Connecting speaker wires to binding post...?

Question

My speakers have the binding posts that you stick the wire through and tighten the knob down on. Do banana plugs work on all binding post? Is there another better option than connecting the bare wire to the posts?

Answer 1

Hi.You should never connect bare wire to a piece of equipment because over time ,oxidisation of the wire occurs, degrading the signal. Is there a round hole in the middle of the binding post,.where you can insert banana plugs?The best banana plugs are the non expanding ones with a tight fit. My speakers have that type of binding post. Another secure way to use binding posts is to attach heavy duty gold plated spade ( or Y ) lugs to the end of the wire, and then unscrew the post enough to push the spade lug up until it stops and then tighten the nob to secure the lug. That is how i connect my speaker cables to my speakers.I prefer this type of connection more than any other.

Answer 2

Just to be sure you are not hearing the other speaker in some strange accoustal way. 1. Disconnect the other speaker. 2. Take the wire of the broken speaker you are working on and with music playng (LOW) touch the wires to each of the binding posts. If there is no difference in sound (between woofer and tweeter) then the most likely answer is the speaker has internal jumpers on the cross over board. I have seen this with some brands of speakers.

Answer 3

I’m in agreement with sirbobx’s answer. Banana plugs are the way to go!
They are used profusely in professional applications.

One other small yet very important tip!

It is a good practice to “tin” the bare speaker wire prior to inserting them into the banana plugs. This is accomplished by applying a small amount of rosin core silver solder to the wire to prevent (1) oxidation and (2) electrolysis occurring over a period of time. Preventing oxidation will insure a problem free connection for years. If you or any of your friends don’t own a soldering iron, Radio Shack will have inexpensive soldering iron kits available.

(1) (Degradation due to the effect of bare copper being exposed to an oxygenated atmosphere.)
(2) (The effect of two dissimilar metals in contact with each other while an electrical is current applied. This over time will increase the resistance thus increasing the impedance of the speaker connection.)

Answer 4

Yes, banana plugs tend to work on all binding posts. The only part to worry about is some of the dual plugs. Spacing between the plugs is not standardized.

Radio Shack has 279-308 or 279-306 (one of those) that is a banana that un-screws. You thread the wire up the barrel part and fold the copper strands over a lip. Then you screw on the banana part to make a nice, neat connection.