Speaker connections - Banana Plugs

[Harrison]

If you own any higher end audio equipment, especially AV Amps, the speaker cable connects to the Amp using Bind posts. Cheaper equipment uses spring clamps that we all know pulls out easily so always try to get equipment with bind posts.

The easiest way to connect wires to bind posts is to unwind the thread, insert the wire through the post hole and tighten it back up. This is all I did when I first bought an AV Amp in the early 2000s, but the much better solution is to use banana plugs, especially if you need to move your setup otherwise the bare wires get frayed and messy and you need to re-strip the cables.

Normally the top of the bind post has a cap you remove, then you can plug the banana plugs in.

I decided when I was renovating my games room/home cinema rom last year that I would use banana plugs and bind posts for all speaker connections. For the home cinema I installed audio bind post sockets in the walls on either side of the room, with audio cable running under the floor to them, so for the rear speakers there are no cables running around the room, it's all hidden, so I just plug a cable from the AV amp to the wall, and then from the wall on the other side to the rear speakers.

After finishing the room I started looking for banana plugs but there are a lot of makes ranging from a few pounds to over 100. It was hard to work out what was any good. I needed quite a few so really expensive ones were out of the question, and I couldn't see what they offered over others. After reading loads of reviews and watching Youtube I found some fairly budget ones in the Amazon Basics range. One box of these has 6 pairs of banana plugs for about ?10 so I thought I would give them a try. They had a lot of good reviews.

And I highly recommend them. They are much smaller than many other makes which is good so they are not sticking out the back of the Amp too much if you have it near a wall. You can get other makes that are 90 degree plugs so the cables point down, but I didn't need that. These Amazon basic plugs are gold plated with a rubber seal and grip. For the price you can't really ask for more. And they work perfectly. Nice strong connection and the spring part that holds them in place rotates so the plug moves if the wires are moved so you don't get issues with the wires twisting. I've ended up needing to buy 3 packs of these to connect everything up. I highly recommend them.

Whilst buying the plugs I discovered Amazon also do some nice speaker wire in their basics range. They have different lengths and gauges. I ordered 50 foot (15.2m) of 16-gauge (1.3 mm^2) which is about ?15, and was very please with it so ordered more. Unless you have to have specific makes I can't see much wrong with it.

I used to use these really thick flat cables from Cambridge Audio called Linea 4 that are very flat and near 2 cm thick with 4 wires for each channel running in separate runs along the cable to remove all interference. I has given a big reel of the cable free when I bought all my home cinema speakers from Richer Sounds over 20 years ago. Being flat they are probably good for running under a carpet to get to rears, but I have hard floors. I could have used the cable under the floor, but I had to drill holes in the floor joists to run the cables through so it wouldn't have worked. And honestly I can't tell the difference!

[Kin Hell]

I've always used HQ Yamaha AV Amps for my Home Cinema setup's. Whilst Banana plugs have always been the norm for me on the back of the speakers, my Yamaha AV Amps have never allowed the use of Banana plugs into the speaker outputs.
My current AX-1070 AV Amp only has the big screw binding posts, where you peel the outer sleeve off your speaker cable, twist it up & thread it into the slot and under the binding post clamp screws before tightening them down.
Gold Plated are the better quality Banana plugs to use and should have several (at least two) screws for securing to the cable. - Three is better. - I've been a sucker for expensive interconnects over the years but a gold plated banana plug shouldn't be stabbing you more than say ?10 a pair of speakers, maybe ?20 if you are Bi-Wiring them. (Eight in total for Tweeter & Bass) - Again more if you have dual Bass + Tweeter.

[J T]

Always been tempted but never been bothered enough to try. I just jam it in there. Job done.

[Harrison]

@Kin. Charlie, all your Yamaha Amps should have been able to use banana plugs. You just have to take the little cover caps off the centre of the bind posts. That's how all bind posts normally work.

And the Amazon basics banana plugs are gold plated. The ?10 cost for 6 pairs in a box was worth me trying them and they work perfectly.

[Kin Hell]

@Kin. Charlie, all your Yamaha Amps have been about to use banana plugs. You just have to take the little cover caps off the centre of the bind posts. That's how all bind posts work.

And the Amazon basics banana plugs are gold plated. The ?10 cost for 6 pairs in a box was worth me trying them and they work perfectly.

I'll check that out Dave but I'm pretty sure my old AX1 said the UK version of Amp did not allow the use of Banana plugs into the binding posts of the Amp due to EU regulations or other. - The newer AX-1070 Amp has identical binding posts as the AX1 Amp but now you've said, I'll have a poke around when I next have a dust down.

[Harrison]

I just did a search and found this:

"UK Yamaha amplifiers do support banana plugs, but they are shipped with small, removable black plastic safety caps inside the binding posts to comply with European safety regulations. These caps can be easily pried out using a small screwdriver or hooked paperclip to allow standard 4mm banana plugs to fit."

On my Sony Amps and a couple of other makes I've always been able to take the caps out by hooking them with my finger nail. Sounds like Yamaha ones are inserted further into the bind post to stop them being removed so easily.

But I don't quit get the actual EU reasoning:

"The safety caps prevent accidental insertion of banana plugs into EU mains sockets, which are similarly sized."

How would capping the socket for the banana plugs in the binding posts stop someone plugging the banana plugs into an EU power outlet? I think that was meant to read, it stops someone plugging an EU power plug into the bind post,, as that would make more sense. That's what happens when you have stupid flimsy EU plugs.