Dayton Binding Posts - What are they made of?

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thunk303

thunk303

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Joined 2005
#1
In the interest of using semi decent materials in my signal path without spending a fortune, does anybody know the material makeup of the:

Dayton Audio BPP-G Premium Binding Post Pair Gold

Are they gold on Copper or just brass?

Does anybody know of a similar product at a similar price that they would recommend?

My next step up in price/performance looks like this Cardas product:

http://www.partsconnexion.com/product7453.html

Unless somebody has something allot better for the same price.

Cheers
Dean
 
#7
thunk303 said:
In the interest of using semi decent materials in my signal path without spending a fortune, does anybody know the material makeup of the:

My next step up in price/performance looks like this Cardas product:
Click to expand...

The Dayton have too much metal for my taste. The cardas may work fine, but i hate using them.

Short of the Eichmann i use these http://www.partsconnexion.com/product7483.html, might be what badman is describing in post 4. I've seen them on the back of $10k retail power amps.

I also had the opportunity to work with the more normal Cardas copper binding posts (a customers). They suck. The copper is so heat conductive, even with a high wattage soldering gun it is almost impossible to do a good solder job

Now -- if you don't swap speakers continually like i do -- the best way to use a 5-way post is to run the cable out of the back of the speaker, put the bare wire in the hole, take your interconnect, do the same thing, and just use the binding posts to clamp the wire ends together.

dave
 
#8
after many years I realised that there are no good binding posts
I also found that some of the 'better ones' were worse than the cheaper
fancy materials, but function sucks

now I just use whatever keeps a good grip on the wire
and then stop thinking about it
 
#10
The Dayton Satin jobies will match the looks of my build more than the gold, and as we know its all about the looks, so as long as there not made of "soundis destructis" I might just spring for them. I like the floating ferule and that they can be mounted an inch away from each other for the chuby fingered crew. 😎

I was also thinking of taking a grinder to them to shorten the threaded section I don't need, unless they make a short version??? Which I cant find!!??!!

Dayton Audio BPP-SN Premium Binding Post Pair Satin Nickel

Dean
 
#15
thunk303 said:
It says they are Satin Nickel Plated, is nickel a bad thing, should I go for the gold or is it in the "you wont hear it camp!!"
Click to expand...

I believe there are sonic differences... but what is what is in truth hard to guage.

I understand nickel is needed to plate the gold to the nickel. One could look at this 2-ways.

1/ the nickel is a poor condictor so that the signal doesn't get to the underlying copper very well, so that is a bad thing. THink here advocates of thick wire.
2/ he nickel is a poor condictor so that the signal doesn't get to the underlying copper very well, mostly conducsting in the thin gold layer, so that is a good thing. THink here advocates of skinny wire.

It is much more complex than that.

If you have the budget get eichmanns. Being made in Oz, you guys should be in a good position to buy them. Too expensive for me. For max fidelity i'll just use the 5-way posts as a clamp to get a connection from the wire in the speaker to the wire in the cable.

Danny Richie is using a plug that uses this same idea, but "tidier"

Electra tube connector installation instructions.

dave
 
#16
These type of connectors are excellent, I was lucky and got some promotional samples at work for home use, but only got 4, that just happened to be the same size as banana plugs. I haven't looked around for any for a while for my own use, but prefer them to most other types.
http://www.iehcorp.com/PDFs/IEH_Hyperboloid_Summary.pdf
HYPERTAC
Though screw down connectors on bare wire have quite good performance figures if done properly, and surprisingly gold plated faston connectors are also good, both provide an air tight metal to metal contact, though neither are easy to dismantle and don't look very high class.
 
#17
My preferred binding post is Vampire, either the gold over brass, or, if you can afford it, the gold over solid copper. They are made completely of metal with a beautiful finish and are very durable. This is a very high quality product worth its modest cost. The solid copper option sounds a bit smoother and clearer in the highs and mids.

I would avoid anything nickel-plated, as that sort of thing is usually made as cheaply as possible, and I think it imparts harshness.

Dave, I know you have a lot of experience at this stuff, but I must disagree on the Eichman's. They are my least favorite binding post and least favorite banana plug, as well. They are made mostly of plastic and cost too much for what they are. To me, it is true audiophile hype to make stuff out of plastic and charge outrageous amounts of money for it as if it were something special. I fell for it, and melted a pair of the Cable Pods while trying to solder leads to them. I don't know how they sound because I threw the melted pair away and sold the other set. The banana plugs worked for a while and then wouldn't make reliable contact. Based on my experience, avoid.

I'm sure all of the binding posts with red/black plastic hex nuts for heads and skinny threaded posts are perfectly adequate for most average systems, and objectivists and non-critical listeners. They are probably all made by the same manufacturer out of the same materials--brass with the thinnest plating of gold. They will function as long as they are not overtightened to strip the threads. It happens. I use this type whenever I replace those awful little spring clips on cheapie receivers and speakers.

Peace,
Tom E
 
#18
madisonears said:
Dave, I know you have a lot of experience at this stuff, but I must disagree on the Eichman's. They are my least favorite binding post and least favorite banana plug, as well. They are made mostly of plastic and cost too much for what they are.
Click to expand...

I agree that they are over priced, and that they are easy to break, but lots of plastic & very little metal is a good thing tMM.

And sometimes the made as cheaply as possible works out well. For instance the best RCAs at Radio Shack are the plastic covered ones that are ~$5 for 8. To get them cheap they used very thin metal.

dave
 
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