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speaker terminals on vintage amps

97.127.205.154
Posted on March 23, 2015 at 17:49:01
rws
Audiophile

Posts: 303
Location: Minnesota
Joined: September 7, 2004
 This may be a dumb question but here goes. I have been thinking about buying a vintage tube amp Fischer, Scott or Sherwood.



The speaker terminal connections on these that I have seen use pan head screws (fairly small). I currently use a modestly priced set of cables with bananas. Is there a way to convert the terminals, I've seen some rebuilds where they mod the chassis and add binding posts. Is this is what is needed or is there some kind of adapter?



Bob




"Sometime I will have to give account of myself. How would the Father in heaven judge me if I followed others and not Him", Anton Bruckner

 

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RE: speaker terminals on vintage amps, posted on March 23, 2015 at 18:54:55
Brian Levy
Audiophile

Posts: 2438
Location: Toronto
Joined: June 5, 2000
 Check on eBay for adaptors specifically made for this. Not very expensive. The spade comes in several sizes so, make sure you get the proper size.
Don Brian Levy, J.D.
Toronto ON Canada

 

stay with spades that fit the existing screw terminals, posted on March 24, 2015 at 03:05:54
Timbo in Oz
Audiophile

Posts: 23221
Location: Canberra - in the ACT - SE Australia
Joined: January 30, 2002
 Screw terminals are fine with spades or with bare wire kept clean.

If the amp had decent multi-way fittings that take good bananas or pomonas, that you clean regularly, they have their advantages.

all connections need checking cleaning and tightening, just like your dealer does in your car.


Warmest

Tim Bailey

Skeptical Measurer & Audio Scrounger


 

RE: speaker terminals on vintage amps, posted on March 24, 2015 at 04:50:56
sony6060
Audiophile

Posts: 1465
Location: USA
Joined: August 8, 2014
 I used the spade terminal adapters. eBay has these available from sellers in Hong Kong.

BTW- A rebuilt Fisher 400, 500 or 800 with a mix of Vitamin Q & K40Y-9 coupling capacitors is insanely good sounding. You get a world class phono section and a killer tuner with the upgrades.

 

RE: speaker terminals on vintage amps, posted on March 24, 2015 at 06:14:46
airtime
Audiophile

Posts: 11287
Location: Arizona
Joined: February 4, 2003
 You would have to chop up the chassis to some extent to get those in there. And IMHO clean screw terminals and gold plated spades make a better connection anyway.

Some times the simple way is the better way.

enjoy
charles

 

RE: speaker terminals on vintage amps, posted on March 24, 2015 at 06:39:03
dadbar
Audiophile

Posts: 1675
Location: Portland OR
Joined: June 29, 2003
Contributor
  Since: March 25, 2006
 On some of my gear I use these. They take the same 6-32 screw hole and they accept a banana plug.

 

RE: speaker terminals on vintage amps, posted on March 24, 2015 at 06:47:45
BigguyinATL
Manufacturer

Posts: 3475
Joined: April 10, 2002
 Like others here stick with Spade Terminals. Remember The electrons don't care... By the way did you know that the electrons do not really "Flow"? Inteady the energy is transferred as an electric field or force. The actual "flow rate of electrons through a conductor is quire slow.
In the case of a 12 gauge copper wire carrying 10 amperes of current (typical of home wiring), the individual electrons only move about 0.02 cm per sec or 1.2 inches per minute (in physics this is called the drift velocity of the electrons.)

Screw terminals are not old - they are reliable. Still available on Pro Power Amps where permanent wiring is used: Here from a Crown Amplifier CDi 1000.






"The hardest thing of all is to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat" - Confucius

 

RE: speaker terminals on vintage amps, posted on March 24, 2015 at 07:11:05
Brian Levy
Audiophile

Posts: 2438
Location: Toronto
Joined: June 5, 2000
 The only real advantage is if you do a lot of speaker or amp swapping. They make life easier as you can connect or disconnect them quickly and make the best universal connector. If not a swapper, then the banana plug offers little, if any advantage.

I use bare wire but it can be a pain because you have to be especially careful and in some cases forces you to have to rip into an install further than if using a plug. It also can allow using a larger wire size. OTOH, bare wire over time compresses and the connection can become intermittent. I find I have to tighten the connections quite often at first and after several times maybe every 3 months.

I think the best solution is when you can take the screw out. Use a closed gold plated connector that is first crimped to the wire, under as much pressure as possible. Then use it with a star washer between the screw head and connector so there is very minimal chance it will loosen. A spade is next best but, when I use them I get long enough ones so I can bend up the ends so they can be captured when placed under the screw. In this way there is much less chance they could slip out and short the outputs
Don Brian Levy, J.D.
Toronto ON Canada

 

RE: speaker terminals on vintage amps, posted on March 24, 2015 at 08:15:49
Hornlover
Manufacturer

Posts: 2529
Joined: March 8, 2002
 Like other have said, stay with the screw terminals. They are actually the best type of speaker connector, in a fixed application. They make an oxygen free connection that cold welds over time.

 

Go the Vandersteen route, posted on March 24, 2015 at 08:15:53
Bill Way
Audiophile

Posts: 1884
Location: Toms River NJ
Joined: May 28, 2012
Contributor
  Since: December 14, 2012
 Stick with the barrier strips. Vandy uses them, claiming in some of their literature that they sounded best. True, they use gold-plated screws and contacts, but they are barrier strips. They have also used binding posts on some models, so maybe it doesn't make that much of a difference.

