Banana plugs make it so much easier for you to attach and remove your speaker wires from our audio equipment. Without them, you’d have to regularly deal with bare wires anytime you wanted to plug or unplug a wire from a component.
If this is your first time ever using banana plugs, we’ll you’re in the right place! We’ll show you how banana plugs work so that you can seamlessly fit your wires into your equipment!
How Do Banana Plugs Work?
Banana plugs are very easy to work with. All you have to do is insert the wires at the rear end of the plug, screw it down, and insert the plug into the socket of your speaker.
The bare wires inside the plug will firmly press against the metallic part of the plug and form a strong electrical connection. When the banana plug is plugged into a speaker, the signals will transmit from one device to another without a messy connection.
How Do Banana Plugs Work With Speakers?
Below is a detailed step by step guide on how banana plugs work with speakers:
- Cut the wire:
The first thing you have to do is cut your speaker wire to the length you want. This step should be performed before you install the banana plug. After you have the desired length of wire, you can move on to the next step.
- Split the wire:
In the next step, you will have to split the wires into two so that you can work with each individual wire. Speaker wire usually comes in a pair of two held together by the insulating jacket. Just pull the wire apart, and they will come off.
- Strip off the Jacket:
By using a wire stripper, strip off the jacket by around half an inch from the tip. When you perform this step, the bare wire will emerge. Repeat this step on both wires.
- Attach the Banana Plugs:
Once the cable is stripped, and the bare wires are exposed, it is time to attach the banana plugs. To complete this step, first, twist the bare wires together so that you can fit them in the plugs with ease. Now, unscrew the bottom part and attach the twisted and stripped wire inside the plugs.
Once the wires are well attached to the plug, screw back the bottom part to secure the wires. Make sure that the wires are deep inside and the screw is tight.
- Connect to Speaker:
Once you repeat the above steps on both sides of the wire, you can now plug it into your speaker. This will be a much simpler step than connecting the bare wires into your component.
Do Banana Plugs Fit All speakers?
While banana plugs are the standard connection for speakers, they, unfortunately, do not fit all speakers.
It all comes down to the type of connections or terminals that a speaker has. There are several types of connections that come with speakers in the market today. However, the two most popular types of connections are clip types and 5-way binding posts.
The clip-type connection is normally found in cheaper and lower-end speakers where you simply slide the bare wires into the clippers. On the other hand, the 5-way binding post is gold-plated, and you’ll usually find them in higher-end speakers. They are also more robust and provide secure connections making them one of the best types of speaker connections.
From the two types of speaker connections, the banana plug only fits in the second type of speaker connection, which is the 5-way binding posts.
What Are Banana Plugs Used For?
The main purpose of using a banana plug is to provide a safe and secure way of connecting your bare wires to your equipment through the sockets. They make it easy for you to connect and disconnect your wires.
If you don’t use a banana plug, you will have to unnecessarily fiddle with bare wires while attaching cable with equipment. This can sometimes lead to short circuits and may even promote wear and tear in the wires.
Banana plugs are used in a number of audio equipment, such as:
- Amplifiers
- Hi-Fi receivers
- Auxiliary Jacks
- Speakers
- Loudspeakers
- Wired Sound Systems
Besides audio equipment, banana plugs are sometimes used in lab testing equipment as well.
Do Banana Plugs Improve Sound?
There is a misconception among a lot of people that banana plugs can improve sound quality. However, that is not true. Banana plugs do not have any impact on the sound quality of your speakers.
However, it is worth noting that banana plugs can preserve sound quality in the long run.
How?
Well, banana plugs do a great job in securing the wires to your speaker, which prevents the wires from getting exposed. So, this reduces the amount of wear and tear and hence, preserves sound quality.
Many people think that banana plugs are only a cosmetic tool that keeps the wire tidy. However, it is much more than that. By looking at the bigger picture, you will find that banana plugs also improve the longevity of the speaker wire, prevents loose connection, and give you a much better and safer setup.
Banana plugs also come in high-end and lower-end quality. The differences in price also make people believe that the higher end provides better sound quality than the cheaper ones. But that is also not true. Some banana plugs are more expensive since they provide a robust and secure fit than others.
If you buy two banana plugs with different price tags, the only difference you will see is how secure each of the two plugs is.
Summary
Banana plugs come with a bunch of benefits when you use them for your speaker wire. They make your installation look tidy while also providing a secure and tight fit for your wires.
Hopefully, this article has provided you with the information on installing the banana plug on your speakers. You can now say goodbye to unreliable and messy bare wire connections.
