The plugs have an integral projection which is a stop to limit how far they can be inserted into deep binding post holes and that projection also forms the slightly thicker "body" portion of the plug for gripping.  I use two short pieces of heatshrink to help build that up a little before the final longer piece of heatshrink.
 
I was able to fold over and double up my 11AWG wire, but anything larger would likely be used single thickness.
 

 
Steve

Wayner,

Would it not sound even better if you just used bare wire to connect to the speaker binding posts?

It is important for me that the speaker wires be easily removed and that the critical positioning of the speakers is not changed. The speakers are set (and calibrated) to be exactly mirror image to each other in regards to toe-in angle and position from rear wall. I also find that the single nut of the 5-way binding posts of the speakers tend to vibrate loose, and require periodic checks. These bananas (IMHO) secure the wire to the speaker much better then even bare stranded wire, because of that reason alone.

I have tried a bunch of different banana plugs (the turbine style) from companies like Monster, NXG, Parts Express and others, and they all fail after a period of time. Either the banana turbine relaxes or the the tightened wire with the single nut loosens.

I simply don't see how this will be a problem with the new Nakamichiplug plugs. Even bitching about the material used (not as advertised) as being an issue has gone away. I have replugged every critical set of speakers in the house yesterday, but I'm going to order a 24 pack today.

This has been a great find and tweak for me, and at a whopping cost of about $1.13 each, you can't get much cheaper then that. I'm a happy camper. I also do a nice spray of De-oxit 5 before I install the banana to get the best possible contact, mechanically and chemically.

Wayner

I understand why you want the banana plugs, I was just curious how much better the system sounds when it is bare-wired to the speaker binding posts.

It is important for me that the speaker wires be easily removed and that the critical positioning of the speakers is not changed. The speakers are set (and calibrated) to be exactly mirror image to each other in regards to toe-in angle and position from rear wall. I also find that the single nut of the 5-way binding posts of the speakers tend to vibrate loose, and require periodic checks. These bananas (IMHO) secure the wire to the speaker much better then even bare stranded wire, because of that reason alone.


Wayner

Well, a couple of points... one is that not too many people have one of those tools lying about at home Second, soldering can't be that bad as after all that is most likely how the connection is made on the inside of the equipment being connected.

...and the equipment the music was recorded on, and the equipment used to transfer it to whatever medium you're enjoying, and the.................(ad nauseum)

If solder joints really sound bad then how with the elimination of two in the speaker cable make up for the dozens (if not hundreds) along the rest of the chain?

That's interesting to know. I bought mine direct.

There's nothing really wrong with them, considering the price, they work fine. I'd like to find something similar that is designed to be soldered.

John,
What wire are using in the photo?
Larry

That's true about the tool not lying about in most folk's workbox.  But a nice 8 ton portable with a decent set of dies can be had for $60 US, not too much for someone who makes speaker cables and interconnects for themselves and friends on even a casual frequency.  I'm no expert on the sound of solder vs compression, but Sean Casey at Zu is and he likes both the durability and sound quality of high pressure connections.  And purely on common sense, which holds little water in argument, physically bonding the metallic lattice seems superior to melting some tin over the connection.  How much bonding is there at 8 tons, and how gas tight it is, please ask someone who knows, I said it was common sense and I have precious little of it to spread around.   

Of course solder is used throughout components where crimping is impractical and expensive compared to a solder bath.  And is a common practice in audio cabling as well, even if just make a mechanical connection gas tight.  So for your question, yes, one of the IMHO personal preference things, but it makes sense to me.   

 What connectors are used for crimping? I wonder if the Nak's would survive crimping? I work for a re-manufacturer, and I have access to a couple of crimping methods. One is a tool for crimping wires on big truck starters, and alternators. Also, I have direct use of a Finn Power 240 ton crimper. I would probably have to make a die to go that small, but with this machine I could dial in the exact crimp diameter needed. http://www.lillbackausa.com/heavy_duty_production

 Another thing they use at my work place when they crimp the wires on is a gold colored paste. I don't know anything about it other than it comes in a small container with a brush, and it's is very expensive. It's probably to prevent oxidation. Has anyone used anything like this on there connections?

 I ordered the Nak's via the slow boat source so I may try crimping one of them with Finn Power Crimper. Depending on what they are made of and the diameter reduction need to tightly crimp them, they may just break, or if they are made of a soft metal, they should crimp easily.

