[apollophono]

I was checking out the speaker cables at Emotiva as several AC members
have them and say they are Cheap and Cheerful.  Well looking at the USS
Speaker cable line I notice that the connectors are mini pin with a screw
on banana connector.  I've never seen any like that. 

There are numerous speakers and pieces of equipment that are of high
enough quality that have the spring loaded speaker terminals.  I personally
hate them, but I like my little Dayton T-amp and I can't seem to find
quality speaker connectors to work that will also be adaptable to a more
substantial connection.  I don't want to have two sets of speaker
cables. 

Anybody seen connectors like those?  If so, where?  At the price of the
cables I would even be willing to by them just for the connectors.  I would
take them off if I didn't like speaker cable and use them on my choice of
speaker cable.  What does everybody else think?

[apollophono]

Images are helpful eh?
http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0104/5532/products/uss_1024x1024.jpg?992

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0104/5532/products/Speakercable_direct_1024x1024.jpg?992

[srb]

Monster Cable sells Monster Lock Master Pin parts which include

ML SGP-H Modular Speaker Cable Termination Post (with integral pin connector)
ML MT-H Screw-on Banana Plug
ML MAS-H Screw-on Spade



But at ~ $15/4 for each part it would cost you ~ $60 for the 8 pieces each of pin base and screw-on banana tips (+ extra ~ $30 if you also want screw-on spade tips).

You might want to just buy a pair of Emotiva USS 14 gauge speaker cables for $40/2 or 3 meter or the even nicer X SS 10 gauge speaker cable for $90/2 meter (which also include spade tips).

There are probably cheaper alternate brand connectors out there somewhere (and I don't personally like to buy Monster brand due to their aggressive litigious corporate practices), but I haven't found them yet.

There are several manufacturers of modular speaker connectors that are compression type requiring a fairly expensive (~ $100) compression tool for termination:

Liberty AV Solutions make the C-Tec2 compression speaker connectors with base and screw-on angled pins, bananas and spades, but they are sold in packages of 25 and require their compression tool.

Parts Express sells the F-Conn Universal speaker connectors.  The bases are sold in packages of 4 and the screw-on tips are sold individually.  However, they too require an expensive compression tool for termination.

Steve

[Wayner]

I have 2 sets of the 3 meter "X" series of speaker cables. Very, very nice. They do come with banana jacks, but the cables also include a kit to change the bananas to spade terminals, if that will work for you.

If not, the Emotiva connector and cap come off the wire and you could then install anything that you would want. I thought Monster Cable had a set of terminations with a stranded wire end (that was kind of braided together) that would probably work on the cables. The wire gauge is 10 awg for the Emotiva, so make sure the connector body will fit that wire size.

I had to remove the banana and connector body from one set of cables, as my bookshelf speakers simply had no room for the connector bodies. I then put dual bananas on them and it works just fine.

I have never heard wire change the sound of my system like this before. Everything has more detail. Great cables for the money.

Wayner

After re-reading your original post, I'm now not sure what the problem is?????

[Wayner]

I went to the Emotiva site and checked out the USS series cables. The bananas can screw off and there is a pin connector inside. So, what is the problem again?

Wayner

[apollophono]

Thank you Wayner for your response.  The problem is connecting speaker cables
to the spring loaded speaker terminals that you will see on various T-amps.
The modded T-amps are usually not a problem, but I prefer to keep it Cheap
and Cheerful and stick with the original form for way less money.

For example the Dayton DTA-1 T-amp is very nice for ~$45 but is has the
spring loaded terminals.  I use it at work occasionally but it requires the use
of pin speaker connectors.  Spades or bananas will not work.  Another example
is the Lepai amp that NSMT modifies and sells for ~$100.  The stock one can
be had for ~$25 but has the spring loaded terminals.  It would be nice to have
one set of speaker cables that can be used either as banana on a more
substantial system or converted to pin to use on a T-amp when I want
to have portability. 

I hope I explained it better this time. 

Mike

[Wayner]

OK Mike. Then I think the Emotiva cables (the USS style) will work for you because you can unscrew one end of the banana set and reveal the pin. Give them a call to make sure it works this way, but it sure does look like it from their website. I might buy a pair of these (instead of the "X" series) for my very small bookshelf speakers. I noticed that the 3 meter length is sold by the pair, while the rest of the lengths are sold individually. Free shipping is great too, but of course, that's built into the price.

Wayner