Speaker Plugs UnitiQute
Posted by: ChrisG on 24 April 2016
Hi
Is it possible to use conventional 4mm speaker plugs on the UnitQute, there's a very stern warning on the rear to use only the plugs supplied....why?
Chris
Yes, it will be fine.
It's perfectly fine to use conventional 4mm plugs. Most people do. I think the warning may be something EU related. Nothing to worry about. The new Super Lumina cables use 4mm plugs 
Thanks chaps!
Best
Chris
You can use normal bannana plugs. However if you use the UQ ones, they are designed to be wobbly and should help with some decoupling of the cables from the main unit.
have one UQ2. also using normal bannana plugs.
Hi Chris,
In Europe the banana plugs are no "legal" as theoretically they can unplug easily and make a shortcircuit on the Amp. That is the reason why many speakers and amps have small plastic cups closing the banana plug holes.
The Naim banana plugs avoid this problem fixing the distance between bananas. If they unplug accidentally the can not touch one to each other, so it is imppossible to shortcircuit them. Apart from this, I ear for a Naim technician that the material used in they bananas is perfectly compatible (in terms of material compatibility/corrosion) with the female conector on you Naim.
Anyway... I live in Spain and I am using "Chord" banana plugs with my Unitiqute2 without any problem.
...Javi
That's not the full story Javi, the Naim plug has its pins spaced at 19mm, this was a standard adopted by some speaker & binding post mnft's. The European power plugs made under CEE 7/4, with types C, E & F, ("F" is the Schuko “safety contact” design used in most European countries) have 4.8mm pins with 19mm spacing. ............. you can see the problem (??)
Wow, more to this than meets the eye, thanks for all the input, having used 4mm plugs for years on my SBL's into wall sockets(NA5 buried in walls) I was a bit surprised to see the warning on the back of a friends UnitiQute2!
Best
Chris
Javi A. posted:Hi Chris,
In Europe the banana plugs are no "legal" as theoretically they can unplug easily and make a shortcircuit on the Amp. That is the reason why many speakers and amps have small plastic cups closing the banana plug holes.
...
...Javi
There isn't a legal issue, the EU Low Voltage Directive doesn't include Extra-Low Voltage circuitry (<50V AC) within it's rules.
Neither does BS 7671:2008, 'Requirements for electrical installations' (The IEE Wiring Regulations 17th Edition) for the UK.