Speaker connectors, Which one is better?

[Katji]

Neutrik SpeakOns. Use Neutrik SpeakOns.

Tell it to the loudspeaker manufacturers.
And if you get a response, it will probably refer to size [and what audiophiles want.]

 

[Katji]

Go back here: use ferrules

You can get the simple/generic ones at the nearest auto parts store.

It's silly to squish multi-strand wire with grub screws, especially when it is not a close fit in the connector barrel...and with all the audiophile concern about copper and silver and nickel and so on.
You can use those cheap stamped crimpers, or even pliers or something, as long as it's firmly attached and it fits in the connector.

 

[Speedskater]

Just a little difference between a speaker handling an average of about 5 watts and the power supply of an FM transmitter, don't you think?

No!
The cold-flow does not require high current.
But that the terminal strip burnt-up does require high current.

 

[Deleted member 46664]

No!
The cold-flow does not require high current.
But that the terminal strip burnt-up does require high current.

Solder is pretty soft stuff. The pressure from an over-tightened binding post will deform it. But that really only happens when you transition from tinning to burying the copper wire inside. Most inexperienced solderers use way too much solder... You don't want the copper covered in solder, you want the solder inside the copper bundle to bind it together.

 

[Deleted member 46664]

Definitely. I have no idea why the hifi world has not adopted Neutrik SpeakOn connectors...Perhaps if they added gold they would be acceptable.

Well, one of the reasons for that is that literally millions of in-use systems don't have it and can't be changed over to it easily. Even if amplifiers started coming out with it today it would take years to completely switch over.

 

[mansr]

Solder is pretty soft stuff. The pressure from an over-tightened binding post will deform it. But that really only happens when you transition from tinning to burying the copper wire inside. Most inexperienced solderers use way too much solder... You don't want the copper covered in solder, you want the solder inside the copper bundle to bind it together.

You must be inexperienced in these matters yourself. Please stop spreading bad advice.

 

[mansr]

Oh I dunno ... 40 years in electronics, I may have picked up a few things along the way.

Was overconfidence among them?

 

[cochlea]

Tinning with solder is so 20th century... Brittle, subject to corrosion and compression. Not a good idea for any type of low resistance clamped banana or screw terminal. Pretty sure it is 100% illegal for anything mains rated here.

Ferrules are infinitely better, and required in EU countries in order to obtain CE marking. Here's a couple I just crimped up on a scrap of wire.

round die brass:
View attachment 205372

square crimped tinned copper ferrule:
View attachment 205373

John, do you then attach a banana plug to the end of the wire, or do you just insert it into the hole on the screw terminal and tighten the nut?

Thanks.

 

[jhaider]

Between those two, the one on top because it has an insulated body. Also, the one on the bottom sucks because it had slotted set screws.

As @restorer-john wrote, crimp a ferrule on the stripped speaker wire before screwing it in.

 

[Chrispy]

A banana with set screws I'm generally happy. Or just use bare wire, more depends on any needed ease in changing connections. Don't need odd angled ones or anything like that, tho. For my diy stuff I use speakon, but haven't converted anything to it otoh.

 

[pjug]

I am with those who say doesn't matter much. I just measured a cheap banana plug mated with the old banana jack in my power supply and resistance was less than a milliohm (0.00032V/0.5A). And because I had the multimeter lead sharing the binding post, the banana was about half engaged. I think anything that people here are using is better than this so almost surely will be less than a milliohm. Compared to tens of milliohms cable resistance.

One note: the resistance of the dual screw wire connection in the banana shell (0.00043V/0.5A) is more than the banana contact resistance (so including that, the total resistance is about 1.5milliohms). This was with freshly stripped but it was using old wire, though, so maybe some of this is from oxidation.

 

[Speedskater]

A trick to deal with fine strand wire, is to solder-tin the end of the wire. Then cut much of the solder-tin off. So that it's not under the compression point.

 

[CauliflowerEars]

Ferrules are infinitely better

Do ferrules decrease the contact space between the wires and the amp/speaker?
Seems they aren’t flush, so don’t touch the speaker wires 100%.

If I’m not mistaken, wouldn’t this have quite some impact?

 

[Prana Ferox]

A while back I bought my stepfather a Loxjie amp and some JBL 530s to replace the reprehensible setup he was using. It never crossed my mind that I should have ordered cables for him as well. I visited him and found he had wired one speaker with random cord from the garage, and the other with what was obviously an FM antenna. It sounded fine.

 

[fpitas]

View attachment 205382

Review and Measurements of Benchmark AHB2 Amp

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Benchmark AHB2 Amplifier using THX technology to reduce distortion. I was going to request one for testing due to membership demand but to my pleasant surprise, the company volunteered to contact me and send not one, but two units! I requested...

www.audiosciencereview.com

View attachment 205383
View attachment 205384
View attachment 205385
View attachment 205386

Yeah, bananas suck. I hate using them to hook up power in the lab. I would never use them for signals I cared about.

 

[Speedskater]

'ferrules' have been the choice way to deal with stranded wire in the military and industrial fields for decades.
If there was a contact problem, someone would have noticed.

 

[fpitas]

'ferrules' have been the choice way to deal with stranded wire in the military and industrial fields for decades.
If there was a contact problem, someone would have noticed.

I prefer getting all Space Shuttle, with ring terminals under wrenched screws. I have heard good things about Speakons.

 

[Speedskater]

Yep, Ring & Spade lug terminal are just as good as ferrules and often more convenient.

 

[3125b]

Yep, Ring & Spade lug terminal are just as good as ferrules and often more convenient.

Crimped properly, anyway. Those cheap crimper sets you get on eBay don't always work that well, definitely do a pull test with any crimp.

 

[fpitas]

Crimped properly, anyway. Those cheap crimper sets you get on eBay don't always work that well, definitely do a pull test with any crimp.

View attachment 332867

I solder them too, out of an abundance of caution.