Banana plugs: "Open Screw Type" VS "Closed Screw Type"

[Xourque]

Hello everyone!

I'm about to get brand new speaker wire and want to get banana plugs for every single connection (my receiver and speakers both accept banana plugs).

Right now, I'm using banana plugs only for the connections going to the receiver. I happened to get the "Closed Screw Type" ones where you take the wire and spin (or thread) the wire itself into the banana plug. I have had a lot of problems with these where the wire comes out of the banana plug. I'm using 12awg wire in them.

I noticed that Monoprice has a different kind, "Open Screw Type" which appear to be slightly different in that the wire goes through a hole and is "clamped" into place by a screw.

What are the pros and cons to BOTH types of banana plugs? I want to make an educated buy and will hold off on this purchase until I hear from all of you. I'm wanting to get banana plugs AND new 12awg wire.

Open Screw Type:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2

Closed Screw Type:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2

Thank you in advance!

Tony

[MrFattBill]

I personally feel the open screw type offers a more secure connection. I twist my cable and feed it up through one hole and back through into the screw itself, as it's hollow, this way I don't have bare wire sticking out of the other side.

Bill

[NorCo_1806]

I use the MonoPrice open-screw type on both ends of my speaker wire. Though I did find it slightly difficult to feed the wire in the back end, then have the bare wire clamped down between the screw-in piece and the front of the connector.

I bought the open-screw type because they were on sale. Otherwise I may have tried the closed option.

I will say the open-screw type do seem to work better at the speaker itself. As you can feed the wire in the side, let the wire hang straight down, toward the floor. Instead of having the wire feed out the back of the connector, angling up and away from the speaker.

Here's a link to the cables I made, showing the use of the open-screw type being used with the wire fed in the back.

There are other posts in that thread that will show the open-screw type with the wire fed in the side. I've changed a couple of mine, just not posted new pictures.

[Xourque]

Originally Posted by MrFattBill

I personally feel the open screw type offers a more secure connection. I twist my cable and feed it up through one hole and back through into the screw itself, as it's hollow, this way I don't have bare wire sticking out of the other side.

Bill

Hello Bill!

I'm using that type now but have had trouble getting the wire to stay threaded in the banana plug. that's why this clamp screw method looks so appealing. But you're right - since it's literally a hold through the side of the plug, the wire will stick out one side. Unless, of course, the bare wire itself is cut so that it doesn't stick out through the other side.

I can't find any pictures using Google of a wire installed into the closed screw type banana plug. Do you know of any pictures that you could supply?

[Xourque]

Originally Posted by NorCo_1806

I use the MonoPrice open-screw type on both ends of my speaker wire. Though I did find it slightly difficult to feed the wire in the back end, then have the bare wire clamped down between the screw-in piece and the front of the connector.

I bought the open-screw type because they were on sale. Otherwise I may have tried the closed option.

I will say the open-screw type do seem to work better at the speaker itself. As you can feed the wire in the side, let the wire hang straight down, toward the floor. Instead of having the wire feed out the back of the connector, angling up and away from the speaker.

Here's a link to the cables I made, showing the use of the open-screw type being used with the wire fed in the back.

There are other posts in that thread that will show the open-screw type with the wire fed in the side. I've changed a couple of mine, just not posted new pictures.

That link is great, thanks! I like the heat shrink tubing that you applied to them. That's really slick.

I can visualize exactly what you mean about how the closed screw will result in the cables pointing in a direction other than straight back, which might be ideal for my particular application.

Do you have pictures of your closed screw cables (if you still have them)?

[MrFattBill]

Originally Posted by Xourque

Hello Bill!

I'm using that type now but have had trouble getting the wire to stay threaded in the banana plug. that's why this clamp screw method looks so appealing. But you're right - since it's literally a hold through the side of the plug, the wire will stick out one side. Unless, of course, the bare wire itself is cut so that it doesn't stick out through the other side.

I can't find any pictures using Google of a wire installed into the closed screw type banana plug. Do you know of any pictures that you could supply?

That's why I feed the extra wire back into the screw itself, this way it's not sticking out on the other side, this leaves me with a "T" with the vertical being the wire and the horizontal being the plug.



Bill

[TKNice]

I used the closed screw type in my theater and thought they worked great. There is a secret to using them though. When you feed the wire through the bottom and leave a 1/8 inch or so sticking out, be sure to not to fold it down on one side. It's better to split it in the middle and fan it down on all sides to make the most contact. Hopefully that makes sense.

-TK

[Big Daddy]

I have different types of banana plugs and it really doesn't make any difference which type you use. All the discussions about firmer, tighter, etc, don't really mean anything. The only thing I can say is that the open screw types are uglier. My preference is for spade connectors. They are less likely to come loose, if you move the components around.

Banana Plugs






Spade Connectors

[slimmer]

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but how do I work these banana plugs I just ordered from Monoprice?

Maybe I haven't stripped them enough, but the wire doesn't seem to catch any threading.

[ZIPPO]

Originally Posted by slimmer

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but how do I work these banana plugs I just ordered from Monoprice?

Maybe I haven't stripped them enough, but the wire doesn't seem to catch any threading.

Installation Guide: http://www.monoprice.com/manual/INST...NA%20PLUGS.pdf

[slimmer]

Originally Posted by ZIPPO

Installation Guide: http://www.monoprice.com/manual/INST...NA%20PLUGS.pdf

Zip, you're awesome man. I just hadn't stripped it enough.

[DrasticPlastic]

I use the Monoprice open screw type and they work great, I feed my 16 ga. wire through the end and once you get the hang of how much bare wire to feed in, you can get a good secure connection without any wire sticking out of the sides.

[Busta Uppa]

Originally Posted by MrFattBill

That's why I feed the extra wire back into the screw itself, this way it's not sticking out on the other side, this leaves me with a "T" with the vertical being the wire and the horizontal being the plug.



Bill

Just to be clear, when you say you feed the extra wire "back into the screw itself," you mean towards the pluggable tip? Or towards the flat bottom? I just got some banana plugs today (side-entry open screws for Pinnacle S-FIT speakers; closed for Marantz receiver terminals) so I'm looking for tips.