Locking Banana Plug (loudspeaker terminator)

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bobkatz

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 25, 2006
Messages
138
Location
Orlando
I've got to reterminate some very heavy duty speaker cable, so I've been doing some searching, trying to find something that's not a zillion fake audiophile dollars, and came across this:

http://www.lenexpo-electronics.com/1-PAIR-OF-ATLONA-AUDIOPHILE-BANANA-PLUGS-p-16216.html

I'm hoping that these are solderable. I'll call the manufacturer (Atlona (877-536-3976) tomorrow Price is good! The page includes a manual that is very thorough, ain't the net wonderful!

I'd prefer spades, but the new Lipinski amps have a 1/2" diameter post. I'd need a gold plated, angled spade that fits a 1/2" diameter post and takes approximately 10 gauge!
 
yep we do love the net

good price and such a detailed instruction sheet for a simple product
http://www.lenexpo-electronics.com/pdf/100087.pdf

all products should have suport documents this good
:green:
 
[quote author="Ptownkid"]http://www.speakerrepair.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=locking[/quote]

It seems there are a large number of knockoffs of this particular banana design. RAM electronics offers another. They all claim gold-plated, one doesn't know what's under the plating...

How is one going to distinguish one "gold plated" claim from another by measurement, much less listening? I guess a high current low ohms meter would help...

BK
 
[quote author="Kev"]you may not be able to

time will tell
the bad ones get ... that look

cut one open ?[/quote]

If you cut it open you get to see the base metal. I recently broke a gold plated spade and found some tinny-looking base metal, so I know it wasn't copper, but I still have no idea if it's a good spade or not!
 
[quote author="bobkatz"]so I know it wasn't copper, but I still have no idea if it's a good spade or not![/quote]
mmmm
:roll:
guess not

perhaps time and usage is the only way to know ... not very helpful at all really
 
Hi Bob

I use regulary those plugs and they are very good. They are heavy duty and solderable. The big advantage is that when you rotate that external tube, an internal pin enlarge the plug, and it will asure a very good and firm contact.

chrissugar
 
An by the way, the original inventor/inovator for this connector is WBT so if you want to be sure that it is a top quality connector you should use this:
http://www.wbtusa.com/wbt0600.html
or this
http://www.wbtusa.com/wbt0644.html

You can buy them in US from Partsexpress:
http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?WebPage_ID=292

chrissugar

P.S. Can you give me some details about what type is that heavy duty speaker cable, please.
 
[quote author="chrissugar"]An by the way, the original inventor/inovator for this connector is WBT so if you want to be sure that it is a top quality connector you should use this:
http://www.wbtusa.com/wbt0600.html
or this
http://www.wbtusa.com/wbt0644.html

You can buy them in US from Partsexpress:
http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?WebPage_ID=292

chrissugar

P.S. Can you give me some details about what type is that heavy duty speaker cable, please.[/quote]

That's $17.50 each from Parts Express. I need 16 connectors. I bought 24 connectors at 2.80 apiece from Atlona. Time will tell! Too cheap to be any good? I measured resistance with an ohmmeter and it's in the tenths.

The heavy duty speaker cable was custom made for me many years ago by Lee Wallace. It consists of what looks like about 20 strands per "leg" of a little less than 1/16" thick solid copper, each solid piece in a clear or white teflon snug sleeve! I have no idea how he got that wire made... My guess is equivalent to #10 gauge. The idea is "Litz on stereoids". I have no idea if this really sounds better, I got a good deal, it makes me feel good, it's easy to solder and terminate, and it impresses the neighbors.
 
in the past
when using the thicker speaker cables
I have used a stiff copper bar or short piece of inner from another very large cable to provide a pin
soldered to the speaker strands and some heat shrink for neatness and colour co-ordinated red/black for pos /neg

this is then fitted into a normal banana plug

:roll:
but then I've also replaced speaker terminals with HUGE copper thread and knurled locks ... ala big power supplies
 
Well, here we are, I'd like to describe a labor of love here and also provide some feedback on the Atlona cheap but good locking bananas.

I've learned more about my custom speaker cable than anyone except the geeks here would care to know. Perhaps someone with knowledge of the effects of twisting on capacitance and inductance would care to make a comment.

My speaker cables were made in the late 70's by Lee Wallace. He calls it "Omega cable". It was time to reterminate them and besides, I had to split the amp side to accomodate the biamped Lipinski amps and terminate them with the bananas instead of the spades.

