About Van den Hul Banana Plugs
Versatile and easy-to-assemble DIY gold plated connectors. They offer high quality contact over long periods of intensive use and are very effective in keeping oxidation away.
These 4mm Banana Plugs are a good, basic connection between your amplifier/receiver and speakers. Designed for use where price, speed and convenience are the paramount concern, these connectors make the most of the simple termination providing a good clamp to suit smaller cable diameters (actual strands) up to 42 strands. The plugs are made of brass and 24ct Gold Plated which has a resistance almost as low as copper but more importantly does not oxidise in air.
Installation Tip: Strip off 10 - 12mm of the multi-strand cable/wire jacket and insert the stripped end through the screw-on collar. Then fan out the strands and evenly fold them encircling the collar. Insert the banana pin and screw-on to the collar. Job done.
A Short History of Speaker Cable Connections
We just thought it would be a good idea to write a little about our experience with speaker cable and terminations which dates back to the mid 1960s as well as the reasons why connectors like Banana Plugs and Spade Terminals are no longer considered a luxury.
Of course, speaker wire or cable has been and will continue to be an important part of the audio video chain for the foreseeable future. You need speaker cable to connect between your Amplifier or A/V Home Theatre Receiver and your speakers. You can use bare wire, but this is the # 1 enemy to causing expensive damage to your Amplifier/Receiver. How so?
Up until the mid 1980's, most Amplifiers had a spring-clip connector and speaker cable was simple 18AWG to 24AWG (thin) stranded cable. It wasn't difficult to get it right although many did get it horribly wrong. Note: AWG stands for American Wire Gauge a USA standard for cable thickness.
We've seen plenty of people strip back even 50mm (should only be 8-12mm) of the insulation thus exposing lots of bare wire and danger! When the positive and negative "touch" disaster is only micro seconds away as well as a nasty burning smell from your precious Amplifier/Receiver!
As speaker cable came under the spotlight as a way of improving sound - Bob Low from AudioQuest was one of the first - and thicker cable was the first theory, a better way had to be found for connecting this thicker speaker cable. The first idea was thin brass pins that were crimped to the cable, and although an improvement, were tricky and often popped out of the spring connector - voice of experience here!
Spade Connectors: These had been around for many years in the electronics world and so the "smarties" among us started using these, particularly at the speaker end which often had thumb screws. However, these still only suited thin cable. So, not long after the brass pins came to market, so did some decent Spade Connectors.
Banana Plugs: Can only presume that somewhere in the electronics world many moons ago, someone decided to make a smaller version of the standard 'phone' or headphone jack. Size is 1/4" or 6.35mm. Today, even entry-level Amplifiers/Receivers have provision for Banana (4mm) plugs and although Spade Connectors and Banana Plugs are still optional - yes bare-wire is also still a choice you have - quality connectors are chosen by most of our customers because (1) they keep everything a lot tidier; (2) are easier to remove and relocate on equipment that needs to be moved and (3) of course minimise the risk of damage to your expensive electronics; (4) they're easy to install; (5) Both Spade Connectors and Banana Plugs have a larger surface area than bare-wire alone and so more of the 'electronic' signal passes from Amplifier to Speaker.
Note: Please don't conclude that all Banana Plugs are equal! There is an abundance of absolute rubbish and junk on the Internet. The 'external' springs loose tension in no time thus defeating one of the primary advantages of buying plugs in the first place. Sure, they're only $2.50 each, look like the real deal with Gold plating etc but you are wasting your money.
The 24ct gold plating on these van den Hul plugs also provide corrosion resistance which prevents poor signal transfer and potential damage to your equipment. They have been designed to work on all brand speaker cables within the 14AWG to 18AWG size. In fact, using the right cables is the easiest way to instantly upgrade the sound quality of your system. They are robust and easy to install.
Main Features & Specifications
- Construction: 24 carat gold plated, screw-on, solderless connectors
- Only suitable for multi-strand loudspeaker cable and wire types
- Suits: 14 AWG to 18 AWG bare wire/conductor and up to 5 mm for jacket diameter
- The banana connector offers good mating properties and minimal contact resistance
- The high pressure clamping ensures low loss electrical connection and maximum signal transfer
Installation Tip
- Strip off 10 - 12mm of the multi-strand cable/wire jacket
- Insert the stripped end through the screw-on collar
- Fan out the strands and evenly fold them encircling the collar
- Insert the banana pin and screw-on to the collar
- Quantity: This package includes 2 Red Band and 2 Black Band Banana Plugs
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE