wikdy Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Does banana plug improve sound quality? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. RF62 Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 IMO, I don't believe that it does. Maybe a ease of use connectivity, yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ69 Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I'm a cable believer guy, so I guess I have what some of you guys call "a decent ear" (or I'm nuts). Anyway, I have not been able to hear any difference between, spades, bananas or bare wire. I use each type without reservation. Thanx, Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_Guy Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Banana plugs do not improve sound quality, they are convenient and nice looking connectors. Any connection has the potential to degrade sound quality though so you want a good quality connection regardless of which style and there are many styles.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest davidness Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 There are many who think that banana plugs actually have the least amount of actual contact surface area, and cheap ones tend to 'flatten out' and become loose. But I use them, as long as they're tight' because they are very easy to use and tend to look good. If I was really going for ultimate sonic quality, I'd use bare wire connections because it offers the fewest conductor 'jumps'. ( But that's me and what do I know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Richard Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Banana plugs in good condition neither help nor hurt sound quality when used as speaker connections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Warren Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Does banana plug improve sound quality? Yes they do. Lay two on the top of each speaker and you should hear a signficant improvement in group delay errors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Does banana plug improve sound quality? Yes they do. Lay two on the top of each speaker and you should hear a signficant improvement in group delay errors. Now that's just not right!!! LOLOLOL!!!!!!! [H] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo33 Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Silver-plated banana plugs improve sound quality two-fold. Gold-plated banana plugs improve sound quality three-fold. Diamond-plated banana plugs bring you the ultimate in sound quality improvement! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shake777 Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Hi davidness, I bought some bananna plugs from monoprice and they got loose very quickly. Can you or anyone recommend some that work well but won't break the bank? Thanks, Shake777 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Hi davidness, I bought some bananna plugs from monoprice and they got loose very quickly. Can you or anyone recommend some that work well but won't break the bank? Thanks, Shake777 No joke.... remove them and put them in a vise with the plug ends on the vice face, and VERY carefully tighten the vise, maybe about a 1/4 turn.... Remove and reinstall....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I use them for convenience. There is a potential problem in that you have to connect the speaker wire to the banana and then the banana is connected to the female on the speaker. Therefore you've got two mechanical-electrical connections to worry about --- rather than the one you'd make if you connect the wire directly to the terminal. On the other hand some people are using very large size speaker feed wire (small gauge number). Sigh, to each his own. The normal connection at the speaker is not going to accept the very large size speaker feed wire but some bananas are designed for just this. Wm McD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Regular bananas have a small contact area, so I use the BFA (British Federation of Audio) bananas, which are cylindrical rather than barrel-shaped and have a larger contact area. They're no more expensive and are available from a number of suppliers. I'm not sure I can hear any difference, but if it costs nothing to eliminate even a theoretical compromise, why not go for it? And yes, regular and BFA bananas do allow the easy use of large speaker cables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebse2a3 Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 If you can solder these Locking Banana Plugs make a good connection/grip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Thanks for that Mike. I might try them. Wm McD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shake777 Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 Thanks for all the good ideas. Good listening. Shake777 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollar bill Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 I'm currently using the "Nakamichi" ones you see come up on Ebay in bulk all the time and though they may be cheap knockoffs as no one thinks Nak ever made Banana plugs, the quality is quite good for the price. I have noticed they are a little longer plugs than some bananas I've had, but they hold tight and the wire is held by two screws, instead of the usual one. http://ebseller.com/bak/newhtml.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andypanda Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 If anyone has attempted to work with a coax cable for there television and had any form of snow, poor video quality, interference etc... we all know sometimes moving the cable around the connector or just tightening the screw would improve the signal would do the trick. Although this can't me measured, lets face it works since the connection has improved on the copper core. Even when a USB connection is inserted, it has a light feel that slightly locks into place at the end of connection. It's not as if we're still using a flathead on a screw to connect our wiring now awadays (maybe electrical ) ). Bannana plug = better connection. Therefore better connection would improve better signal even though and proud owner of a pair of rocket fishes. It also stops loose treads from breaking then having to go back and recut wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 These are the ones that you want: http://cgi.ebay.com/16-Nakamichi-BFA-Banana-Plug-Connector-24K-0153845-USA_W0QQitemZ180363591679QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item29fe81ffff Of course they are not made by Nakamichi, but you will throw the silver part away anyway. I use the innards and then heat shrink over them. Add a little piece of red heat shrink on the positive and they come out very professional looking. I have used these for years and just bought a bunch more not too long ago. I have had the other kind become loose. These tend to keep their shape and can be bent back out of needed (although I have never had a problem). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shake777 Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Hi TigerwoodKhorns, Thanks for taking the time. Shake777 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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