In the last part we will look at the effects of BP on the frequency response. The two different measurement methods clearly show that binding posts have an influence, albeit small, on the overall impedance of the loudspeaker.ĭoes this lead to an audible influence on the sound of the loudspeaker? This will be clarified in the next section. If all impedance measurements are ploted in one diagram, it can be seen that the resistive part of all binding post is, as expected, close to zero ohms, the inductive part shown as phase angle differs more clearly. In the diagrams (except BP-No) the impedance of the BP-No is shown as an additional yellow curve. The inductive part is shown in a phase >0° in the measurement diagram (less than 0° phase would indicate a capacitive behavior or a bad calibration in this case). When measuring the impedance of a resistor, which corresponds to our BP, Arta-Limp calculates the resistive and inductive part (at a given frequency). For this purpose, the impedance of the component against the frequency is measured.
Steve meade designs binding posts software#
The Arta-Limp software can also function as an LCR meter. Since further cable transitions were necessary for this measurement (see picture above), the comparison is not quite fair - for the further measurements this disadvantage will no longer exist.īut this is only half the truth, since the LCR meter only measures at a fixed frequency (in this case it was 1kHz), we do not yet know how the resistance values change over the entire audible range.Ĭheap BP are supposed to have a negative influence on the high frequency reproduction, that has to be clarified. Please note that the given absolute resistance values still have error tolerances which are not given here. In the first comparison the resistance values of the individual binding posts are simply measured with 0.3m loudspeaker cable.Īfter deducting the value for 0.3m loudspeaker cable we get a first indication of the influence of the BP on the overall performance of the loudspeaker. With bare speaker cable ends the measured resistances are slightly worse and not as consistent.
Steve meade designs binding posts how to#
Before the "Copernican Revolution", people knew just how to make a good binding post. If banana plugs are not used, the speaker cable ends must be checked for tightness after some time.īP-Nails: The secret formula for this BP was found during renovation works of our house, whose foundation walls date back to the 14-15th century.Īs you can see on the photo, other adventurers had to pay with their lives to get the secret formula. The nuts on the screw were adjusted to correspond to a cabinet wall thickness of approximately 21mm (0.83''). Personally, I would not use this binding post, as my tests often required several attempts to fix the speaker cable ends correctly.īP-Luster: I often use luster terminals because I regularly make changes to loudspeakers.ĭisadvantage, the screws of the luster terminals must be, after some time, tightened at least once to guarantee a faultless connection.īP-Screws: These BPs are likely to be used very frequently. The speaker cables must be inserted deep enough to touch the rear panel of the terminal - this is how at least the BP I use works. Great care must be taken to ensure that the clamps are used correctly. The resistance value of the loudspeaker cable can then be subtracted from the BP measurements.īP-Clamps: Probably the cheapest commonly used type of BP. The measurements of the other BP also use 0.3m of the same speaker cable. Here only the influence of 0.3m, OFC, 2.5mm² speaker cable is measured. The compared binding posts (BP) are shown here:īP-No: Without bindig post, serves as baseline. This way, everyone can decide for himself whether it is worth spending ten or hundert times the price for high-end binding posts, the effect of which is then at best between the results of the worst binding posts and the measurements without binding post - apart from aesthetic differences. Therefore I compare binding posts that are generally considered the "worst" ones (on planet earth) and evaluate their possible influence on the sound of loudspeakers. Of course it is not possible for me to test "all" binding posts (BP). It even goes so far that individual voices describe the influence of binding posts as immense and recommend only very high-quality BPs - That made me curious. The influence of BP on the sound of loudspeakers has often been controversially discussed.