Europe and Banana plugs. What's up with that?

I was reading the manual for a home theater receiver today and it said that using Banana plugs to connect speakers to the amp outputs is illegal in Europe 

Does anyone have a rational explanation for this?  I can only think that Banana plugs can interface with something dangerous like the mains outlet.  Is that what it's about?

I believe that's pretty much it... Just like if somebody wanted to use a 110 outlet for an amp output here in the US...

Yes, that's it pretty much.. banana plugs that can go into mains outlets and they even insist on covering binding posts on high power amps if the output voltage is high enough.

Doesn't it warm your heart to know the government cares about your safety so much?

JR

Greetings from Europe.

Well, it's illegal to sell products using banana plugs.
What you do at home on the other side, isn't anyones business. (Until an accident happens...)


In some US states all sexual positions except the missionary are supposed to be illegal! 

Researching some of the silly sex laws here is amusing and I won't go there (but they involve a lot more than just sex positions). What is interesting is that we value privacy and have constitutional protection against self incrimination, so the only way to get caught breaking nonsense laws is doing so in public, or maybe on youtube? In which case there should be a special dumb ass fine added to the punishment.

Legislative over reach is a common affectation not limited to the US, and there are many laws of other lands I don't agree with, that are far more onerous and less humorous than this.

JR

gemini86 said:

I believe that's pretty much it... Just like if somebody wanted to use a 110 outlet for an amp output here in the US...

Click to expand...

...and a little more. Anything that carries more than 25Vac or 35Vdc must be protected so you can't touch it. With banana plugs, there is always the risk of them not being fully plugged-in, leaving bare metal.
Most A/V amps come with bananas because they're less than 80W per ch into 8ohms, but they come with a plastic thingy plugged-in, so a kid can't touch the metal with his 5mm fingers  ??? .
Officially you're supposed to use bare wires or fork connectors (personally I think there are more risks of touching the conductors, but what do I know?).
Practically, you take off the plastic thingies and use banana plugs. Who will enforce the regulation?

Electrical Banana is gonna be a sudden craze
Electrical Banana is bound to be the very next phase

abbey road d enfer said:

gemini86 said:

I believe that's pretty much it... Just like if somebody wanted to use a 110 outlet for an amp output here in the US...

Click to expand...

...and a little more. Anything that carries more than 25Vac or 35Vdc must be protected so you can't touch it. With banana plugs, there is always the risk of them not being fully plugged-in, leaving bare metal.
Most A/V amps come with bananas because they're less than 80W per ch into 8ohms, but they come with a plastic thingy plugged-in, so a kid can't touch the metal with his 5mm fingers  ??? .
Officially you're supposed to use bare wires or fork connectors (personally I think there are more risks of touching the conductors, but what do I know?).
Practically, you take off the plastic thingies and use banana plugs. Who will enforce the regulation?

Click to expand...

I have to agree, re: bare wires. A billion amp channels have been destroyed by bare wires shorting. Wonder how many have started a house fire when someone 'solved' the problem with tin foil in the fuse holder?

Funny thing is, here in the US we have the practice of installing the mains outlets oriented so that they look like faces. This is incorrect according to the building code. I install mine with the ground prong on top, and people will spot it right away and puzzle over it.  The idea is that if the plug does not seat all the way, and something conductive falls across it, it's safer to have the ground up top. Never had anything fall that way, but there's no downside to doing it like that - if you don't count puzzled looks.

wtmnmf said:

.........
Funny thing is, here in the US we have the practice of installing the mains outlets oriented so that they look like faces. This is incorrect according to the building code. I install mine with the ground prong on top, and people will spot it right away and puzzle over it.  The idea is that if the plug does not seat all the way, and something conductive falls across it, it's safer to have the ground up top. Never had anything fall that way, but there's no downside to doing it like that - if you don't count puzzled looks.

Click to expand...

That would be a local building code rule.  Both up and down are permitted under NEC rules.  In the NEC rules forum this is a forbidden subject, as it results in countless posts and no conclusions.

the banana plug will fit into a Euro style 230volt outlet. imagine the problems that could cause, both firehazard if plugging a speaker into the wallsocket, the danger to any person trying such things and other possible problems
J

abbey road d enfer said:

...and a little more. Anything that carries more than 25Vac or 35Vdc must be protected so you can't touch it. With banana plugs, there is always the risk of them not being fully plugged-in, leaving bare metal.

Click to expand...

It also easily introduces additional trouble...

My SWR bass rig came with a nice thick speaker cable to link the stereo power amp in bridge mode (banana-style) to the TS-jack in the speaker cab. Biggest metal Switchcraft plug I've ever seen... shell carrying one of the hot signals of the bridged 400W amp.

Hi-freq horn adjustment at rear of the cab, next to jack-socket. Use one hand to adjust that, and by accident also touching that big plug - while using other hand to dampen bass strings with a thump.
Unpleasant feeling for sure !   

ha! just fixed my brother's huge home stereo amp... guess what i used to test the speaker out's!