 Another thought I had for short speaker cables where 14 gauge cable is enough is to solder the cable inside a short piece of copper tubing, maybe 3/16" OD. Would someone measure the ID of the barrel on the Nak's ? I would think the copper tubing would increase the contact area inside the connector. The contact points on the tubing where the tightening screws hit the tubing could be drilled out a little so the screws would be tightened flush. This would create a very strong connection. Just a thought

Larry

The inside of the barrel is 5mm or .196". The material is a brass family alloy, with a fairly high copper content, so it should crimp. However, I'd stay very far way from the banana element. I'm not sure how that is held in there, but I'm pretty sure its cold formed onto the connector body. I do feel that the set screws are adequate with 14gauge (doubled up), but if you want, crimp away. Audio Advisor does have some BFAs that are made for crimping that might work better, kind of expensive: http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ANGB

Wayner

Wayner, Thanks for getting me the dimensions. Good point about keeping away from the Banana element. This would just be an experiment because I have the ability to try it. If I don't deform the barrel too much, I may still be able to use the set screws, but probably don't need them. It will probably be a month before I get to try my theory


Also....as far as my other method of soldering a short piece of copper tubing on the wire before inserting in the connector:

 What do you think of my idea about using 3/16 OD refrigeration (soft copper) tubing? It's .1875 OD so it should fit the 5MM perfectly, assuming the OD tolerance for the tubing isn't extreme. The tubing has a .030 wall which gives it a .1275 ID. I will have to see if the twisted strands of a double 14 ga , a single 12ga, or whatever will fit the .1275 ID of the copper tubing.

 If you guys think my idea for trying the copper tubing is dumb , just say so. I am thinking the tubing would increase the contact surface are in the connector, and the wire would be soldered inside the tubing, preventing possible oxidation when inserted in the connector. 

Thoughts??

Wayner... would you get me one more dimension: I need the OD of the barrel so I can try to make something for a crimp die to try.


Thanks,
Larry

John,
What wire are using in the photo?
Larry

Hi Larry, it's CAT6 network cable.

The best type for crimping are those like the ones Steve linked to:



Or those with a sleeve insert made for crimping.  (Your idea of a sleeve of soft copper is just the thing they use, can't find a pic of them right off)  I wouldn't think the Naks and the other types made for solder or screw down connection would be the best application.

About the 240 ton crimper, since yesterday I've perused a few articles on mechanical bonding of noble metals and it seems like too much force is as bad as too little force.  I'm far, far away from any kind expert on this, but it seems the metals flow away from the bonding lattice when too much pressure is applied.  I'd take a wild guess that the crimper for the truck starters prolly applies the correct force needed to get a gas tight bond.

Thanks for your comments. I am just thinking about different ways to get good connections between the wire and connector. Not sure I am on the right track at all...

Actually the 240 ton crimper is a fully adjustable machine. 240 ton is the maximum force it can apply. The actual crimp diameter is dialed in on a digital display. Say the barrel on the Nak's are 1/4" OD (.250") and I want to reduce that diameter by .001" (.249") I can do that. We would call that a "kiss" The amount of crimp force needed for these connectors would be an educated guess on my part, but I have already used it for crimping battery cables, even though it normally is used for up to 6" hose crimping. I could use the published % of wall reduction for the battery cable ends as a starting point. This machine is just a much larger and more expensive machine that would be used to crimp wires in a production setting.
 Whether it works for the Nak's remains to be seen, but it will only cost me a dollar to find out

Larry

Steve:
 The Multi-Contact LS4 connector soldered may actually be the best C&C connection. It's simple, low mass, and probably easy to attach.
 I am really new at all this, but I like experimenting, and trying different things. I like the look of the Nak's and want to give them a try even if it doesn't work out
 If I can get my sleeve idea to work by soldering it to the wire without destroying the insulation, and then inserting it into the Nak. I may try crimping the connector instead of using the set screws The amount needed to crimp would be minimal, and hopefully it would not crush the connector. I guess it's worth a try. I just wish I didn't have to wait a month to find out

 Wayner:
 Thanks for the OD dimension. I will try to figure out something for a die. The smallest size I can crimp with the dies we have is about 1/2" OD.
I wasn't thinking about trying to solder the wire directly to the connector. As you suggest, it would require too much heat to get a good solder joint. I was thinking about using the copper tubing soldered to the wire. Although heat may be an issue with this method too. This would be inserted into connector, secured with the set screws.

 The product I mentioned earlier that is used on elect. connections at my work place is Kopr-Shield: http://www-public.tnb.com/shared/inst/ta02445-tb2.pdf   Don't know if it would be effective for speaker connectors, but I guess it's something to consider

Larry