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Speaker Cable Banana Plug Breakage

Hi Folks,
I could seriously use some help with a banana plug issue. The thin gold plated pieces that splay apart on the end of my banana plug have broken off and now, I'm having some conductivity issues. I used a test CD and there is obviously a reason for concern. These are older Hi Diamond speaker cables and while they sound wonderful, the build quality might leave a little to be desired. Right now, the banana plug end is a minuscule gold pointed spear and I'wondering if there isn't something that I could do without causing a sound contrast between the two speakers? I'm pretty certain that Cullen Cables can help me with his issue but I need to buy myself some time before having them properly repaired. Any help would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks!
goofyfoot

Showing 11 responses by goofyfoot

goofyfoot's avatar
goofyfoot OP
1,387 posts
 
Thanks, randy & tooblue. I sent Patrick Cullen an email. I'm not prepared to try anything on my own. I can paint or sculpt your portrait but working on electronics is beyond my pay grade.
goofyfoot's avatar
goofyfoot OP
1,387 posts
 
randy, I'm worried that I might affect the sound, making one cable different sounding from the other. My thought is to have both cables re-terminated exactly the same way and by someone who knows what they're doing better than myself. That said, I did send Hi Diamond an email and am waiting to hear what they advise. It is possible that Hi Diamond would be willing to help me with this issue and recommend that I can therefore fix this issue by myself. In the mean time, I'm hoping that someone here on this forum knows something about Hi Diamond cables and can assist me with a temporary solution. 
goofyfoot's avatar
goofyfoot OP
1,387 posts
 
That's my plan erik but I cannot immediately. 
goofyfoot's avatar
goofyfoot OP
1,387 posts
 
Thanks todd & dhal. I wouldn't totally discount bare wire but am unsure how to remove the banana plugs. I did receive a response from HiDiamond but my Italian is till so there's a slight communication issue. This is essentially the advice I got,
'Please send photo. If the problem is the final plug , your possible buy other banana and change. The bananas are normally forgotten on the wire and not solder.'
goofyfoot's avatar
goofyfoot OP
1,387 posts
 
There is a way to remove the front of the banana plug by unscrewing a silver ring. This will expose the two screws holding the plug to the wire. I'll take the screws apart and attach the bare wire to the post. The important thing is not to make contact with the other terminal. Much appreciation to HIDiamond for their customer service.
goofyfoot's avatar
goofyfoot OP
1,387 posts
 
Thanks todd. I'll trust your advice and try connecting the cables to BFA banana plugs. My thought is that once I get down to the screws, there should be enough cable to avoid stripping or cutting. I'm very apprehensive about removing shielding, etc...as these cables are expensive. I'm currently at work however I'll try to bare the wire in a few hours. 
goofyfoot's avatar
goofyfoot OP
1,387 posts
 
perfectpathtech, that's very kind of you and yes, I would like Cardas plugs. According to HiDiamond, I should be able to replace the plugs myself. For the meantime, I will place the bare wire (without touching it) to the post and then work towards getting two sets for both ends of each cable. If I'm going to replace one end of the cable, I might as well do the other end.
goofyfoot's avatar
goofyfoot OP
1,387 posts
 
The response from HiDiamond;
'removing banana is really simple.

turn and unscrew the silver ring, will see two screws, I have to unlock them and then lift the broken banana and insert a new banana that you can buy via internet in USA Shop or yes is possible use bare wire . the important thing is not to contact the other terminal'

goofyfoot's avatar
goofyfoot OP
1,387 posts
 
Thanks All! I did remove the banana plug and pulled back the shielding to expose more of the cable. The shielding split some in one place but a little silicon epoxy could fix it. I used a micro cloth to turn the end of the cable wire. When I took the plug off, I had a fat stub. The cable wire is too fat to completely fit in the Quad 2905 post but I got it to work and tightened down the post. One would think with these HiDiamond cables that better plugs would be standard however these are earlier cables so maybe that has changed. But great customer service! The BFA plugs do look like a simple but effective solution. The Cardas look nice as well. Hard to decide.
goofyfoot's avatar
goofyfoot OP
1,387 posts
 
imhififan, thanks but maybe in the not too distant future. Those plugs look fantastic but are beyond my current budget. Are the angled plugs generally more costly than the straight plugs?
goofyfoot's avatar
goofyfoot OP
1,387 posts
 
no worries todd, I agree with you.
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