I may have to unhook my receiver for the first time to bring it in for service. If I do, I figured I would make an investment in dual banana plug connectors for the speaker terminations at the receiver, and also the one nearby at my center channel.

Questions:

1) Relative quality difference between brands? Niles (with twist end as opposed to needing a screwdriver) sell for $9.99 at my dealer and Radio Shack "similar" sell for $5.99. Needing six plugs means saving $24+ by going with the Shack.

2) Do most plugs/posts have standard spacing between each side?

3) Other brands/deals I should consider?

4) Bother at all? I have a fairly heavy gauge wire that is connected "bare" right now. Will the plugs increase the quality of the signal, or, as my real original thought is, am I mostly paying for convenience....

Thanks ahead of time for your thoughts......

www.partsexpress.com has many different types.

I purchsed about 8 pairs of them a few months back.

The ones I got are Part #:091-330 they are $3.50 a pair. They are single, but at least you know the spacing will be right.

You can also do a search for banana plugs and that will list some dual style plugs.

Mine didn't effect sound quality in any way, but they made it easier for me to unhook the speakers. Since you can see the backs of the speakers when you walk in the room it looks more "high tech".

Also Parts Express offers a free catolog with ALOT of stuff. You should sign up to get that.

Thanks for your input. I called/checked the site for Parts Express and it turns out their best connector 091-1260 is even cheaper as it comes in a two-pair package of singles. I think it's their in house brand where they can be much more controlled over quality. At an effective price of $3.50 a pair, this looks like a good way to go. anyone else have other ideas.......

I'm shopping for connectors too. AVConnect.com has gold plated Acoustic Research banana and spade speaker connectors for $8.99. Those Parts Express banana connectors look like they compress the speaker wire at a perpendicular angle. IMHO, I think the connectors would look better if they were in line with the speaker wire itself.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JLB:
4) Bother at all? I have a fairly heavy gauge wire that is connected "bare" right now. Will the plugs increase the quality of the signal, or, as my real original thought is, am I mostly paying for convenience....
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I don't think that plugs will increase the quality of the signal. Theoretically, it should even degrade the quality because the signal is passing through gold, which isn't as good an electrical conductor as copper (I think). You are paying for the convenience that your wires will not fray or corrode over time.

Generally though, I think that the plugs are worth the convenience, especially if you move your speakers and equipment a lot. (Like I do, whenever there's parties and stuff).

There can be a difference in how tight the plugs fit in the connectors. Radio Shack Gold bananas have a very snug fit in my DB930 receiver and Mirage speakers. The Acoustic Research and RCA brands were good quality, but were loser fitting.

[This message has been edited by steve f (edited August 31, 2000).]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I don't think that plugs will increase the quality of the signal. Theoretically, it should even degrade the quality because the signal is passing through gold<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I thought the whole point of using gold on connectors is that it DOES increase conductivity.

Regardless, I am convinced that I will get banana plugs when I unhook the receiver. You just cannot beat the convienence.....

Gold is a better conductor than copper, but the main benefit is that gold is non-reactive, so no oxidation occurs on the plugs.

plugs are nice too because you don't have to worry about stray wire "hairs" shorting the receiver.