chop them off and put better ones on
Speaker Cable Banana Plug Breakage
Hi Folks,
I could seriously use some help with a banana plug issue. The thin gold plated pieces that splay apart on the end of my banana plug have broken off and now, I'm having some conductivity issues. I used a test CD and there is obviously a reason for concern. These are older Hi Diamond speaker cables and while they sound wonderful, the build quality might leave a little to be desired. Right now, the banana plug end is a minuscule gold pointed spear and I'wondering if there isn't something that I could do without causing a sound contrast between the two speakers? I'm pretty certain that Cullen Cables can help me with his issue but I need to buy myself some time before having them properly repaired. Any help would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks!
I could seriously use some help with a banana plug issue. The thin gold plated pieces that splay apart on the end of my banana plug have broken off and now, I'm having some conductivity issues. I used a test CD and there is obviously a reason for concern. These are older Hi Diamond speaker cables and while they sound wonderful, the build quality might leave a little to be desired. Right now, the banana plug end is a minuscule gold pointed spear and I'wondering if there isn't something that I could do without causing a sound contrast between the two speakers? I'm pretty certain that Cullen Cables can help me with his issue but I need to buy myself some time before having them properly repaired. Any help would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks!
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randy, I'm worried that I might affect the sound, making one cable different sounding from the other. My thought is to have both cables re-terminated exactly the same way and by someone who knows what they're doing better than myself. That said, I did send Hi Diamond an email and am waiting to hear what they advise. It is possible that Hi Diamond would be willing to help me with this issue and recommend that I can therefore fix this issue by myself. In the mean time, I'm hoping that someone here on this forum knows something about Hi Diamond cables and can assist me with a temporary solution. |
It really is the easiest thing, to terminate cables. You seem to have convinced yourself that you can't do it.. If you can sculpt, or stretch a canvas, you can certainly do this yourself. You don't even have to solder, crimp connections can also be very good. You would need to buy a good pair of crimping pliers, of course. Soldering is very easy as well and solder and a soldering iron can be had cheaply. For approximately half of the mental energy you seem to have spent worrying about this, you could fix this yourself. Do it! |
The thin gold plated pieces that splay apart on the end of my banana plug have broken off and now, I'm having some conductivity issues. This is one reason I use bare wire at the terminal connection point. Theoretically better because less is more in this case. I think the only reason to use some kind of terminator is in cases where you would frequently take on and off the speaker wire, like at an audio dealer. |
As gdhal says, bare wire is a completely valid solution to connect your cables as well. However, based on you posts, I’m guessing that there’s no way you’d go for that because that’s not how they come from the manufacturer. With that said, might I recommend that you change all the bananas to the newer BFA banana design? It’s far superior to the old school banana connector. It provides a much larger, stronger contact area and, because of this, I’ve found it to be even better than bare wire. Here's an inexpensive example and it has a screw on connection system, so you wouldn't need to crimp or solder: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F201718034056 These are what I use, but you'd need to crimp or solder them: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F160535708043 |
Thanks todd & dhal. I wouldn't totally discount bare wire but am unsure how to remove the banana plugs. I did receive a response from HiDiamond but my Italian is till so there's a slight communication issue. This is essentially the advice I got, 'Please send photo. If the problem is the final plug , your possible buy other banana and change. The bananas are normally forgotten on the wire and not solder.' |
There is a way to remove the front of the banana plug by unscrewing a silver ring. This will expose the two screws holding the plug to the wire. I'll take the screws apart and attach the bare wire to the post. The important thing is not to make contact with the other terminal. Much appreciation to HIDiamond for their customer service. |
Well done. They’re just wires, but when they’re expensive and you’ve no idea how they’re terminated, it can seem difficult. If you ever need to reterminate, you may consider a good pair of wire cutting/stripping pliers. They’ll allow you to cut the cable, then strip off the insulation, exposing a clean, pristine section of wire with which to connect. |
Thanks todd. I'll trust your advice and try connecting the cables to BFA banana plugs. My thought is that once I get down to the screws, there should be enough cable to avoid stripping or cutting. I'm very apprehensive about removing shielding, etc...as these cables are expensive. I'm currently at work however I'll try to bare the wire in a few hours. |
goofyfoot Your gut instincts were correct, while just about anyone can solder, making a high quality audio solder connection or even a mechanical one takes some practice, and despite what others may say there is a white paper available about the whole bare wire vs a high quality termination. The point of my response is when your ready to have them fixed it, I would be willing to re-terminate them for you for free, soldered or mechanical connection. If soldered I use Cardas. Sounds like you really like them, I wouldn't mind helping out a fellow member! |
perfectpathtech, that's very kind of you and yes, I would like Cardas plugs. According to HiDiamond, I should be able to replace the plugs myself. For the meantime, I will place the bare wire (without touching it) to the post and then work towards getting two sets for both ends of each cable. If I'm going to replace one end of the cable, I might as well do the other end. |
Those nerve audio BFA banana plugs I linked to are beryllium copper with a silver plating. I use them on the speaker cables I make and they sound great. The monoprice banana I’d stay away from, they’re certainly brass. @perfectpathtech - you are a sweet human. And yes, there is technique to making a good connection. But the man sounds like he’s good with his hands and could definitely do it himself. Plus, the stock connectors are held in place with set screws, it sounds like. As long as he buys connectors made from good materials, it’s very likely they’ll be as least as good as stock. I never like set screws as a way to attach connectors. But heck, if I were him I’d take you up on your offer as well! |
The response from HiDiamond; 'removing banana is really simple. turn and unscrew the silver ring, will see two screws, I have to unlock them and then lift the broken banana and insert a new banana that you can buy via internet in USA Shop or yes is possible use bare wire . the important thing is not to contact the other terminal' |
Thanks All! I did remove the banana plug and pulled back the shielding to expose more of the cable. The shielding split some in one place but a little silicon epoxy could fix it. I used a micro cloth to turn the end of the cable wire. When I took the plug off, I had a fat stub. The cable wire is too fat to completely fit in the Quad 2905 post but I got it to work and tightened down the post. One would think with these HiDiamond cables that better plugs would be standard however these are earlier cables so maybe that has changed. But great customer service! The BFA plugs do look like a simple but effective solution. The Cardas look nice as well. Hard to decide. |