Would You Bother With QED Airloc Banana Plugs?

[Minstrel SE]

One of them has just come off some silver anniversary and Im sat here thinking Im going to need to buy a new inner (therefore a whole new plug) and find the shop again with the crimping tool. They cant be reused once off unless I try and flood them with solder :)

I'm not best pleased because Ive been looking at it and it just seems to be a box crimp that should have held the cable better than this. Its never had any real pressure to pull it off and I thought these crimps would be rock solid.

These cables were in my backup box on some biwire Silver Anniversary. I've brought them out for an application, given the outer shells a little light rub then realised one of them is loose and falling off. I feel unsure about the rest of the plugs now

At £5 each on biwire cables it wasnt particularly cheap and may not have been one of my sensible buys. £110 for two 2.5 metre lengths all in.

I think I may solder on some bucket, nickel Deltrons with heatshrink. I might reapply one Airloc at the shop than sell the cables on.

I think the most annoying thing is that the Airlocs are not user serviceable if problems arise

[Boyse6748]

Not been happy with mine either (currently on XT40 cable.) An airlock plug fell off recently but FutureShop replaced with new plugs.
Think it it happens again.... it's back to soldered plugs.

Would not buy again... they ain't cheep and a poor design if not done expertly.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Minstrel SE]

Not been happy with mine either (currently on XT40 cable.) An airlock plug fell off recently but FutureShop replaced with new plugs.
Think it it happens again.... it's back to soldered plugs.

Would not buy again... they ain't cheep and a poor design if not done expertly.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yes interesting and Ive seen other stories about them falling off. Its brought all the other plugs into doubt and Im now wondering about the quality of the connections.

I was happy thinking that these were airtight and well connected. I might just scrap the whole idea and put some other plugs on. Even tinning the bare wire and scewing it through the binding post seems better now.

Its just niggled me and even shocked me a bit.....are the others going to fall off and I dont like spending money to put this right :)

All the best
Martin

[Boyse6748]

I think the principle is good (no-corrosion) if air tight.... but not much use if they fall off. No plug that I've soldered on has fell off. (On my bi-wire set up, the plugs, let alone the cable was expensive)! As I said previously..... would not but again.

Sorry..... expense is all a statement of what you can afford. Some people spend more money on One pair of RCA plugs, than I do on speaker cables. "But that's not me"


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Minstrel SE]

Yes I agree the principle is good but these cables have always been handled with kid gloves.

From what I can see it just box crimps the tube sleeve and when the wire came out it didnt look as though it had any crimp pressure on it. Im still fathoming it out but it doesnt look as though anything seriously holds the wire. A proper crimp to me is both an insulation clamp holder and being firmly crimped around the wire. Ive seen crimps that will see us all out :)

I dont know whether there is an inner liner...(seems to be something white in the gold tube) or how it becomes airtight.

It was a treat at the time but I wont buy them again. I just prefer a solder connection and I like a connection I have taken care of myself. I will look at other options...Deltrons, QED spades and anything I can make a good solder connection with.