Talk about a labor of love! this weekend I have stripped and tinned and prepped 512 wire ends! Yup, that's 512 individually insulated 20 gauge solid copper ends. It took me about 8 to 10 hours over Saturday and Sunday to do the job. My back is aching!

This cable consists of multiple Teflon sleeves (or some similar material, probably not Teflon as it is not quite as slippery, but it is certainly just as heat resistant as Teflon) over what is apparently 20 gauge solid copper. He used white and clear sleeves to identify positive and negative. First he twists four positives together, then four negatives together and then he twists those together to create a pair, making a group of 8 wires in the pair. This is repeated 8 times for a total of 64 #20 wires or 32 per phase! The whole thing is laced together with lacing cord. What's the equivalent diameter of 32 #20 wires? I'm guessing at least 10 gauge.

So, for biwiring at each end, I had to strip and tin every single one of those wires. Then stuff 32 tinned ends into the Atlona banana. Tie down the lockscrew screw to help the mechanical connection, and then solder the banana with a 700 degree Weller iron. It takes about 10 minutes for the connector to cool down enough to touch it after you fill it with solder. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I'm happy to report that the Atlona "gold plated" connector tins very well and the solder flows very well. That's a good sign that it's good plating, at least. Maybe a few years from now we'll know how good they really are, looking for signs of corrosion. To lock the plugs you can finger tighten them or use a pair of wrenches to get a little tighter. But no need to over tighten, a couple of turns and the plugs are in their tight.

I'm going to have to find some banana to spade adapters when I go back to the Pass Amp as this amp does not take bananas. Damn.... certainly I'm not going to reterminate this cable, ever again!
 
No advertising intended, I just decided after 10 hours of termination work, I'd take a picture of the back of the loudspeaker and put it on our website! If you'd like to see this Omega wire, take a trip to

http://www.digido.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=6

and scroll down to the view of the back of the speaker.
 
:roll:
wow

just too much effort
yes I've experimented with cable BUT I fully admit I get bored way earlier than you

but I did register at digido while I was there
 
Nice job Bob,

A lot of work :shock: I'm glad you liked the plugs. After searching for a long time for quality bananas, my conclusion was that these were the best I could find. Hope they will work nicely for you in time.

You inspired me to post some pics of my home made power cords I made a month ago for all the mastering equipment (industrial shielded SY cable, ferrites, solid connectors). :grin:

chrissugar
 
[quote author="chrissugar"]Nice job Bob,

A lot of work :shock: I'm glad you liked the plugs. After searching for a long time for quality bananas, my conclusion was that these were the best I could find. Hope they will work nicely for you in time.

You inspired me to post some pics of my home made power cords I made a month ago for all the mastering equipment (industrial shielded SY cable, ferrites, solid connectors). :grin:

chrissugar[/quote]

Where do you get the parts, Chris? Do you hear a difference? At least with speaker cable I'm pretty certain of the resistance :)
 
Hi Bob

The cable I use is an industrial power control cable made by RAYDEX that costs less than 10$/meter. It is SY type steel braid armoured, 3 core, 4 square milimeter each core. Diameter of the cable 14 milimeters. Pure hardcore :twisted:

Ferrites are AL9000, internal diameter 14mm, external 26mm.

I was looking for a long time for some solid euro power plug, and bought lots of samples untill I found a very good one. Solid metal connectors, heavy duty case, accepts large diameter cable and as a bonus is water/gas proof. The big advantage is I can buy them from a local store and they are relativelly cheap.

The IEC was the biggest problem because I couldn't find one solid enough that accepth large cables without costing a fortune. At this moment I use some cheap 3euro/IEC plugs but soon will upgrade to the WATTGATE 320i which is 19$. You would think they are expensive but compared to most of the audiophool IECs ranging from 60 to 150$ they are a bargain and the quality is the same.

About the sound. People have some negative reaction related to everything related to audiophool cables, and in a way I think it is normal because there is so much BS and tons of power cords made of unabtanium ranging from 500 to 5000$ which is completelly insane.
But my experience is that a good power cable can improve the sound of a transparent system to a higher level. You don't need cables that cost hundreds or thousand of $, just a well engineered cable.

I will start a new thread about my power cables. You will read not only subjective coments but also measurements and some pics from my oscilloscope :!: .

chrissugar
 

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