Ocelot Banana Plugs, 24k Gold Plated Connectors, Open Screw Type, 12 Pair, 12 Pair (24 plugs)

I've used a number of different types of connections - from none to crimp - and never been happy with the results. Blame the designers of amplifiers who insist on placing the binding posts so close together that you cannot get your fingers in there to connect wires without pulling everything out. Moreover, more than a few times, the wires would become loose (losing connection) and i wouldn't know until later noticing that a speaker had dropped out.The Ocelot are fantastic for a number of reasons. Firstly, they are solid construction and easy to use. No plastic. They fit in solidly. Not being the crimp type, there are no mistakes, no goofs, and no wasted pieces.But what i really appreciate about them is the ability to "stack" multiple plugs. I have a second zone amplifier that i use for whole home audio. The Ocelot's design allows me to plug a set of speaker wires behind the other. This is possible because of the design that allows wire connection from either the end (no stacking) or side (stacking possible).The plugs fit nicely, work perfectly, look nice (not a bit consideration given they are largely hidden), and were very competitively priced.In the end, i'm happy with the plugs (went through 2 sets) and will likely order another.

The quality level of these banana plugs are far higher than I ever expected. I presently have 12 speakers in operation each pair connected to the amplifier via a junction box that I built. The ease of connecting the wires to the binding post of the jack simply can't get any simpler. That said, I don't connect my wires to the plugs as they instruct in the product's information instructions.I tin all my speaker wires first and then I make a slight bend in the wire, (like a slight hook), so that it can exit out of the hole in the plug after I first feed the wire through the back of the plug. Then I tighten the collar down onto the wire, pinching it and that holds it tight, (I add some extra tightening with some pliers to make a strong connection. I do plan to solder some of these but only because that's my preferred method. However, these plugs do NOT need to have any soldering so if you choose to just use the collar tightening method that they're designed to use, you'll have no problems!The instructions indicate to feed the wire into the side hole and then tighten the collar and that'll certainly work but it's not as 'clean'. I also apply shrink wrap to the collar after I tighten it down which helps insulate them from each other, (if they touch at all, it's really not harmful but I do it anyway).You do need to watch that the banana tips don't unscrew because they seem to be easily loosened, (the tips, not the collars). I applied a drop of lock-tight and that solved that problem. I strongly recommend these plugs, they're a great value and a great option to use if you don't want to solder.5+ Stars!Rich

These plugs (set of 12 pairs) are heavy and work very well (once you tighten all the screwed in parts). They are built in four pieces: the main body, a hollow gold screw (which clamps the wire), a colored plastic ring (black or red) to indicate polarity and the gold male plug (which also screws in). See picture.There are two ways to attach your speaker wire: 1) through the side and 2) from the back. The side attachment works with almost any wire size and is easy and secure. The back attachment will limit your wire size to maybe 12 or 10 AWG at most (which for most people is more then enough). You might have to play games for small sizes wire (say below AWG 18) such as removing the plastic ring to make the wire screw tighter. I'm also not sure how securely your wire is held using the back method as the wire is pushed thought the middle of the hollow screw and the ends are flared to be trap as the screw is tightened down. These banana plugs will stack (i.e. if you use the side attachment method then one plug will plug into the back of the other).They don't come with very good instructions in or on the box. But they do have instructions on this web page:(Note: you need to scroll down to the Ocelot Banana Plug section as Sewell make many different banana plugs at different price points)- https://sewelldirect.com/learning-center/how-to-use-banana-plugs-with-speaker-wireSewell also has a you tube video for their Deadbolt series banana plugs ... this is supposedly their higher end plug but demonstrates the rear attachment method which works the same way as this plug.- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxlaFn19JiAThe one down side to these plugs is that the gold "plug" piece tends to loosen if the wires are moved ...hence the loss of one star ... I still highly recommend them for the price paid (less then $20) as a great value.The only other down side I can think of is that the body is not insulated and if the positive and negative plugs touch you will short out your amp (which these days should have protection from this). This is only a problem if your amp is on and your are using these at the speaker end (usually while your working on your speakers) ... OR less likely, if your 5 way binding post are loose (they may touch at the amp or speaker). This may happen if they get pressed together some how (bump them, pull a wire sideways, etc) ... If you using banana plug you need to tighten your 5 ways down as this is needed to fully support the banana plug on the most common 5 ways used today.Note: for those of you who found the banana plug too big to fit ... your using the wrong connector. If at the back of the amp or speaker there is a spring clip you need a different plug (search Amazon for "pin plugs" or "pin connectors". Also note if these are all metal you they will have a high likely hood of them touching and you should put electrical tape or shrink tubing around them to keep that from happening (in a pinch masking tape will work) ... hope that helps ...