BFA banana plugs from Nakamichi......

Wayner · « **Reply #60 on:** 6 Oct 2012, 10:46 pm »

I found a way to really secure even 16awg to the connector if you just follow the photos:

Wayner

lacro · « **Reply #61 on:** 7 Oct 2012, 01:49 pm »

Ok... My Nak's are on order. Whether I attach them with Wayner's method of increasing the diameter/surface area of the wire by back twisting it which is a great idea! Or I use one of the other mentioned methods I will need to decide on what wire to use??

I know this has been discussed to death previously, but I am totally new to this, and would appreciate any "cheap & cheerful" suggestions you guys have. I am building my C&C system from scratch. All I really am looking for is one good proven cable and whether it should be twisted, braided, two into one, etc. It doesn't matter if it's cat 5/6, Blue Jeans bulk Belden cable, etc. I just want something that will be acceptable, and be cheap and cheerful, <$1.00 foot and work with the Nak's

Thoughts appreciated...

Larry

lacro · « **Reply #62 on:** 7 Oct 2012, 06:07 pm »

Quote from: lacro on 7 Oct 2012, 01:49 pm

Ok... My Nak's are on order. Whether I attach them with Wayner's method of increasing the diameter/surface area of the wire by back twisting it which is a great idea! Or I use one of the other mentioned methods I will need to decide on what wire to use??

I know this has been discussed to death previously, but I am totally new to this, and would appreciate any "cheap & cheerful" suggestions you guys have. I am building my C&C system from scratch. All I really am looking for is one good proven cable and whether it should be twisted, braided, two into one, etc. It doesn't matter if it's cat 5/6, Blue Jeans bulk Belden cable, etc. I just want something that will be acceptable, and be cheap and cheerful, <$1.00 foot and work with the Nak's

Thoughts appreciated...

Larry

Please disregard my previous post/request regarding wire choice. I now see this has recently been thrashed around with not the best results. I don't want to be the cause of fanning the flames! Sorry for getting off topic... The discussion is about Nakamichi plugs.

Larry

Letitroll98 · « **Reply #63 on:** 7 Oct 2012, 06:17 pm »

Although your concern is appreciated, I think you're okay here. You're clearly asking for budget wire that will do well with the connectors. I don't believe this will start a cable war, it's not like someone's going to demand you use Audio Note SOGON96 or you might as well give up the audio hobby or something like that.

lacro · « **Reply #64 on:** 20 Oct 2012, 07:49 pm »

Well...
My Nac's arrived today, 16 days form the date of order. The boat was not so slow after all. Actually the chain of events is interesting:

order placed 10-04
Shipper responded to me via E-Mail 10-06
Package shipped from Singapore? 10-10
package received in NYC 10-13
I received package 10-20

Whats interesting is the shipment took 3 days from Singapore to NYC, and 7 days to travel another 250 miles to me?? (USPS).
The package was shipped "Registered Mail"? I am not complaining, I had expected a much longer trip from half way around the world especially via free freight!

I did some initial inspection and measurements of the connectors. The quality is really very good. The finish and tolerances are consistent. considering the delivered price, what's not to like? From a purely mechanical standpoint, these appear to be an excellent value. All parts are well made. The threads are not crude or loose, everything looks precision which is amazing at just over a $1 ea.

The business end that fits into the speaker terminals is highly polished, and slightly tapered for ease of insertion. At the point it measures .162", at the far end (tightest) its .170" with an average mid point of .165". All the speaker terminals I measured are .150" ID. These are from speakers 30 years old to present day. The .015" oversize connectors with a slight lead-in taper make for a nice tight fit without the danger of breaking them, at least with the terminals I tried on 4 different speakers.

There is a through hole in the connectors, so it might be possible to solder the speaker wire directly to the tip? Also, the tip under magnification appears to be welded/soldered into the connector body, not just staked into it. IMO the tip is too long, at least for all my speakers. This could cause possible breakage if banged hard enough. I have always wondered why banana plugs are so long? I wonder if cutting them shorter to match the insertion depth of the terminals would be a good idea?

I know some have had a problem with 10 ga wire not allowing the screws to be flush with the body preventing the barrel from fitting. I think it is quite possible to shorten the screw by inserting it backwards and using a file, sanding, or cutting with a Dremel to the needed length. Even if the concern of removing the plating (gold?) is something real, then one could remove the excess length from the slotted end and cut a new slot with a Dremel with an abrasive wheel.

