DIY Speaker Cable using banana plugs
How to make a DIY speaker cable with banana plugs
In this article we will cover how to make a DIY speaker cable using banana plugs. I’m hoping you’re here from this YouTube video. If not, then go ahead and watch it because I’m not going to go into details about the build, just the basic parts list and where to find them. So, we’re going to cover speaker cables using 1.5, 2.5 and 4.0 mm wire. However, in my opinion, the wire with the round jacket fits better with the sleeve and the cable pants. As a result, I wouldn’t consider the 1.5 mm wire unless you are going for a budget build and looks don’t matter. Here are the parts list (affiliate paid links):
1.5 mm / 16 AWG wire cable
- 1.5 mm wire – [Sound Imports] [Parts Express]
- 6.4 mm or 1/4″ Techflex sleeve – [Sound Imports] [Parts Express]
- 6 mm cable pants – [Sound Imports] [Parts Express]
2.5 mm / 14 AWG wire cable
- 2.5 mm wire – [Sound Imports] [Parts Express]
- 9.5 mm or 3/8″ Techflex sleeve – [Sound Imports] [Parts Express]
- 10 mm cable pants – [Sound Imports] [Parts Express]
4.0 mm / 12 AWG wire cable
- 4.0 mm wire – [Sound Imports] [Parts Express]
- 9.5 mm or 3/8″ Techflex sleeve – [Sound Imports] [Parts Express]
- 14 mm cable pants – [Sound Imports] [Parts Express]
The Sound Imports link for 4 mm wire contains a silver wire. There aren’t other options on Sound Imports, but you can search somewhere else for copper wire. Silver is the best conductor, however, it’s significantly more expensive.
Finished DIY speaker cables using 2.5 and 4.0 wires
In the YouTube video I recommend making a a DIY speaker cable which uses 2.5 or 4 mm wire with extra insulation and also with sleeving. The banana plugs you see in the video are the following:
- Cheap black banana plugs – [Sound Imports] [Parts Express]
- Nakamichi banana plugs – [Amazon]
- Gold banana plugs – [Sound Imports] [Parts Express]
- QED banana plugs – [Sound Imports] [Amazon]