QED Airloc Banana Plugs
Are the QED Airloc Banana Plugs any good, I am getting some new speaker cables and wondering if they work ok.
What I mean is do they grip the cable well or do users find that they come loose as a special tool is required if they do to secure them .
Would I be better off with twin screw banana plugs.
They are expensive. You are unlikely to hear any difference.
Get some bananas and red/black 6 or 6.4mm shrink wrap of ebay. Cheap and neat. Discard the plastic covers. You can easily do that yourself in a few minutes.
I'd go for solder bucket type ones but the twin scew or crimp connectors do the job too. If you want to get a better conductor, buy the silver plated type (use silver content solder for that type if you get the solder ones)
regards
They are expensive. You are unlikely to hear any difference.
Get some bananas and red/black 6 or 6.4mm shrink wrap of ebay. Cheap and neat. Discard the plastic covers. You can easily do that yourself in a few minutes.
I'd go for solder bucket type ones but the twin scew or crimp connectors do the job too. If you want to get a better conductor, buy the silver plated type (use silver content solder for that type if you get the solder ones)
regards
What is the shrink wrap for.
Also I realise that the airlocs are expensive I am looking for long term maintenance free connections but prefer bananas.
I've had them.
I wouldn't bother again. Not worth the money.
QED do a 'screwloc' banana plug for those who want to D.I.Y but it ain't cheap.
To eliminate stress on the plugs, I have sellotaped my speaker cables to the back of my stands, allowing for a natural curve into the back of the speaker
BC: Rip ties would do the same, for what it is worth?
In regards to the general post, I'm linking my Nait 5i-2 to the Neat Iotas with some £1.50/m Maplin copper speaker cable, and some fundamentally basic spades (speaker) / banana plugs (amplifier). Sounds perfectly good to me, although I would chop and change to see if I could perceive difference, except I've custom installed the cables, and can't be bothered with the pfaff.
If you're doing it yourself, I'd go for some banana plugs with screws, as they are nice and easy to install. All depending on your DIY score!
BC: Rip ties would do the same, for what it is worth?
Indeed they would, but you'd see them from the front of the stand. 
I've had them.
I wouldn't bother again. Not worth the money.
Why would you not use them again and what are you using now.
As I said I realise that the airlocs are expensive but I am looking for long term maintenance free connections.
I have always used soldered banana plugs. (Preferably the standard nickel plated ones that are perfectly up to the job and don't cost much.)
They are expensive. You are unlikely to hear any difference.
Get some bananas and red/black 6 or 6.4mm shrink wrap of ebay. Cheap and neat. Discard the plastic covers. You can easily do that yourself in a few minutes.
I'd go for solder bucket type ones but the twin scew or crimp connectors do the job too. If you want to get a better conductor, buy the silver plated type (use silver content solder for that type if you get the solder ones)
regards
What is the shrink wrap for. Also I realise that the airlocs are expensive I am looking for long term maintenance free connections but prefer bananas.
You only use the plug, not the plastic cover. Perhaps look at how Chord, for example, terminate theirs http://www.futureshop.co.uk/chord-cables-chord-speaker-cable-c-211_214.html After mating the cable to the plug, cut off some shrink wrap, fit over the plug, heat and you're done. It is sometimes easier to fit the shrink plastic over the cable before making the connection. You will have a good, solid and trouble free connection. Shrink wrap is not absolutely necessary by the way, it just finishes the job nicely.
regards
duplicate
... and again. xx@~ forum ... 
I've had them.
I wouldn't bother again. Not worth the money.
Why would you not use them again and what are you using now. As I said I realise that the airlocs are expensive but I am looking for long term maintenance free connections.
when I ordered the cable (Chord Rumour 2) one of the Airlocs had come off, so they had to go back. Then when I sold the cable although they were well packed the buyer reported one had come away.
They aren't cheap and having to use the tool makes them not easy to fix. Never had the problem with regular (screw type) plugs.
No need to use speaker cables now as I use active speakers.
I've had them.
I wouldn't bother again. Not worth the money.
Why would you not use them again and what are you using now. As I said I realise that the airlocs are expensive but I am looking for long term maintenance free connections.
when I ordered the cable (Chord Rumour 2) one of the Airlocs had come off, so they had to go back. Then when I sold the cable although they were well packed the buyer reported one had come away.
They aren't cheap and having to use the tool makes them not easy to fix. Never had the problem with regular (screw type) plugs.
No need to use speaker cables now as I use active speakers.
Thats the sort of problem that puts me off using them, if it only happens once it is one time to many.
The shrink wrap helps keep 'standard' terminals (i.e., not the airlocs) as airtight as possible, and that in turn slows down the oxydisation process that happens to exposed copper (i.e., the speaker cable wire!). Oxydisation is bad because it means you will get a 'dirty' connection and possible signal degregation. The alternative is to make sure your cables are too long, then once a year or so cut the ends back and inch or so to clean wire and re-fit whatever terminals you use(if any).
As to the advice to get cheap terminals from ebay - DON'T! Many of them (partticular the 'Nakamachi') plugs are from China rather than Japan (even from UK sellers - as I found to my cost), and the problem with these cheap fakes is that they are often not actually brass (good conductor) based - eg, mine stuck very easily to a magnet, indicating that they were iron based (and iron is apoor signal conductor compared to copper/brass).
So I then got the QED screw-locs instead (decent price and good service from Lancashire-based Audiovisual online) - and no, they didn't stick to a magnet!
They grip the cable very well, but downside is that they cant be re-used or transferred to another cable, or if you need to shorten it for example.
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