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Amazon basics banana plugs

Curtis

pfm Member
Well I decided to give my qed original speaker cables a treat by actually terminating them with some of these banana plugs.
They are deadbolt types so no soldering needed.
Very good they are as well, £11 for 6 pairs.
Guess what?
The sound is exactly the same as when they were bare wires!
Saves me re-terminating them once a year though.
Also I recently decided to buy a previously enjoyed Marantz 6000 OSE cdp and use it into my Cambridge audio streammagic 6 as a transport.
I have been listening to the same albums either from the analogue outputs of the Marantz, as a transport via its digital out and streamed flac files from a usb plugged directly into the streammagic 6.
Very hard to distinguish any real differences.
Certainly would fail miserably in a blind test.
It all sounds great though so I can’t be deaf.
I also acquired a Khozmo passive pre recently and it is utterly transparent, I love it.

TL Edit: Amazon link.
 
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It all sounds great though so I can’t be deaf.

If it sounds great I wouldn’t be too bothered about being deaf or not;)
 
FWIW I always use this type of plug (eBay, though widely available elsewhere). I screw the cable in, then solder it and finally use coloured heat-shrink, which results in a neat joint that will last forever without corrosion or working loose. I like the fact there is no break between the soldered bucket and the plug with this type of plug, the types like the Amazon Basics have what is to my mind a couple of unnecessary dry-joints in the way which could become tarnished with time. These are good strong plugs too, they last. The Mogami cable in the main system were made about 15 years ago and it all still looks and performs as new.

PS Using the screws as well as soldering only dawned on me a few years back, but it means the cable is held perfectly for the soldering stage. None of that ‘hot plug running away from the iron’ thing and it means you can get the length absolutely mm perfect as you set that in advance.
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
Well I decided to give my qed original speaker cables a treat by actually terminating them with some of these banana plugs.
They are deadbolt types so no soldering needed.
Very good they are as well, £11 for 6 pairs.

TL Edit: Amazon link.

I think they are just fine. But then I’m a cloth-eared old fool.

50479349492_6c75b41bf2_z.jpg
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
FWIW I always use this type of plug (eBay, though widely available elsewhere). I screw the cable in, then solder it and finally use coloured heat-shrink, which results in a neat joint that will last forever without corrosion or working loose. I like the fact there is no break between the soldered bucket and the plug with this type of plug, the types like the Amazon Basics have what is to my mind a couple of unnecessary dry-joints in the way which could become tarnished with time. These are good strong plugs too, they last. The Mogami cable in the main system were made about 15 years ago and it all still looks and performs as new.

PS Using the screws as well as soldering only dawned on me a few years back, but it means the cable is held perfectly for the soldering stage. None of that ‘hot plug running away from the iron’ thing and it means you can get the length absolutely mm perfect as you set that in advance.
OCD Tony?
Don’t forget the heat shrink hehe
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
OCD Tony?
Don’t forget the heat shrink hehe
FWIW I always use this type of plug (eBay, though widely available elsewhere). I screw the cable in, then solder it and finally use coloured heat-shrink, which results in a neat joint that will last forever without corrosion or working loose. I like the fact there is no break between the soldered bucket and the plug with this type of plug, the types like the Amazon Basics have what is to my mind a couple of unnecessary dry-joints in the way which could become tarnished with time. These are good strong plugs too, they last. The Mogami cable in the main system were made about 15 years ago and it all still looks and performs as new.

PS Using the screws as well as soldering only dawned on me a few years back, but it means the cable is held perfectly for the soldering stage. None of that ‘hot plug running away from the iron’ thing and it means you can get the length absolutely mm perfect as you set that in advance.
Tony, you need to get out more. Oh...
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
FWIW I always use this type of plug (eBay, though widely available elsewhere). I screw the cable in, then solder it and finally use coloured heat-shrink, which results in a neat joint that will last forever without corrosion or working loose. I like the fact there is no break between the soldered bucket and the plug with this type of plug, the types like the Amazon Basics have what is to my mind a couple of unnecessary dry-joints in the way which could become tarnished with time. These are good strong plugs too, they last. The Mogami cable in the main system were made about 15 years ago and it all still looks and performs as new.

PS Using the screws as well as soldering only dawned on me a few years back, but it means the cable is held perfectly for the soldering stage. None of that ‘hot plug running away from the iron’ thing and it means you can get the length absolutely mm perfect as you set that in advance.

What sort of shrink wrap do you use to seal cable terminations? I thought it would be a simple case of Google and buy but it seems it comes in all sorts of diameters. Fwiw, the cable in question is NACA5.
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
You need two widths, a wider one to go across both conductors, the other over the plug and joint. They are specified in mm. Here’s a rough guide that deals with diameters and shrinkage, but basically you want tubing that fits neatly over the thing that you want it to, i.e. isn’t really loose, and that will then shrink perfectly. I’d just start with a box of mixed sizes like this one (Amazon). There should be enough of the right sizes to do a couple of pairs in there.

It is well worth getting a proper heat gun too, mine is a cheap Draper wallpaper stripper type thing I’ve had for 20 years at least. Here’s a decent looking Bosch (Amazon), but there are lots of no-name equivalents for half that. I see people trying to use lighters, soldering irons and all kinds of things, but they don’t give a neat, even and professional look. As ever use the right kit and you’ll get a great result.
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
PS Using the screws as well as soldering only dawned on me a few years back, but it means the cable is held perfectly for the soldering stage. None of that ‘hot plug running away from the iron’ thing and it means you can get the length absolutely mm perfect as you set that in advance.
s-l300.jpg


What sort of shrink wrap do you use to seal cable terminations? I thought it would be a simple case of Google and buy but it seems it comes in all sorts of diameters. Fwiw, the cable in question is NACA5.
And colours. And shrinkage (2-1, 3-1). And glued/not glued. And wall thickness. And printed/unprinted. And bifurcated or straight.
:D
 
Makes a change from a cable thread...
Really? it seems pretty similar to me. The same cable trolls popping up to chuckle at at anyone who might wish to pay more than £1.50 for cable, the same virtue signalling and snide mention of expensive/thick/ mains cables, the same deification of Amazon Basics cables and accessories.
Nah.... nothing new here. Same people, same sh*t.
 


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