need xl,hd banana plug recommendation

hi,

anyone know a quality heavy duty banana plug that can take 6awg wire and support it properly? only ones i can find that big are the type with the thumb screw on the back and they are putting too much strain on the posts from the weight of the cable. since they do not grip hard enough. locking would be great. the old gls supported up to 2 awg. does anyone know if the new gls still hold 6?
or some other brand?

thanks,
music_man

i am using this because of the incredible reviews. it does sound amazing. it just happens to be 6ga. i didn't just try to get fat wire to impress. there is a reason for this.

i really need a locking banana but i cannot find any. i have acces to sources that sell 20 or so different models but none that big. i fully understand using 6ga speaker wire is not the norm. it is just a fluke that it sounds good. apparently in other reviews it is said that only the inexpensive double back screw bananas will hold wire this large. if i could get the older gls i'd be set. indeed, they will still require support. even locked in, the weight is a huge stress on the binding posts. i will go ahead and devise some sort of support.

i wonder what martin dewulf was using if he had any concern for resulting damage. these cables were originally his discovery.

besides, huge audiophile cables even though they are many smaller strands weigh even more. what is the consdieration for support with those?

i think spades are probably the answer. i have a feeling they will pull out though with any reasonble pressure on the nuts as not to snap them off!

thanks,
music_man

ok. i supported them using myrtle wood blocks,semi permanent tape, wire ties. i'll spare all the details. there is no strain on the binding posts now. in fact, probably less strain than unsupported 12awg wire would palce on them. so i am fine. in case you were wondering, it still looks a lot better than anything patrick82 does lol. besides, it is all hidden behind the gear.

the new gls bananas are 10 or 9awg. the double bananas sold under many names, including radio shack are very high quality in fact. i don't know who the actual manufaturer is though. they are solid milled copper with a very thin gold coating. much better than brass or nickle, found even in some high end bananas. i had to cut in half the bananas on the speaker side, which was mentioned in the original article regarding these cables. no problem. they fit very snug even though they don't lock. the very good thing about these with such huge cables is that the wire is entering from the bottom rather than the back as with all the high end bananas. that in fact, is what allowed me to support them so well and easily.

problem solved. yeah, 6awg is still absurd but you should hear these. cheack my romex thread. don't doubt it unless you hear them, really!

music_man

edit: cardas golden reference is 5awg! as i said, apparently some companies see a reason for wires this big. how the heck do the supplied bananas with the cardas stay put? plus their bananas are tiny little things.

edit2: i was wrong about the composition of the bananas i had. they are brass base(which is copper/zinc),copper plate and gold plate. i ended up using eichmann's. these must fit 2awg cable if you wanted. they support real good because they make a much more solid connection to the post. i think they are overpriced though. especially for cables that are 50 cents a foot. they work fine though. i could now even remove the supports i suppose if i wanted to. they are not bending/binding at all. this cable is probably not even as heavy as most larger audiophile cables. it is probably stiffer though. so some care needs to be taken when installing them. once the're in they seem fine. again, i didn't do this to impress with size, i did it to impress with sound! they work for sure.

just wanted to point out: Balanced Power Technologies - Speaker Cables this seems to be a very legit cable from a very legit company. no mumbo jumbo. just copper. it is 7.5awg. so obviously they see a reason for cables that large. however, i wonder why they do not warn about possible damage to equipment due to it's size/weight?

many audiophile cables are much larger than 6awg. they are mostly "filler" though. they are still large and heavy. some as thick as 1.5" in diameter.

all these companies should suggest supporting them in some manner imo. most binding posts are not nearly as strong as the ones i have either. now that i have supported them they are completley straight in the jacks. before i probably wasn't even making good contact which can cause plenty of problems as well.

music_man