Hi !
I would like to build some power cords for my power amp
I need above all some suggestion for suitable IEC female plug (see picture below)
My sensation is that the plug could be even more important than the cable itself
I live in Europe (Norway)
Thank you for any kind suggestion
Regards,
gino
I would like to build some power cords for my power amp
I need above all some suggestion for suitable IEC female plug (see picture below)
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
My sensation is that the plug could be even more important than the cable itself
I live in Europe (Norway)
Thank you for any kind suggestion
Regards,
gino
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Every time the power supply for my desktop computer blows up, I get another power cord with an IEC plug on the end. They come with the power supply. I have about a dozen 18 ga. What are you using to access the internet, a cell phone? Visit a charity resale shop, they probably have about a dozen for E1 each.
The only reason to build or buy one would be for a 1.5 KW PA amp, that requires a 14 ga power cord. Those you do not find surplus. You may buy parts with a debit card from the website of your local farnell.com distributor, who probably stocks more cord sets then they do plugs which could be hand assembled. I believe mouser.com also operates a warehouse in Scandinavia.
The only reason to build or buy one would be for a 1.5 KW PA amp, that requires a 14 ga power cord. Those you do not find surplus. You may buy parts with a debit card from the website of your local farnell.com distributor, who probably stocks more cord sets then they do plugs which could be hand assembled. I believe mouser.com also operates a warehouse in Scandinavia.
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Are Wattgates good enough for you?
WattGate 320i IEC (clear) Power Connector - Fidelity Components Shop
Good evening !
If I understand well your point is that are all of the same quality ?
My amp draws 6-700 VA at maximum (never used at this level anyway).
I am particularly worry about the quality of the contact of IEC part
I heard good think of Volex complete cable by the way.
Maybe as you say it could be more than enough.
Regards,
gino
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Really nice ! Thank you for the suggestion
As I am doing some experiments do you think that a shield in the cable is needed ? I want to use it only for a power amp not line level component or digital equipment.
Thanks again and regards,
gino
None of my hifi equipment has shielded AC cords. Inside the steel box, may be different. Many of my amps have twisted pair for AC power inside, or confine the AC to it's own steel compartment inside the grounded main steel enclosure.
700 VA amps could use an 16 ga cable. Most UL/CE/VDE rated cordsets will have a paper ring listing the watts it is suitable for. This should be on the specification table of the mail order vendor.
I've never had a bad IEC socket, even on these cheap ******se 18 ga cordsets. In the US, Carol cable has 90% of the resale AC cordset market. Their quality is adequate, but you get the watts rating you pay for. 14 ga cordsets are impossible to find in local stock.
700 VA amps could use an 16 ga cable. Most UL/CE/VDE rated cordsets will have a paper ring listing the watts it is suitable for. This should be on the specification table of the mail order vendor.
I've never had a bad IEC socket, even on these cheap ******se 18 ga cordsets. In the US, Carol cable has 90% of the resale AC cordset market. Their quality is adequate, but you get the watts rating you pay for. 14 ga cordsets are impossible to find in local stock.
It depends on if you are looking for good quality relaible power connections or if you are looking for some special audiophile qualities. There are people who will spend $250 for a cord liike that, then the rest of us find nothing wrong with a generic cord.
Shielding? What do you want to shield from what? Shielded power cords in computer and other digital equipment is more about preventing noise from radiating OUT from the cord. COnsider that noise in your local environment is many magnitudes smaller than the 120v or 240v of your mains. Not only that, but the impedance of your mains wiring is not very sensitive to picking up fields unless your power cord runs through an MRI machine on its way by.
If you mains wiring is anything like mine, it starts at a step down transformer on a power pole near my home. From there, unshielded wires run from pole to my house, through my electric service panel, then through the unshielded wires in my house walls. Just my opinion, but i am not sure what shielding the last few feet of all that would do for me.
If you feel better with industrial style connectors, whenever they come from audiophile sources they cost a lot more than they should. If you have electricians in your area wiring houses and such work, then you have electrical supply companies there too, selling the electricians their parts. You can find good and premium quality connectors at places like that. No audiophile markup and no shipping cost. Look into "Hospital Grade" connectors and power cords if you are interested. They may call it something else in Norway, but such power connectors have "better" specs on reliability and strength of connection. It isn't so much about electrical qualities as it is things like how easy it is to pull it out of the outlet or how likely it is the hot parts can be exposed
http://www.ul.com/global/documents/...ors/technical/ul_HospitalGradeReceptacles.pdf
Shielding? What do you want to shield from what? Shielded power cords in computer and other digital equipment is more about preventing noise from radiating OUT from the cord. COnsider that noise in your local environment is many magnitudes smaller than the 120v or 240v of your mains. Not only that, but the impedance of your mains wiring is not very sensitive to picking up fields unless your power cord runs through an MRI machine on its way by.
If you mains wiring is anything like mine, it starts at a step down transformer on a power pole near my home. From there, unshielded wires run from pole to my house, through my electric service panel, then through the unshielded wires in my house walls. Just my opinion, but i am not sure what shielding the last few feet of all that would do for me.