These are my initial observations/ideas after receiving my Naks from a "NOT SO SLOW BOAT" So far they meet and exceed my expectations of "CHEAP AND CHEERFUL"

Now I have to decide on a good C&C speaker wire???

Larry

Wayner · « **Reply #65 on:** 21 Oct 2012, 11:37 am »

I bought a second set of 24 on 5/10 and they arrived on 5/19. It took 3 days to get to NYC and the rest of the time to get to my house here in Minnesota. Apparently, it's either a slow train, truck or plane from NYC to Minneapolis......

Now almost every speaker here has them in use.

Wayner

Chigo · « **Reply #66 on:** 14 Dec 2012, 01:34 pm »

Hey guys, sorry to try to revive an old thread; hopefully someone is still looking and will see this. I'm looking to get some BFA-style plugs, and I have been looking at the Nakamichi knock-offs Wayner posted, but posts here and elsewhere suggest people are waiting up to a month or more to get them. I'd really like to get some plugs sooner if possible, so I've been looking at these:

GLS "wave flex""
http://www.speakerrepair.com/page/product/waveflex-banana/WF24.html

KnuKonceptz BFA plugs
http://www.knukonceptz.com/productDetail.cfm?prodID=eKs-BP2

Both are more expensive than the Nakamichis, but still in my opinion in the general realm of “cheap and cheerful,” and both available in the US, so I was hoping I might be able to get them sooner. And—since they are sold by the actual companies they claim to be (unlike the “Knock-off-michis”), I’m hoping they might actually be gold-plated as they claim, and may conduct a signal a little better than that brass (or whatever they are) Nakamichis that don’t have any gold or copper according to Wayner’s test. My only reservations about them are:

1. The GLS ones are available on Amazon from the original seller, but 3 of the 5 reviewers said they had trouble fitting them in their binding posts and had to modify them w/pliers. Some said they were cheaply made too.

2. I can’t find anything online about the KnuKonceptz BFA plugs, including a picture of what they look like taken apart. I’d like to know what’s under the collar (e.g., 1 vs. 2 screws; if there are 2, are they on the same or opposite sides) before I buy them.

Anyone have any experience with these, or with GLS or KnuKonceptz products in general? Any thoughts from the info in these links? Any input would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Letitroll98 · « **Reply #67 on:** 15 Dec 2012, 01:15 am »

Welcome Chigo. Just from the links they don't look any different from the Nak bananas and despite the US address, are prolly all made overseas, perhaps even drop shipped from there. They are all plugs that hold wires and none of them would be high copper content, alloy or otherwise, and the plating would be more polish than gold. If you're from the camp that none of this makes any difference in sound quality, you can hardly be injured for the priced paid.

Chigo · « **Reply #68 on:** 17 Dec 2012, 01:54 pm »

Thanks, Letitroll98. I contacted both GLS and Knukonceptz w/ questions, and GLS got back to me right away. Based on this quick, helpful response and the experiences of others in various forums, they seem to have good customer service; since shipping is free, I'm going to try them and return them if they don't work. Thanks again!

harley52 · « **Reply #69 on:** 30 Dec 2012, 04:29 am »

Monoprice.com for decent stuff w/o the stupid prices. But if it doesn't cost an arm and a leg how good can it be.

Letitroll98 · « **Reply #70 on:** 30 Dec 2012, 04:39 pm »

Well Switchcraft RCA's are highly regarded and the Nickel plated copper alloy body & handle ones are about $2.15 and the Gold plated model about $5 each. So it's not really cost all the time, however quality can vary independent of cost sometimes.

harley52 · « **Reply #71 on:** 30 Dec 2012, 08:35 pm »

Letitroll98

I agree with you 100%.

john dozier · « **Reply #72 on:** 30 Dec 2012, 11:00 pm »

I have had excellent results from the rhodium plated A&B Systems plugs. They are on the bay. They make a tight fit, are well made,and use two screws. Even come with allen wrench. I have had good luck with all their products. Regards

sawdin · « **Reply #73 on:** 5 Jan 2013, 12:08 am »

RE: Nakamichi BFA Speaker banana plug connector 24k Gold plated 0534E - - http://www.nakamichiplug.com/product-0534E12.html purchased directly from Nakamichiplug.com, not from ebay.

