Afternoon friends. I hope you can help me. I have super lumina speaker cables going into focal sopra 2s with the factory fitted banana plugs. The plugs are quite loose in the binding post - a couple of them even move a little bit - they slide in with no resistance. It doesn’t seem to affect the sound at all but I’m concerned about vibration causing the contact to be less stable than it should be. Has anyone has experience of this and what can be done? Thanks in advance!
I used to own Sopra 1’s and Superlumina speaker cables.I do not remember them being a loose fit though. Naim and Focal are sister companies,so they should fit perfectly…something seems off.
When I purchased my S/L speakers cables several years ago they had a loose fit into my then Spender D7 speakers this was experienced by quite few people at the time if I remember correctly
Naim replaced mine under warranty I would have a word with your dealer to see what he suggests?
I agree entirely. They fit perfectly at the amp end it’s just into the speakers….
Thanks, sadly they are about 5 years old and second hand is going back to naim is probably out the question. Thanks for your response though
Naim might be able replace the speaker end plugs worth a try?
Mine were also replaced under warranty due to the loose fit. Perhaps worth talking to Naim anyway just so that you know whether or not that is the issue.
Can you add a picture?
Don’t forget that with the Focals you can either loosen the post, push the plug into the top of the post, and then tighten up the post. Or you can loosen the post fully and slide the plug into the now showing hole and tighten the post down onto that
Hi Finkfan I saw that there is a hole in the side of the binding post - I assumed that was for wires. Is that not the case? Banana are ok in that hole? Thanks
The hole in the side is indeed for bare wires. The banana plugs go in the ends, as you are doing.
As a rule yes. But there is nothing to say you can’t use the posts this way. And if it’s a better fit and works perfectly…why not
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Tempted to use the holes - leaves the banana plugs a little exposed to dust and corrosion though? Or am I overthinking it?!
4mm plugs are designed to go into 4mm sockets, not into bare wire holes. You have very expensive speaker cables and very expensive speakers. Do it properly. If you feel the connection is loose, speak to your dealer and get the plugs fixed by Naim.
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Well said, will do :-). Thanks
Not sure about SL banana plugs but standard Naim speaker plugs each have a little tensioner spring wire that runs along the length of the plug. If the previous speaker sockets were tight the tensioners would have been compressed flat over time, resulting in a loose fit in a slightly larger socket. On standard plugs the action of the tensioners can be restored by easing them out a little in the middle using a small screwdriver or knife blade as a lever. Maybe @Richard.Dane could advise on this ?
If I recall the problem with the S/L cables that had loose plugs was that the springy pin for want of a better description had not been treated correctly therefore had very little spring tension in them hence the reason they were a loose fit.
SL plugs won’t fit in the 4mm holes on my current speakers so I put them in the holes that are meant for bare wire instead. It works fine and doesn’t degrade the sound. If it gives you a more secure fit I wouldn’t worry about it. The last thing you want is for the loose plugs to come out, with the risk of shorting and frying your amp.
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I haven’t played with the SL banana plugs, so can’t advise here. Best ask the dealer or Naim.
Mr tibbs. Thanks so much for your post. It is indeed the springs. Your suggestion worked on two of the plugs. Sadly with the other two the springs are too far in/flat against the main body of the plug to get a blade in. I might send in to Naim for them to replace. Thanks again