Hello
I am curious if you can actually hear the difference between the two binding posts. (one is $8 and the other is $108)
Dayton Post
Dayton Audio BPA-38SN HD Binding Post Pair Satin Nickel
Furutech
Furutech Speaker Binding Posts FP 803 G 2pcs Set 24K Gold Plated | eBay
Thanks in advance.
I am curious if you can actually hear the difference between the two binding posts. (one is $8 and the other is $108)
Dayton Post
Dayton Audio BPA-38SN HD Binding Post Pair Satin Nickel
Furutech
Furutech Speaker Binding Posts FP 803 G 2pcs Set 24K Gold Plated | eBay
Thanks in advance.
Hi,
Really cheap binding posts usually turn in the chassis. It doesn't matter how tight you clamp Teflon to aluminium. Teflon = slippy. This means no tightly clamped speaker wire or spade so probably increased contact resistance (distortion?). The brass is often brittle and my kids have snapped some on previous projects. I hate them and now spend more than I can really afford on speaker posts.
However, Those Dayton posts look perfect. Positively biting into the material. Wish I knew where to get them here in the old world.
Don't know about the science or the sound but I am deeply irritated every time I have to affix cable to the really cheap ones I bought in the past.
Lesson learned.
Really cheap binding posts usually turn in the chassis. It doesn't matter how tight you clamp Teflon to aluminium. Teflon = slippy. This means no tightly clamped speaker wire or spade so probably increased contact resistance (distortion?). The brass is often brittle and my kids have snapped some on previous projects. I hate them and now spend more than I can really afford on speaker posts.
However, Those Dayton posts look perfect. Positively biting into the material. Wish I knew where to get them here in the old world.
Don't know about the science or the sound but I am deeply irritated every time I have to affix cable to the really cheap ones I bought in the past.
Lesson learned.
The Dayton posts are cast zinc. I received them in a speaker kit from Jantzen Audio. The speakers sounded meh until I accidentally, but providentially broke a post while reinstalling it. I was appalled to see the porous gray metal inside, snapped like chalk with pretty gold paint on the outside. I should have wondered when Jantzen asked me if I wanted brushed nickel finish on my speaker posts. 
I removed them and used a radio shack posts like shown above by DUG, just used to clamp the speaker input wire to the speaker cable, the sound improvement was enormous. I think I used a banana on the SC and speaker input through the hole in the side of the post.
I know people love to hate expensive parts, but you do get what you pay for. If it really was a ripoff they would not stay in business for decades.
At least get solid brass posts. Since you have silver wire try to get copper posts, or skip the post and just clamp your hookup wire directly to the speaker cable with cheap posts like Radio Shack.
I removed them and used a radio shack posts like shown above by DUG, just used to clamp the speaker input wire to the speaker cable, the sound improvement was enormous. I think I used a banana on the SC and speaker input through the hole in the side of the post.
I know people love to hate expensive parts, but you do get what you pay for. If it really was a ripoff they would not stay in business for decades.
At least get solid brass posts. Since you have silver wire try to get copper posts, or skip the post and just clamp your hookup wire directly to the speaker cable with cheap posts like Radio Shack.
And they are standard 3/4" spacing, so you can use Pomona double bananas.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
dave
Plain copper, brass, steel etc will tarnish over time and will degrade the contact. This doesn't mean that exotics are necessary. Gold plated brass won't tarnish and as long as the contact surface is fairly substantial, clean and tight, will give you all you need.
I don't like banana plugs as only the tips of the springs are making strong contact.
I don't like banana plugs as only the tips of the springs are making strong contact.
I have bought some of these Neutrix Speakon, at least for testing.
Single cable, silver plated, minimum contact area, perfect? I wonder why we rarely ever see them?
speakON Loudspeaker Connectors - Neutrik
Single cable, silver plated, minimum contact area, perfect? I wonder why we rarely ever see them?
speakON Loudspeaker Connectors - Neutrik
Neutrik is a good, reliable brand.
