Loose speaker cable connection

Hi-Fi Corner
1

Happy new year all!

I noticed that the speaker-cable connection on one of my (passive) Ovator S600 is slightly loose.

If the cable is disturbed while music is playing (even strong bass has caused that a couple of times), the connection can be interrupted, and then I have to give it a little nudge to re-connect. When it reconnects, there are no thumps or cracks, playback just continues normally.

I’ll have a service person check it soon, but I’d like to know:

  • Is this risky for the speaker and/or the power amp (NAP135)?
  • Can I do anything myself to improve that connection?

The cable looks a lot like the Naim Nac A5, the terminals are gold banana plugs that can be “widened”. Should I try widening them myself?

2

It’s a common problem with the spring leaf type plugs. They aren’t very good. They either go loose on you or the opposite and are hard to extract. In both cases, the contact area is small.

If you replace them with Z plugs, Deltrons, or the Naim plugs they will fit nice and snug.

1 Like
3

I agree with FZ, I really don’t like those Z plugs. Better to use proper bananas. Better again, use the bananas Naim designed specifically for the Ovators. They are silver plated to match the socket materials, and were supplied with Ovators. Look around and you’ll probably find a Naim dealer who can still supply some.

All this is assuming that the plugs themselves are the problem of course.