Does 12 AWG fit into these plugs? I would think that if 16 AWG (1.291 mm diameter) doubled over fits, 14 AWG (1.628 mm) or 12 AWG (2.053 mm) should fit. I could always heat shrink over the screw if it stuck out a bit.

TIA!

Letitroll98 · « **Reply #74 on:** 5 Jan 2013, 07:14 pm »

Quote from: sawdin on 5 Jan 2013, 12:08 am

RE: Nakamichi BFA Speaker banana plug connector 24k Gold plated 0534E - - http://www.nakamichiplug.com/product-0534E12.html purchased directly from Nakamichiplug.com, not from ebay.

Does 12 AWG fit into these plugs? I would think that if 16 AWG (1.291 mm diameter) doubled over fits, 14 AWG (1.628 mm) or 12 AWG (2.053 mm) should fit. I could always heat shrink over the screw if it stuck out a bit.

TIA!

And understand this is not the Nakamichi company that makes the electronic components. This is a knockoff offshore company that has stolen the Nakamichi name. The exact same plug can be had under a number of different brand names, so ordering from eBay or their site, it's all the same.

Personally I would prefer either a brand name product, or at least a Chinese company that doesn't pretend to be something it's not. I think there can be some really good plugs and connectors ordered direct offshore, ones where they list the material their made of. Of course that's no guarantee you'll get what's advertised, but you could order a small quantity and check before ordering more.

sawdin · « **Reply #75 on:** 5 Jan 2013, 09:25 pm »

I am aware that it is not the Japanese company that most people associate with the name. However, I thought I had come across some reviews/threads on various sites that noted a difference between plugs ordered directly from nakamichi.plug and those ordered from resellers on Ebay. As the prices are the same and the shipping is free, if I do order, I'll order directly from the nakamichiplug website.

Given that nakamichiplug uses the exact same logo as http://www.nakamichi.com, I wonder if nakamichiplug has some type of licensing agreement with the original Japanese company. One would think that Nakamichi would protect their brandname and logo. Then again, maybe Nakamichi screwed up somewhere and didn't protect their name. In any case, given the reviews and price, I might purchase some. Heck, as someone noted previously, probably most of the plugs sold by other companies are made in China as well.

ufokillerz · « **Reply #76 on:** 24 Jan 2013, 06:29 pm »

just ran into this thread while deciding if i wanted to change up my nakamichi bfa plugs. sorry for another thread revival.

i bought mine 3 years ago from nakamichiplug.com , i will chop a few up when i get a chance to see if it was the same 3 years ago.

i've had a few stripped set screw holes. never had a bent plug, and i've had them in use since march of 2010. they fit as tight as can be. i got like 80 of these sitting in my drawer still, so chopping up a few won't be a problem.

ufokillerz · « **Reply #77 on:** 25 Jan 2013, 01:29 am »

wanted to mention, i cut apart one of my banana plugs at the tip area, and under the plating, it is indeed copper colored material, the plating flaked off at the part i cut it at.

for the main body of the banana i took a file to it and filed away approximately 1mm of material, and it was all gold colored powder throughout, nothing copper colored.

these were purchased 3/6/2010 from nakamichiplug.com

Chigo · « **Reply #78 on:** 1 Feb 2013, 03:09 pm »

Just wanted to post an update in case anyone is interested.

I ordered the GLS Wave Flex plugs. They were well-made but as other reviewers had mentioned, were too big to fit well into my binding posts. I could have modified them with pliers like some reviewers mentioned they had, but that would leave them mangled and irregularly shaped (I certainly don’t have any magic, perfect plier mashing skills), thus defeating the purpose of bfa-style plugs (greater contact) altogether. So I returned them and ordered the Knukonceptz bfas instead. They came in a few days, were very well-made, and fit perfectly. And I liked the fact that they use silver and black barrels to distinguish positive vs. negative (it’s less conspicuous than the red and black favored by many banana plug manufacturers; I don’t really like my cables to stand out). I covered them with black heat shrink to minimize the (unlikely) risk of a short should they ever happen to touch while connected, and to make them all black to be even less conspicuous (I can still see the silver on each end when I look closely at the top and bottom of the silver barrels, so easy enough to tell which is which). All in all, they were prefect for my needs. They are a little more expensive than the Nakamichis and I doubt they are any better in quality or performance, but they are a great alternative for anyone not wanting to wait on a boat from China who is willing to pay a bit more to get them within a few days.