Bought banana plugs not sure how to fit them

[mobily]

Hey all,

After reading various views on banana plugs i decided to invest in some mainly to protect the cable from degrading over time.

However I am unsure on how to fit them to the amp and the speakers. Someone said that some amps have a plastic cover and that needs to be removed?

does anyone have any pics of banana plugs fitted to systems or can tell me in a simple manner how to do it?

Cheers

[shahedz]

you should have posts on the back of your amp. most amps red and back. the banana plugs literally go into the back of the posts, the will be holes in the back of the posts that the banana plugs go into. in the event that you cant see a hole in the back of the posts then they must have the caps on , which you can literally pull away using your finger nails to prise them free.

[mobily]

Is it possible to use banana plugs when bi-wiring speakers? The reason I ask is that two runs of cable will be going into the amps post rather than one. Will the cable fit?


There is a hole which is where I currently have the bare wire stuck through. However when the post is screwed back down there is some cable still visible out of the top. Is this normal?

[alexs2]

A picture or 2 might help!.....as to your first question though,yes,you can use bananas for biwiring speakers...mine are wired that way.

[mobily]

hmm it's difficult to get some pics My amp is a Cambridge 540 and the speakers mordaunt short 914.

Is it worth soldering the plugs to prevent oxidisation? If so do you feed the cable through the plug and then solder the end of the plug with silver solder.

This is really confusing me!

[alexs2]

As I said before....feed the cable through the plug shroud,and then into the plug itself,placing the shroud far enough back not to get burnt,before beginning any soldering.

Tin the end of the cable first,insert into the plug,and heat carefully with the iron,and once hot enough,place your solder to the top of the plug and run sufficient in to fill it.
Allow to cool,and then replace the shroud....Done!

Seriously...practice first before having a go for real,and do use silver solder...get a decent iron also,makes the job so much easier,and will come in handy again.

[mobily]

What does tin the end of the cable first mean?

[harv]

I think that was meant to be trim

[RobsterD]

Originally Posted by mobily

Hey all,

After reading various views on banana plugs i decided to invest in some mainly to protect the cable from degrading over time.

However I am unsure on how to fit them to the amp and the speakers. Someone said that some amps have a plastic cover and that needs to be removed?

does anyone have any pics of banana plugs fitted to systems or can tell me in a simple manner how to do it?

Cheers

can you wire a 3 pin plug? If so you'll have no problem with banana plugs some you dont even need to solder ie Milty etc

"What does tin the end of the cable first mean?"

You melt some solder on the bare wire,this makes it quicker and easier to solder the plugs on.

[mobily]

I've decided against the soldering option for the time being. I managed to fit the cable into the plug and used the grub screws to secure the cable in place. If I have tightened the screws too much will this affect the signal quality reaching the speakers?

I've also bi-wired the speakers which weren't done before and can't hear any difference in the sound. However it was a hell of a job trying to fit two lengths of cable into a banana plug instead of one!

[alexs2]

Originally Posted by mobily

What does tin the end of the cable first mean?

In answer to both yourself and harv....tin means to coat the end of the wire with solder prior to inserting it into the plug and soldering it fully in place....makes the job not only easier but more secure.

[mobily]

Will too tight grub screws affect signal quality?

[alexs2]

Originally Posted by mobily

Will too tight grub screws affect signal quality?

No...but if you overtighten them and strip the threads you'd need to cut them off if you ever wanted to change or needed to replce the plugs....nothing more.

[michael orme]

Originally Posted by mobily

What does tin the end of the cable first mean?

This is something to do with soldering, can't think what just now. Look on Google soldering techniques, or basic soldering guide.
Michael Orme. Rhyl. UK.