Howdy folks: I was just going through a lot of older Amplifiers and other gear, and I’ve realized a lot of my old school Banana type plugs were worn out and needed to be replaced. Before I warmed up the soldering iron and got to work, I wanted to get something a bit more up to date, and with better conductivity. I did a bit of research on the best bang for the buck, using industry recommendations and by asking my colleagues who only repair old equipment that they use. There was one clear answer:

Deadbolt Banana Plugs from Sewell Direct. Usually for around $25 USD I was able to get a 12-pair set of 24k gold plated banana plugs as a great upgrade compared to what I was using. The gold plating is on the connector and crimping teeth to ensure great conductivity. 24k is nice and thick and should last for years through the many plug/unplug/re-plug sessions on the road.

It uses Sewell Direct’s Fast Lock tech as a self crimping and very reliable connection point. The old school plugs also use heavy duty brass casings which Sewell says will give maximum durability, which is very important to a company like ProAudio who contracts a great deal of installations every year.

It has a maximum capacity of 8 AWG for fat conductivity–they however recommend 10 AWG. I assume that the slightly thinner gauge of wire makes for easy crimps, and I found that to be true when experimenting with different gauge copper.

I purchased these items in the 12 pair set. Sewell Direct also sells them as 5 pair and 6 pair sets as well.

As a touring audio engineer and massive gear slut, I highly recommend these plugs for your fresh wiring, or repair wiring needs. Available at at places like Amazon. Roadie Approved.