Connecting Speaker Cable to Marantz PM6006UK Amp.

Fanfrolico

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Hi! Ever since I bought a new system a while back I have been having terrible trouble with this.

The holes in the binding posts on the amp are so small that it is really difficult to twist the wire tight enough for satisfactory connection - and when I attempt to tighten the screw fittings they just loosen again!

After days trying I eventually got them to stay tight and have enjoyed good results for some weeks.

(I bought some banana plugs but after I removed the plastic bungs from the back of the posts the plugs were too big for the hole!).

Today one of the speakers started to distort, with very little sound coming from it - the wires in the the two posts for it seemed OK, but I tightened them as much as I could and the speaker worked after another short period of distortion - so the connection is still not right, as I keep expecting it to go wrong again any moment!

There is a certain amount of wire sticking out of the speaker terminals, but I have ensured it is not on the metal surround.

Anyone with any ideas please? (Things such as soldering the wires are beyond me I'm afraid!). I have never encountered binding posts with such small holes before! Am I doing something ridiculously wrong?

PS When initially setting up I had trouble with both speakers not working at all - due to the loosening screws on the binding posts. This is the first time that I had some sound coming out of a speaker during a connectivity problem.

Phew!
 
You should not have a problem with 4mm banana plugs. Some makes do indeed have to be forced in, you really need them to be a good tight fit. I've never had problems with banana plugs on any amp or speaker I've owned. I have had problems with binding posts becoming loose on a Denon receiver which the banana plugs sorted.
 
You should not have a problem with 4mm banana plugs. Some makes do indeed have to be forced in, you really need them to be a good tight fit. I've never had problems with banana plugs on any amp or speaker I've owned. I have had problems with binding posts becoming loose on a Denon receiver which the banana plugs sorted.


Hi Gibbsy, Thanks for the response.I bought some Fisual Easy Fix (sic) Banana Plugs 24k Gold Plated - it says they are suitable up to OD (?) 4mm entry. Where the gold plug itself "bulges out" it seemed impossible to insert into the binding post, and I gave it a good shove!
 
They are the same plugs that I use. They go in easily on my Denon receiver but did need a bit of heft on my Rega stereo amp. If you screw down the binding posts and hold them between your finger and thumb then push the banana plug home you should be fine.
 
I would double check your connections on the plugs to make sure the screw connection are tight plus make sure you have sufficient wire exposed otherwise you will not have a good connection within the plug. Can I ask how you have the speakers wired up to and what speakers you are using. Are they bi-wired?
 
I would double check your connections on the plugs to make sure the screw connection are tight plus make sure you have sufficient wire exposed otherwise you will not have a good connection within the plug. Can I ask how you have the speakers wired up to and what speakers you are using. Are they bi-wired?

Hi, The connections just using the wires aren't tight - because of the tendency of the screw fittings in the binding posts to loosen (I've never known anything like it, to be honest). They seem OK at present - but I know they can't be because of yesterday's temporary loss of power/distortion in the right speaker which I rectified by trying to tighten them again - although they didn't appear to be loose.

As I said, originally I couldn't insert the banana plugs after taking off the plastic bungs as they seemed much too thick for the holes - but I see mogsman has the same amp and used the same plugs as me and managed to get them in, although he says they are a tight fit.

I think what I'll do is wait until a speaker plays up again and then have another go with the plugs.

Nightmare!

PS The speakers (Monitor Audio Bronze 2s) aren't bi-wired.
 
Ok, my suggestion here is quite an easy fix really. If you are not able to tighten the screw's up enough within the binding posts, that must mean the cable is very thin.

1. Double the length of wire you have exposed within the binding post
2. Fold the wire so it is now the same length as it was before (creating a larger surface area for the screws to grip effectively doubling the width of the cable)
3. Repeat for each plug

Once you've done this, you should find the cable within the plugs is nice and tight and should hopefully stop what is happening

A word of caution, wire can be sharp and sometime split when folding them to create a thinker width. These can jab your fingers as has happened many times with me, so please be forewarned and take care as it can sting a little
 
Ok, my suggestion here is quite an easy fix really. If you are not able to tighten the screw's up enough within the binding posts, that must mean the cable is very thin.

1. Double the length of wire you have exposed within the binding post
2. Fold the wire so it is now the same length as it was before (creating a larger surface area for the screws to grip effectively doubling the width of the cable)
3. Repeat for each plug

Once you've done this, you should find the cable within the plugs is nice and tight and should hopefully stop what is happening

A word of caution, wire can be sharp and sometime split when folding them to create a thinker width. These can jab your fingers as has happened many times with me, so please be forewarned and take care as it can sting a little

Thanks - does your response imply wrapping the thicker wire around the binding post rather than threading it hrough the holes?

The holes are very small, I don't think they would fit if I tried to thicken it!

(Sorry if I am being very stupid here!:))
 
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Sorry for the crude photos, but all I mean is simply do what the photo shows. Once you’ve done, you can twist the wire together and then slide it back into the banana plug

A5C45D11-69D1-4402-B87B-F8AFAE68410F.jpeg

B2D2930F-1321-4456-9011-620F7E747DD0.jpeg

043F17D4-84AC-4E38-A84A-85EF2C978273.jpeg
 
Sorry for the crude photos, but all I mean is simply do what the photo shows. Once you’ve done, you can twist the wire together and then slide it back into the banana plug

View attachment 1272815
View attachment 1272816
View attachment 1272818

Ah, I'm with you - we were at cross- purposes before (I was thinking you were referring to the binding post holes which the speaker cables are in at present rather than the banana plugs).

Yes, I can give this a try when the speakers start to play up again and I am forced into having another go at getting the banana plugs to go in again. (I can't quite face it just at the moment!)

Thanks so much for your help in this matter!
 
I wouldn’t wait for the speakers to play up again as it won’t be doing them any good when it does it. I’d do it before you next switch the system on :smashin:
 
What speaker cable are you using out of interest? Once the Worlds starts again, I’d suggest looking at some better cable than your using something like bell wire :thumbsup:
 
I wouldn’t wait for the speakers to play up again as it won’t be doing them any good when it does it. I’d do it before you next switch the system on :smashin:

Hi - what damage could happen to the speaker if a wire came adrift on the binding post resulting in it cutting out or briefly distorting before I switched it off?

The cable I am using isn't anything special - they are what Peter Tyson, who I bought the system from, sent with it (although they said it was good, of course!).

As it is not an expensive set-up (I have the amp with its sister Marantz CD player) I thought it not worthwhile to spend lots of money - insane amounts sometimes! - on cable.

As you can probably tell I am not a hi-fi enthusiast - I just treat it as a means to reproduce the sound of the music I love. As I get on in years now and the old hearing inevitably begins to be less sharp shelling out for top end stuff becomes rather self-defeating!
 
If the signal it sends creates an unusual spike because of the poor connection, in the worse scenario that could cause unwanted damage to the speaker
 
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The 6006 combination of both and player is a very good one. I've only recently sold my cd6006 and for it's price it can compete with CD players above that price point quite easily. If you are worried about the wires coming out then persist with the banana plugs. They will not look as though they are going right in and will still have a fair bit of the gold connector showing on the Fisuals.
 

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