I received the speaker cable kit and for the first few attempts in attaching the banana plugs I almost threw in the towel.

So what I ended up doing is really forcing about 1.5 inches of very twisted cable strand into the plug and then tightening the first screw down on the rubber shielding.

It seemed to work, was that the proper procedure?

Hello,

I was wondering the same since I have never hooked up any kind of banana plugs my self.  I took about an inch to 3/4ths of an inch and twisted the wire as tight as I could then twisted it into the plug then tighten down both screws.  Seems to be working fine so far, however I did have one concern and it’s the fact that you really need to use allot of force to get these plugs connected to both the receiver and the speaker.

Hey Guys,

I know that sometimes it can be difficult trying to get those to work, especially when all you want to do is listen to the speakers!  You're on the right track, here are the "official" instructions.

Cheers!

1)      Hold the hollow tip of the banana plug in one hand. Take the opposite side of the plug in the other hand and rotate it until you can separate the plug into two parts.

2)      Set the half of the plug with the Aperion logo aside.

3)      Next, separate the end of your Aperion speaker cable into two halves. Using wire cutters, strip 1/2 inch of shielding from the end of one of the wires.

4)      Using a screwdriver, take the half of the plug without the logo in your hand and loosen the two screws.

5)      Take the exposed copper wire and insert it into the open end of the banana plug. If the cable doesn’t fit, you may have to loosen the screws slightly.

6)      Push the cable into the enclosure until it hits the end. Holding the wire in this position, check to be sure that there is no more that 1/8 inch of exposed copper wire sticking out from the end of the plug. If there is more than 1/8 inch exposed, use your wire cutters to trim the wire to the proper length.

7)      Once the cable is the right length, tighten the screws firmly on either side of the plug to hold the wire in place.

8)      Slide the logo half of the plug over the half attached to the wire, making sure that the Aperion logo is closer to the tip of the plug than it is to the wire.

9)      Holding the hollow tip of the plug in one hand, rotate the logo side of the plug until is it screwed on firmly.

10)  Make sure the binding post on the speaker is screwed in completely. Push the banana plug into the hole in the center of the binding post. The Aperion banana plug is designed to fit firmly, so it may take a small amount of force to insert it into the binding post.

I've noticed questions about banana plugs elsewhere in these forums. Having just started making up my own speaker cables, I couldn't help but bump this thread and add my own 2¢ along with a bit of entertaining (hopefully) trivia.

I found that the enclosure was far too cavernous for the 12 ga. aperion speaker wire. The screws were never really able to squeeze the wire.

I've noticed questions about banana plugs elsewhere in these forums. Having just started making up my own speaker cables, I couldn't help but bump this thread and add my own 2¢ along with a bit of entertaining (hopefully) trivia.

I found that the enclosure was far too cavernous for the 12 ga. Aperion speaker wire. The screws were never really able to squeeze the wire.

What I ended up doing was stripping 1", twisting the strands together and then doubling over the end to make it ½".

Doing this, I was able to get a very secure contact with both screws, with no bare wire visible. It takes a bit of dexterity to keep the wire forced all the way in up to the insulation while tightening the screws, but the results are worth the effort. As a broken down retired engineer, I retain the conviction that current carrying wires must make the kind of contact that only comes with either solder or plenty of force.

BTW. My wire stripper thinks the Aperion 12 ga. wire is bigger than 10 ga. I had to resort to careful knife work instead.

Now, on to the trivia. The 4mm connector seems to have got the name "banana plug" from the appearance of a conventional contact, which resembles a banana with its skin split open. The Aperion banana plugs dont look like bananas at all, but I suppose we're all going to continue naming them like that.