For BPs in general, you want something which won't rotate and can be tightened firmly to make a gas-tight compression connection. Hex is a good sign- round are difficult to get tight enough. Avoid anything that has "single crystal" or "cryo" or anything like that in the ad copy, or a three figure price tag. Avoid ultra cheap stuff sold on EBay. Avoid using bananas (connection just isn't tight enough).
I've been using some Tiff connectors that can be cranked down with a wrench for ultra-tightness. These are the same ones used on the upper-end NHT speakers. They are all metal, which I think is a good feature.
For BPs in general, you want something which won't rotate and can be tightened firmly to make a gas-tight compression connection. Hex is a good sign- round are difficult to get tight enough. Avoid anything that has "single crystal" or "cryo" or anything like that in the ad copy, or a three figure price tag. Avoid ultra cheap stuff sold on EBay. Avoid using bananas (connection just isn't tight enough).
I've been using some Tiff connectors that can be cranked down with a wrench for ultra-tightness. These are the same ones used on the upper-end NHT speakers. They are all metal, which I think is a good feature.
I skipped binding posts entirely (bi-amping and running speaker cable to tweet and woof crossovers) for my Aria-5 kits many moons ago. When adding larger bass units several years later (tri-amping) with my Aria Focals becoming mid-bass drivers, I continued the "no BP" situation, running cable directly to the new woofers.
Why add several junctions (BREAKS IN THE WIRE -- LET'S BE HONEST) if you don't need to ? The parts of every brand of binding posts are of differing shapes, sizes, materials.
Electrons are on this planet to make our wacky lives more tolerable (except for the time my cousin Thelma Lou accidentally fried herself using a hair dryer in the bathtub) so why be mean to those tiny charged treasures when they carry the extremely complex music signal?
BPs are, of course, a necessary evil for the huge majority of audio system listeners, yet for many of us "DIY fanatics", with a reasonable amount of confidence that the speakers we are building will be super-duperly satisfying, avoiding them will make a difference.
If not now, with the equipment we currently have, eventually -- when front ends or amps or interconnects or A/C filters are upgraded -- thereby raising system transparency and detail.
Why add several junctions (BREAKS IN THE WIRE -- LET'S BE HONEST) if you don't need to ? The parts of every brand of binding posts are of differing shapes, sizes, materials.
Electrons are on this planet to make our wacky lives more tolerable (except for the time my cousin Thelma Lou accidentally fried herself using a hair dryer in the bathtub) so why be mean to those tiny charged treasures when they carry the extremely complex music signal?
BPs are, of course, a necessary evil for the huge majority of audio system listeners, yet for many of us "DIY fanatics", with a reasonable amount of confidence that the speakers we are building will be super-duperly satisfying, avoiding them will make a difference.
If not now, with the equipment we currently have, eventually -- when front ends or amps or interconnects or A/C filters are upgraded -- thereby raising system transparency and detail.
Neutrik connectors really should be the adopted norm. Fit all the necessary qualities, even for hifi types. Strong, practical, locking connection, with minimal metal interface that attaches to wire with a compression fitting. They could go hifi by adding gold plated copper. It's like a big Eichmann. Love them.
Hello again SY ---
OK, you get a well-deserved point, due to my non-optimum word choice to describe the insertion of a BP between two runs of wire.
Howzabout the 4th synonym listed in Merriam-Webster's resource ?
Break - Synonyms and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Maybe we should just "agree to disagree" about binding posts, and move on to more vexing matters, such as why fruitcake is so immune to physical changes during years of storage . . .
OK, you get a well-deserved point, due to my non-optimum word choice to describe the insertion of a BP between two runs of wire.
Howzabout the 4th synonym listed in Merriam-Webster's resource ?
Break - Synonyms and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Maybe we should just "agree to disagree" about binding posts, and move on to more vexing matters, such as why fruitcake is so immune to physical changes during years of storage . . .
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