"Mike Gilmour" wrote in message
...

"Don Pearce" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 26 Nov 2004 09:11:43 +0000, Ronnie Davis
wrote:

Hi,

Looking to replace my bi-wired speaker cable terminations. My local
hi-fi
dealer is selling banana plugs at £1.50 which are the ones which don't
need
soldering.

Does anyone know where I purchase these online cheaper?

Are they as easy to fit as the dealer says?

Also, what are the best type of terminations ... spade or banana?

Many thanks,

Ronnie.

Maplin have them t 49p. Spades are possibly very slightly better when
they are really tight, but because of their geometry, they do tend to
loosen when cables move - particularly heavy cables such as you use
for speakers.

I use banana plugs very successfully.

You can always tighten the binding post down on to the bare end of the
cable. This works well, but beware of loose strands shorting. Don't
twist the strands together when you do this - let them flatten out
under the pressure.

d
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com


When you've tightened down a bare cable to a binding post wait a few hours
then retighten - you'll always get a bit more clamping power without
overtightening the connection. The same applies to 'choc bloc' terminal
strips - when they are fully tight, wait - then tighten again. (The
clamped
cable does relax over a short time).
Being involved in marine installations over many years where constant
cycles
of heat/cold and constant vibration are the norm then such procedure is
necessary for long term connection reliability Hopefully your hifi
doesn't
endure quite those environmental conditions :-)

Mike

HI-FIs FROM HELL - true stories of hifi in the harshest environments known
to Man - 8 x 60mins, ITV4, from February 2005.

Themes include:
Vibration damping on the San Andreas fault
Stereo imaging in the Pacific
Class A amps in a metal bunker in the Sahara
Calibrating Eroica tracking force on Jupiter
Setting LP12 suspension in zero gravity
Reducing jitter on The Sun
Open-back headphones in a Hurricane
Subwoofers on a snowy Spring slope, in the Alps
Rhythm and timing at a "Busted" concert