Im running my surround sound system wires in my wall, and wanted to know if i should use rca's or banana plugs to connect my receiver to a wall plate and speakers. Thanks very much.
J. Vigne
Unregistered guest
Posted on
An RCA is one of the worst connection available as far as connection quality is concerned. They are not self wiping and will oxidize. A banana is meant for temporary connection only, but you can at least get a locking banana that is better than an RCA.
Stretch
Unregistered guest
Posted on
So what do you reccomend? Thanks again
J. Vigne
Unregistered guest
Posted on
I have my speakers hard wired with the tail of the cable simply passing through a wall plate with a strain relief on it. Connect and disconnect are made directly at the speakers and/or the amplifiers. If that is unacceptable to you, you then must decide whether to go with pre made plates or make your own. If you go with pre existing plates you don't have much choice so I would get locking bananas. If you want to do this correctly, in a pro audio hook up, speakers are connected by a 1/4" phone jack. This is also meant, like bananas, as a temporary connection. It offers a more secure connection than a RCA and is a self wiping connector that will clean itself when it is inserted or removed. The other approach for a more permanent hook up would be to put barrier strips on the plate and you get a gas tight connection that will, if installed correctly, not oxidize at the point of contact and is quite secure. Five way binding posts offer a similar quality but are more expensive and not needed in this application. Thy are, however, more flexible if you think you might be trying different equipment over time. Flexibility is their only advantage over a terminal or barrier strip since a binding post offers less surface area for the physical connection that a screw type connection.