# dumb question about banana plugs



## geo22 (Sep 5, 2015)

hi i am looking at the sewell deadbolt banana plugs
and the sewell silverback banana plugs

first which do you suggest. i am looking at the deadbolt i like the shorter lenght and the plastic cover

i am doing a 7.1 system am i wrong in assuming you need 13 sets of plugs
do you use the same plug for the speaker and the receiver 
if this is true why does sewell sell them in packs of 12
this is not even the right amount for a 5.1

am i right or wrong i was about to order them from amazon.ca $33.95 canadian for 12 sets deadbolts
$32.95 for the silverbacks same quanity 
will i not be 1 set short
if this is true what a rip off

i hope i am not showing that i am a newby
i no i need a sub woofer cable
do i require a different wire for the front speaker or am i right in assuming i am a set of banana plugs short


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

I use these... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006U3O566?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

I think they are the best banana plugs out there. They are super easy to use...just strip the wires, and thread them through the bottom half of the plugs, and then fold the wire over, and screw the top half back on. Brilliant idea!

11 pair is what you need for a 5.1 setup, and 15 pair for a 7.1 assuming you are running an external amp for the sub.


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## rab-byte (Feb 1, 2011)

No worries 

7 channels would, usually, be a pair per end so that would be 14 pair or 24 total bananas.

As ellisr63 points out you would add another pair if you were using an external sub amp.


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

Is your sub powered...if so you will need a RCA cable unless it uses XLR connectors on the sub. If it uses XLRs on the sub you will need a XLR connector for the sub, and either a RCA or XLR for your amp end. If you have XLRs on the AVR, and the sub you just buy an XLR cable. If you have XLR on one end and RCA for the other end you can either buy a cable that is RCA/XLR or buy a XLR to RCA cable. If it has RCA on the sub...just buy a cable with RCAs on both ends.

I hope this clears it up for you.


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

geo22 said:


> i am doing a 7.1 system am i wrong in assuming you need 13 sets of plugs
> do you use the same plug for the speaker and the receiver
> if this is true why does sewell sell them in packs of 12
> this is not even the right amount for a 5.1
> ...


Understand your frustration... Quantities needed vary so much in different systems, they are generally just sold in even-number sets: 6 pair, 8, 12, 24, etc.


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## shene (Aug 3, 2014)

ellisr63 said:


> I use these... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006U3O566?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage
> 
> I think they are the best banana plugs out there. They are super easy to use...just strip the wires, and thread them through the bottom half of the plugs, and then fold the wire over, and screw the top half back on. Brilliant idea!
> 
> 11 pair is what you need for a 5.1 setup, and 15 pair for a 7.1 assuming you are running an external amp for the sub.


I have some that look like those you link and they were terrible since the tips were too fat to fit into most of the connectors in the back of my Yamaha 3010 receiver. Look nice but don't fit my receiver! I have some others that work very well. They are more $ but are locking types. I have both locking banana plugs and locking rca plugs. Well worth the $ in my opinion. They unfortunately are larger in length so if you have little room behind the receiver they might not allow use. No longer than the old dual plug banana plugs though.


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

shene said:


> I have some that look like those you link and they were terrible since the tips were too fat to fit into most of the connectors in the back of my Yamaha 3010 receiver. Look nice but don't fit my receiver! I have some others that work very well. They are more $ but are locking types. I have both locking banana plugs and locking rca plugs. Well worth the $ in my opinion. They unfortunately are larger in length so if you have little room behind the receiver they might not allow use. No longer than the old dual plug banana plugs though.



Mine fit fine in our Yamaha receiver, and were fine in our Denon when we had it.


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## Savjac (Apr 17, 2008)

The locking banana plugs in this price ranger, in my experience are useless. They are not well made and the thumbscrew that is used to expand the leaves of the plug just do not work well. I would tend to agree with Ron that the simpler the better, at least for now.


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## shene (Aug 3, 2014)

The ones I did not like because they did not fit my Yamaha sockets were "GLS Audio". They look exactly like the Sewell plugs. 
Not all the ones I like are locking. Some are Nakamichi banana plugs which are not locking. The sleeve screws off forward and two set screws grasp the cable then the sleeve covers those locking set screws that have clamped the cable. Another (brand unknown) are actual locking banana plugs. They had a mechanism that drove a pin into the expandable part of the banana plug locking it into the female connector on the receiver. All of these had been purchased as single pairs or groups of single pairs except he GLS which were in a sleeve of 8 or so pairs. I used them on speaker jacks I had used in my home built cabinets though and they did fit there. 
I also have locking RCA plugs that locked onto the ground by tightening the ground sleeve down to hold the ground sleeve onto the connector. Not sure why the GLS audio plugs refused to enter the Yamaha sockets but they would not go in period! I never bothered to grind down the tips to see if that would work.


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## shene (Aug 3, 2014)

Looked on amazon. I think the locking ones were either sewell or gls and they did fit fine. Those and the nakamichi used set screws to hold the cable but were bare metal handles if that would scare you. I cannot see a problem with that since they would not contact one another while inserted and shoud not be inserted or removed with the amp on anyway. Either is pretty cheap at a little over a dollar each piece.


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

I like the Sewell ones I posted because they do not use set screws... You strip the wire and then feed it through the center and fold the wires over the edge. Then you screw the top part back on. They make an excellent connection and you can do it even if you need glasses for up close and don't have them on.


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