Speakon vs banana vs

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I've used the TRUE1 and 20A, with built in sockets and ones that connect two leads together. The TRUE1 is a bit harder to connect and disconnect but not critically and it is a waterproof connection. I just checked if I felt any difference between releasing the SpeakOn and PowerCon connections I currently use and there is none.
 
Banana jacks were intended for test gear. They fall out, get loose, get inadvertently pulled out and if they short together with some amps BAM! Who in hell ever thought they were a good idea for audio gear?
My favorite connection scheme is the use of good old fashioned terminal strips along with high quality crimp lugs. Makes a secure gas tight seal that won't loosen up or corrode over the long run.

Can you imagine if all the electrical connections in your car were made with banana plugs?

As far as speakons go, I like them for commercial use. Maybe someday they will find favor in the consumer market. Certainly not a bad idea.



BillWojo


A bit late to the thread, sorry, but coming from a "Test & Measurement" background, I have no quarrel with banana plugs/jacks.


But... like anything in life, there's degrees of quality. A good test: solder a piece of wire to a banana plug. Tie that wire to a 2 Lb. test weight. Plug it vertically into a banana jack. Can you lift it without falling out? If so, then it's a "Good" plug/jack combination. Beware of crap chinese plugs that can barely hold there own weight.



Closest I can cite on a "standard" is that UL uses the same test for listing "Hospital Grade" electrical receptacles except with a 5 lb test weight... but that's with (3) pins (Line, N, Gnd). 1/3 of that rounded up is 2 lb.



Believe me, this MATTERS in the "Test & Measurement" world. Nobody wants to see a gazillion-dollar test run botched because a banana plug fell out of a jack somewhere.
 
but there were complaints about how difficult it was to release them

That's true if the chassis fitted ones are cheap copies found on many cheap PA speakers.
I own many Neutrik Speakon, Powercons & XLRs and they never failed me. Amphenol & Switchcraft, even Rean work fine and then there is the cheaper Proel brand, when You stomp on a connector it gets oval and never fits again.
 
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