bannana plugs or Bare Wire ?

Hi

I was wondering ? what are the benifits of bannana plugs over bare wire? does it just make connecting the wire easier or do they make a better sound and connection? any info would be helpfull. I am planning to buy Monster bannana plugs are they ok ?

Thanks

Prashant

Banana Plugs are a far more convienent way to connect to your speakers compared to bare wire especially if you frequently change or move your speakers around. That is one of the main reasons that most hi-fi dealers prefer banana plugs to bare wire.

However some audiophiles swear by the bare wire as they believe that less is more and nothing should come between the the source and the speaker.

I prefer the banana plug as it is more convienent. Some of the good banana plugs I have come across is the Eichmann Banana Plug.

Banana plugs: make neat connection, are very convenient to handle and reduce exposure of the bare wire to air preventing oxidation.

Monster QuickLock Banana/Spades are excellent.They don't need soldering, can accept thick cables, are very user friendly and allow for a rigid secure connection.

Don't buy their "Flexi"pins though. These are fragile and tend to break over time...

Aniruddha.

Hey Guys

Thanks a lot !! however there are a couple of things that don’t match up here, its better if there are no connector cause there should be nothing between the speaker and the source, but then again the bare wire without a connector will get oxidized and that’s not good for the audio clarity I guess. If I am just looking at sound fidelity and not convenience as a factor should I use connector or not?

Thanks

Prashant

Hi Prashant,

If you have the speaker cables terminating as bare wire then buy the banana plugs and try the speaker cables with and without the banana plugs and see if you can notice any difference.

Depending on your setup you may or maynot notice the difference.

Dear friend i feel using banana plugs is always convenient if you change speaker wires from one to another pair, however bare wire is more secure as threre is no risk of being pulled away & getting short circuit. If you donot change speakers bare wire better option, the quality of sound by using banana plugs or bare wire you will not be able to notice.

Hi,
Theoretically bare wire should sound best(read purest as there is no other medium involved) but i find no audible difference when using bare wire, banana s or spades(another option) so i guess u should go for whats convenient.
Good looking, gold plated connectors need not be of good quality. When buying banana s always check if the pin fits snuggly(decent contact pressure). Too easy to slide in or having to muscle it are both a NO NO, spades are very good too(just check what size ur speakers/amplifiers accept).
If u are the fit it and forget type then bare wire is best, if u are always experimenting then maybe a banana is the preferred connection.
Lastly check out the SBAN banana from Kimber. Not plated or fancy looking but once soldered a super, life long connection, and was Rs. 500/-(pair).
Regards

Bare wire tends to get oxidized over a period of time so either you should get them coated with silver solder or use a good quality connector. The connectors should have better spec for the copper used & of course it should give a very tight but effortless connection. I feel Eichmann , WBT & Profi/ Neutrik are the better brands, though I’ve not tried the others.

Depends on the binding posts on your speakers / amps. Bare wire will not remain tight on binding posts designed for banana's or spade connectors and the wire strands will always be loose.

The best connectors IMHO are spades as they can be tightened down on the post and offer the maximum surface contact area. WBT makes the best spades/bananas. WBT-USA

Hi,
Ya WBT make the best connectors, terminals etc but the pricing here is ridiculous. If u are intending to use in say a biwire set up u could get a budget amp in the cost of 16 spades or banana s!!!!!!!!!!!!! so u have to draw the line somewhere.
Regards