Big Cabs Club #23
Pedulla Club #45
The only banana plugs I've found that are worth using: Mouser 174-5791 (black) and 174-5795 (red) ( [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] )
My only complaint about banana plugs is the lack of strain relief...until now. Somebody turned me on to these Neutriks which appear to offer some protection:
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Riis
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Riis
Looks like it won't take over 16ga wire (but they don't say).
Connection is via a crappy little screw (like most bananas). Might as well skip the banana and use the bare-wire hole on the binding post.
The ones I use are a solder connection, and on a good day I can get two 12ga onto one of them (three if I throw away the jacket and use heatshrink). They are also very inexpensive.
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
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The big ass ones Radio Shack and Parts Express sell work pretty well for me.
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If you really crank-down the thumbscews on those RS ones shown above, the entire gold section will twist inside the plastic.
However, they DO handle larger gauges of wire
than most.
Seriously, as I said in my first post bananas are VERY easy to make tight again.
That's the whole point of their design.
However, they DO handle larger gauges of wire
than most.
Seriously, as I said in my first post bananas are VERY easy to make tight again.
That's the whole point of their design.
Attachments
Again, a banana that relies on the pressure of a screw for the connection between the wire and the banana. IMHO one is wasting his money using such plugs.
Aren't they manily for convenience? It's easier to plug in and unplug them and leave the wires screwed into them than screwing bare wires on the speaker screw-hole thing. And it seems to work fine for thousand watt+ home theater recievers
This is my current project. I rear-mounted a universal plate which will accept up to 16 jacks. I'm using 5 of the heavy-duty 4 pole Speakons with quick connect spade terminals...two for the biamped mains (4 conductor cable), one for the subs, and two for the monitor channels.
As far as the amp connections go, I've opted for the bare wire / binding post configuration as this will be a permanent internal (inside the box) configuration. I'm not sure why there's so much concern about screw-type fittings. With the exception of soldered 1/4" phono plugs, most fittings employ some type of set-screw to secure the conductors...including banana plugs and even the high-end Speakons.
Riis
The bananas I use are soldered. I solder SpeakOns as well. I've never had a failure. I've seen plenty of failures on connections that rely on a screw - which is why I solder stuff.
Interesting. I've never had a problem with the screw-clamp Speakons...I think they built-in strain relief has something to do with it.
Even my recently-acquired 4 pole Neutrik output jacks have quick-connect spade connectors on the rear. From the comments I've read, they can be soldered but those-in-the-know say the heat can soften and deform the hard plastic casing.
Word of caution for those using the screw-downs: don't tin the conductor ends before installing.
Riis
I still use banana plugs for some things myself. By fluke I got some G & H oversize plugs from Parts Express a few years ago but they no longer have them. They are hard to find for some reason but I did find more on ebay when I looked. There is only one auction I could find currently running- LINK
These plugs are somewhat larger, use heavier gauge spring steel for the contacts, accept much heavier gauge cable & use a nut (instead of a wimpy set-screw) to bind the cable to the plug.
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These plugs are somewhat larger, use heavier gauge spring steel for the contacts, accept much heavier gauge cable & use a nut (instead of a wimpy set-screw) to bind the cable to the plug.
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