I think the basic requirement is having clean metal surfaces held tightly together to prevent oxidation.

WW
"Put on your high heeled sneakers. Baby, we''re goin'' out tonight.

 

RE: Go the Vandersteen route, posted on March 24, 2015 at 08:18:37
Crazy Dave
Audiophile

Posts: 14371
Location: East Coast
Joined: October 4, 2001
 Any idea who sells them?

Dave

 

RE: Go the Vandersteen route, posted on March 24, 2015 at 08:32:03
Jim McShane
Dealer

Posts: 5910
Location: Chicago
Joined: January 13, 2003
 I carry some of them.

 

RE: Go the Vandersteen route, posted on March 24, 2015 at 09:46:03
Crazy Dave
Audiophile

Posts: 14371
Location: East Coast
Joined: October 4, 2001
 I missed it before but I see it now:

Speaker terminal strips, 4 screw terminals with solder eyelets on the inside, about 2 1/2"x 5/8", lighter color but
otherwise identical to the strips used on H-K Citation and a million other vintage amps/receivers. $4.50/pair

I will be getting back to you on that. I have a few projects. Are the nickel plated?

Dave

 

RE: Best for Swapping, posted on March 24, 2015 at 10:50:27
BigguyinATL
Manufacturer

Posts: 3475
Joined: April 10, 2002
 SpeakOn. Designed for easy and safe (never shorting) cable removal. And can be multi-pole for bi-amplification. And it locks in place!

Only drawback is the space requirements for the connector compared with banana. When I converted a pair of MMG's for BiAmplification I used 4-pole SpeakOns efficiently.
"The hardest thing of all is to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat" - Confucius

 

Here's what I use, posted on March 24, 2015 at 11:29:37
Alpha Al
Industry Professional

Posts: 2958
Location: N. Carolina
Joined: February 16, 2004
Contributor
  Since: December 3, 2015



I made these for testing amps on the bench. They've been very handy.

 

We call them "hooters", posted on March 24, 2015 at 13:59:47
Uncle Mike
 I don't know why but it works. These work well on vintage and modern gear. I'm not a fan of banana connections in audio but I understand why some like them. Try these, they are good quality and cheap cheap cheap.
Or you could use the type Dadbar suggested below.

 

Hooters? Hmmm. When I think of hooters..., posted on March 24, 2015 at 14:27:36
E-Stat
Audiophile

Posts: 37666
Joined: May 12, 2000
Contributor
  Since: April 5, 2002
 well you know. :)

 

thanks, posted on March 24, 2015 at 16:58:17
rws
Audiophile

Posts: 303
Location: Minnesota
Joined: September 7, 2004
 I appreciate all of the comments and info

Bob




"Sometime I will have to give account of myself. How would the Father in heaven judge me if I followed others and not Him", Anton Bruckner

 

Yes, nickel plated (NT), posted on March 24, 2015 at 17:35:43
Jim McShane
Dealer

Posts: 5910
Location: Chicago
Joined: January 13, 2003

 

I would , posted on March 24, 2015 at 18:36:21
Awe-d-o-file
Dealer

Posts: 21037
Location: 50 miles west of DC
Joined: January 10, 2004
 definitely upgrade the vintage gear but I wouldn't use bananas though.


E
T

ET

"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936

 

RE: speaker terminals on vintage amps, posted on March 25, 2015 at 06:37:02
elflow
Audiophile

Posts: 354
Location: Indiana
Joined: November 1, 2005
 Exactly!!
Relative to every thing else in an amp the speaker outputs are low voltage high current. This requires properly sized conductors to carry the current and tight connections. Screw terminals kept clean that tightly seceure the speaker wire are perfect, they just are not as convenient as banana plugs and other quick connect products.

 

RE: I would , posted on March 25, 2015 at 08:02:24
Crazy Dave
Audiophile

Posts: 14371
Location: East Coast
Joined: October 4, 2001
 I am not a big fan of banana plugs either. At best they are OK. If you think that cables make a difference, you are choking it off with a mediocre contact. Even if you don't, you still want the best contact you can get, which is spade lugs.

Dave

 

I've never seen these before, posted on March 25, 2015 at 08:48:12
1973shovel
Audiophile

Posts: 10117
Location: Greenville SC
Joined: February 25, 2007
 Pamona makes good stuff. Thanks for the link.

 

RE: Hooters? Hmmm. When I think of hooters..., posted on March 25, 2015 at 23:08:22
tesla
Audiophile

Posts: 3180
Location: San Diego County, California
Joined: October 25, 2000
 The restaurant?

:P
Proudly serving content-free posts since 1984.

 

RE: I would , posted on March 27, 2015 at 07:19:49
Awe-d-o-file
Dealer

Posts: 21037
Location: 50 miles west of DC
Joined: January 10, 2004
 I am in the spade lug camp myself. Except when I made copper foil speaker wire where I rolled up the end and stuck it in the hole of the binding post.

E
T

ET

"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936

 

RE: I would , posted on March 27, 2015 at 07:59:02
Crazy Dave
Audiophile

Posts: 14371
Location: East Coast
Joined: October 4, 2001
 Sounds like it would work!

Dave

 

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