How to install banana plugs on speaker cable for easy connectivity

Every day we install and tear down a large amount of home theater and audio and video equipment, from speakers and subwoofers to amplifiers, receivers, turntables and everything in between. And one thing that gets old very quickly is cutting, stripping, and coiling raw speaker wires. It's fiddly, makes connecting and disconnecting components a chore, and can leave exposed wires hanging from the back of the speaker or receiver terminals, which can lead to unwanted noise or poor performance.

One of the best things you can do to improve your speaker cable situation is to install banana plugs which can be connected directly to compatible speaker or receiver/amplifier terminals, similar to RCA plugs. They're cheap to make, they look clean, provide a secure connection, and make it very easy to connect and disconnect components.

Here's how to install banana plugs on unterminated speaker cable.

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Grab a pack of banana plugs

There are a few different types of banana plugs that you can find at your local Finest Purchase, audio store, or on Amazon, but they are pretty much the same in terms of installation. For our purposes, we'll go with the banana plugs style that you don't have to weld and that they have a small screw that tightens.

You can find banana plugs with various types of fasteners and all styles, from right angle connectors to those with double tips and more. It's up to you what works best.

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Put together your speaker cable

Once you've cut the speaker wire to the length you need, here's how to prepare the ends for the banana plugs.

Step 1: Depending on the speaker cable you are using, there may be an outer covering that hides two separate wires inside, one red and one black. If this is the case, using your wire strippers, carefully remove about 2 inches of that outer covering to expose and separate the two wires.

Different types of speaker cables, like the cable we are using, come bundled together. Use an exact knife to separate the two cables. They may or may not be color coded.

Step 2: With the wires separated, use the wire stripper to strip about a half-inch of insulation from each wire from the ends to expose the unterminated wire. Be careful not to cut or damage any of the cable wires.

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Connect the cables to the banana plugs.

With the wires exposed, you can now plug them into the banana plugs.

Step 1: First, you may need to prepare the banana plugs to accept the raw cable. In our example, the outer casing needs to be unscrewed and separated from the inner stem plug casing. Also be sure to loosen the screws that will hold the cable in place.

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Step 2: Then, insert the unterminated end of the wire into the core of the banana plug and tighten the screws to secure it. Do this for the black and red plugs and then do the same for the other end of the cable, if installing it on both ends.

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Step 3: Replace the outer casing of the plug and screw it on. That's it, that's it.

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Connecting banana plugs to amplifiers and speakers

This is the easy part. Most speakers and receivers/amplifiers will have speaker terminals that have a hole in the middle to insert banana plugs. Some have little plastic covers over the holes that you just have to remove first. Be sure to store them in a ziploc bag or container for safe storage.

Related to connecting an RCA cable, all you have to do is plug and play!

Note: However, keep in mind that banana plugs will not work with the spring clips found on many speakers and receivers/amplifiers.

With banana plugs installed on all your speaker cables, connecting and disconnecting your components will not only be much easier, especially for those of you with components hidden in a multimedia unit that you have to reach in and out of or crawl under to access. – but the electrical connection will be much stronger and more stable than the messy raw cable. Plus, it couldn't be easier to make.