Sewell SW-29863-12 Deadbolt Banana Plugs 12-Pairs by, Gold Plated Speaker Plugs, Quick Connect

I grabbed the banana and spade plugs both - build quality is high, threads to assemble are machined perfectly, and they work very well. I built cables with 14 and 12awg wire both and they both worked as expected with no issues during assembly, connectivity, or in actual use passing sound. I was interested in having good speaker cable, good connections into my amp and speakers, and good overall sound. Most of the crazy expensive speaker cables are 8 feet - I needed 25 footers to work with my setup - so I grabbed some Mogami and Canare cable, shrink wrap, wire loom, and these cable ends and built some very nice cables. It would be nice to A/B these with some of the AQ or other expensive banana or spade connectors, but $50 per pair is a lot and I really think they would sound the same in most systems. If you're stuck $15k or more you may opt to go the expensive route. For everyone else, buy with confidence and make high quality cables with these cable ends. If I need more I'll order these for sure. Quality product.

These are fine quality banana plugs - they were easy to use, a convenient size, excellent connection quality and design. I very much like having the wires hang straight down the back of the receiver. I purchased these to use with a Denon RCD-M32 receiver. Great response time and functionality.

When I built my last home theater GLS Locking Banana Plugs were all the rage - I used them and loved them in two different media rooms. Fast forward 15 years and now Sewell Deadbolts are the top dog. I've been impressed with the quality of other Sewell products I've used in the past so I figured I'd give them a shot. I was not disappointed: PROS: * Support multiple gauges of wire (I'm using 16 AWG stranded) * Easy to terminate * VERY secure * Rubber coated barrels to prevent accidental shorts * Short form factor for tight spaces * High Quality My only minor complaint is they are pressure fitted and not locking. They fit my Denon receiver snugly and I don't anticipate any issues because I don't change my components once installed but for someone that reconfigures their AVR a lot, these may lose their grip in the binding posts over time.

For some reason, I always wanted banana plugs on my speaker wires — weird thing to want and not get — and didn't do it until now. Already glad I did, because it makes disconnecting and reconnecting MUCH easier. A couple of thoughts on these. One small complaint: Home theater systems generally have 3 speakers (Left, Center, Right) or 5 (add surrounds) or 7 (add rears) or even 9 (add up-firing surrounds). Figure two pairs of plugs per speaker, one at the speaker and one at the receiver. So you need 6, 10, 14 or 18. How many in a package? 12. (I have a 5.1 system, used 10 pairs, am left with two.) A dozen is a familiar number but the number of plugs in a package doesn't really match the number of plugs you'll probably need. Maybe something for the manufacturer to think about. Tidy and small? I'm using compact speakers. The plugs stick out far enough in back to add 1/4" to 1/2" of depth to the speakers. If your space is very tight, consider that. Also, the plugs add depth behind the receiver, so consider that as well. Not an issue in my case but an interesting discovery. You don't really see them in either place, but when you look, they look tidier. Secure connection? Rock solid grip on the cable as far as I can tell, and I tugged on them. Once they're attached properly, they hold. They're more reliable than bare-wire connections to speaker or receiver. Durable? Some reviews complain about the tips getting deformed quickly and starting to wobble in the socket. I have not had this issue. I don't expect to be unplugging and replugging these that often, mostly they're going to just sit there. I'm not using them in a professional environment where I have to replug often. Easy to use? Yes, but not quite as easy as it looks. It depends on the speaker wire you are using. I had some new 14G cable where the metal strands are soft and kind of "fluffy". It's a breeze with those. The plugs go on in seconds. I also put them on some older cables with much stiffer copper. They're much trickier to apply to that cable because it's harder to strip the right length of copper and then to make the strands fan out. In those cases, it could take 10 minutes or more to attach a single plug. So avoid stiff copper with these. You'll be happier. Worth it? I guess banana plugs are a "Why bother?" for a lot of people. They don't make your speakers sound better. But they do make for a tidier setup and it's much easier to swap out speakers or your amp/receiver than using screw terminals. MUCH easier. Worth the time and effort in my view. I might buy more when I put a 5.1 system in my den/home office. But I wish they came 10 to a package.

I spent a lot of time researching various types and brands of banana plugs and finally decided to purchase Deadbolt. Initially I wanted plugs with two set screws since I already own and use some with great results. However, I decided to purchase these because they are shorter which means they don't protrude as far out from my receiver and they have a nice grip for removing and inserting. I wasn't sure if the termination design would be as strong as set screws but it is every bit as secure and probably more. I use these on my receiver for 5 speaker connections and on my wall plate for two ceiling speakers. I have used them twice because I had ordered new speaker wire which didn't arrive until a couple of days later, and, being impatient I wanted to connect them immediately to see how well they performed. Now, before I proceed I want to mention that I only use pure copper, and not the copper clad aluminum that many companies use. I personally like the oxygen reduced copper that Monoprice sells. Copper is copper and don't let anyone try to fool you. As long as the gauge is sufficient for the distance you are running it you will not yield better results using more expensive wire. I use 14 gauge which is thicker than necessary, 16 would suffice but I like to be safe in case I make longer runs or decide to buy 4 ohm speakers which I may some day. These connectors are made of brass and copper, the connector being pure copper and the casing brass. I prefer a copper connector for conductivity purposes with gold plating reducing the chance of corrosion. I don't believe brass connectors would make any audible difference but I prefer copper. Performance: The first time I connected these I spread the wires out all around the connector, which having only 41 strands made for a very thin layer of wires and they weren't as even as I would have liked, but since I knew I would be doing it again when my wire arrived I just went with it. I realize I just said that copper is copper and there is not audible difference in sound when using different brands of wire or high dollar ones vs low dollar as long as the wire is copper and properly shielded. However, with regard to the connectors you do need to make good terminations. As soon as I turned on the surround sound I noticed the volume wasn't as loud as it was before with bare wire connections. Then my wife even complained about the sound level so I knew it wasn't just me. I believe the problem was how I spread all of the wires around the teeth so thinned out that some or many of the wires were not being crimped well in the teeth. 2nd Time Connecting: This time I divided the strands in two, then folded one half of the wires over one side of the teeth and the other half of wires across from them. I did spread them out a little but kept them fairly thick on the teeth so they would crimp better. I turned on my surround sound and the sound level was perfect, just like before when I used bare wire to connect to the terminals. I rated these plugs 5 stars since I do get the same audio as with bare wire terminations. The plugs appear to be very high quality and have a nice weight to them. They look very nice on the back of my receiver and the wall plate and have made connecting speaker to the receiver fast and easy. I strongly recommend these plugs and I will buy them again when I add more speakers. At present I am using them on two receivers for 5.1 surround sound. I still use bare wire on my speakers since they are easier to access but may change them too in the future.

Excellent connectors. Easy to attach wires with very strong attachment. Nice tight fit for both my speakers and receiver. The 90 degrees was essential to me as I had limited space behind my receiver.

Worked perfectly for my longstanding audio equipment needs. Assembly was straightforward, quick and easy. Very pleased with the results so far. Will recommend it to anyone who likes maximize bang for their buck.

Great choice for banana plugs!! Super easy to attach to wire.