If you feel better with industrial style connectors, whenever they come from audiophile sources they cost a lot more than they should. If you have electricians in your area wiring houses and such work, then you have electrical supply companies there too, selling the electricians their parts. You can find good and premium quality connectors at places like that. No audiophile markup and no shipping cost. Look into "Hospital Grade" connectors and power cords if you are interested. They may call it something else in Norway, but such power connectors have "better" specs on reliability and strength of connection. It isn't so much about electrical qualities as it is things like how easy it is to pull it out of the outlet or how likely it is the hot parts can be exposed
http://www.ul.com/global/documents/...ors/technical/ul_HospitalGradeReceptacles.pdf
Thank you very much again for the valuable advice
This re-sizes the problem. I understand that the average quality of cable is more than enough and the shield is not needed
I confess I was a little intrigued by those nice high-end cables.
Now much less.
Regards,
gino
Hi ! actually even more. I have a friend who has spent a fortune on a power bar audiophile approved
I think he has influenced me a little
I understand. No shield required then. I looked at the electrical plant and it seems robust. There are electrical heater everywhere here
Thank you very much for the advice. I will try to find a local vendor of these hospital grade products and I guess they will be just fine
Unfortunately I do not have a good knowledge in electronics.
And so I am sometime victim of the marketing
Kind regards,
gino
I have both cables - DH-Labs RedWave and PowerPlus. PowerPlus is without shield and RedWave is shielded. I've tried PowerPlus with digital source: it really gives something in sound. It wokrs like mains filter - I've measured +5V power output on Dune HD Base 3.0 media player with scope. There was some noise canceling with PowerPlus.
One day I measured some of the spare power cords that I had on hand. Using a very nice 4 terminal Ohm meter. Some of the cords had end to end resistance of about what I expected. Some were a litter higher, but still OK for low power units. A few were way higher and only suitable for the trash can.
Something nice ? you mean you prefer the unshielded one with the digital source ?
If I understand well the shielded one let through more of the noise coming from the electrical grid. Very interesting.
But I would like to explain why I have become a little obsessed with this contact efficiency in plugs
I had a cheap cord in one of my old amp with a very bad two terminal plug
as an experiment I replace it with this one
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
and I really felt some improvements like less noise and more power for a same position of the volume knob with same discs.
I am a believer of the quality of connectors. Or better of the contact.
Just cleaning with some solvent the rcas usually gives amazing results.
I opened some of the above depicted IEC female plugs
The quality is very varying
But I cannot say nothing about the quality of the molded ones of course.
But I would think that some kind of difference exists and influences the overall sound.
For instance the copper tends to oxidize. The rodhium not but it is very very expensive. But I like it very very much.
Regards,
gino
Regards,
gino
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Hi ! I became aware of the importance of a good contact quality when I cleaned some rcas with a solvent for dry cleaning
Bad smell aside I was literally floored by the difference in the sound
Much cleaner ... of course
Joke aside the improvement was very remarkable
And the cotton that I used for the cleaning became black for the dirt
So dirt is one issue
Another issue is the mechanical matching between contacts
For instance i do not understand why a superior connector like the bnc has not replaced the rcas
And the perversion is reached with digital where the used rcas for the spdif output while in all other sectors they use bnc.
I think that audio has something to learn from professional video for instance
The bit rate of a HD video transmission is so much higher than audio digital transmission that a superior quality connector is mandatory
And analogue signal are even less critical
I am pretty sure that a low quality bnc is better than a high end rca
But in this way being the rca a inferior connector by design they can sell top quality rcas at 50 USD/each when a 0.5 USD bnc would be perfect.
That is the audio way I suppose
Sorry for the outburst
Thanks and regards,
gino
Bad smell aside I was literally floored by the difference in the sound
Much cleaner ... of course
Joke aside the improvement was very remarkable
And the cotton that I used for the cleaning became black for the dirt
So dirt is one issue
Another issue is the mechanical matching between contacts
For instance i do not understand why a superior connector like the bnc has not replaced the rcas
And the perversion is reached with digital where the used rcas for the spdif output while in all other sectors they use bnc.
I think that audio has something to learn from professional video for instance
The bit rate of a HD video transmission is so much higher than audio digital transmission that a superior quality connector is mandatory
And analogue signal are even less critical
I am pretty sure that a low quality bnc is better than a high end rca
But in this way being the rca a inferior connector by design they can sell top quality rcas at 50 USD/each when a 0.5 USD bnc would be perfect.
That is the audio way I suppose
Sorry for the outburst
Thanks and regards,
gino
I know this is an old post, but..
Enzo. I like your practical approach to "shielded" power cable. I think in 85% cases your advice is valuable, however one particular scenario may have been overlooked. As you know, die hard audiophiles get pretty nuts sometimes. Some people grow distain for the unshielded power grid (as you have described) and add power filters such as a furman or even a power regenerator. I think in this case - and this case only - a shielded power cable could be valuable. It ensures that the ac signal is minimally affected by EMI/RFI while traveling from the filter/regen to the component like a power amp or DAC.
Enzo. I like your practical approach to "shielded" power cable. I think in 85% cases your advice is valuable, however one particular scenario may have been overlooked. As you know, die hard audiophiles get pretty nuts sometimes. Some people grow distain for the unshielded power grid (as you have described) and add power filters such as a furman or even a power regenerator. I think in this case - and this case only - a shielded power cable could be valuable. It ensures that the ac signal is minimally affected by EMI/RFI while traveling from the filter/regen to the component like a power amp or DAC.
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