Why shielded cable? There are dozens of metres of unshielded cable between the wall socket and the meter - and then hundreds of metres to the substation. I don't see how shielding the last couple of metres is going to achieve anything.
The best place for filters is inside each component. Try replacing your IEC connectors with something like this: http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/44953.pdf (warning: 8MB PDF)
The best place for filters is inside each component. Try replacing your IEC connectors with something like this: http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/44953.pdf (warning: 8MB PDF)
Hi w00t,
I'll tell you what I did to mine, hopefully it will give you some ideas...
I had a 'top of the range' 8-way Belkin, which was ok, but I decided to modify it after receiving advice suggesting Belkin strips degrade sonics, and I didn't want to fork out for an audiophile-price power block! (also I didn't believe the Belkin could be so bad)
Firstly, I had to modify a screwdriver just to open her up, using a Dremel
When inside I one can quickly see why these things make a difference- this Belkin had a PCB with 6 varistors, a very small 'x' cap acroos L+N - this is the good part. The bad part is power goes through (quite thick) PCB tracks, and a fuse! Yes, as well as the fuse in the plug! The rail connector things were all tarnished and horrid too.
I polished the rail things with brasso, and cut out the PCB, removing its components for later use, I just bypassed anything that used to be inside, wiring the rail things directly.
-The impovement was shocking, as I expected none to little, but the increase in dynamics and solidity, particularly in bass was excellent. I attribute this mostly to there being a silly 0.5R fuse in the path.
Later, I removed the wire, as I was using an extension to reach it. So I replaced it all with a long piece of hand braided (very) high current wire. Again, an increase in solidity and dynamics was had, and distortion went down, and the noise floor etc all seemed to improve too.
AFAIK shielding can offer no improvement to a power cable, shielding is often said to do more harm than good in most cables/wires.
BTW, you probably do want varistors and caps across the mains, I had little use for mine as I made a box with a large 'lighting' cap (10uf) across live and neutral, y caps to earth, and 2 varistors, and a cool light at the front This box seems to make the sound warm and pleasant with other small improvements.
edit: don't forget to polish all your plug pins with brasso and then protect and 'enhance' them with contact enhancer such as Deoxit - more improvement (you'll start to know what clean, deep bass is, hehe). Also, spray the box black as I did!
I'll tell you what I did to mine, hopefully it will give you some ideas...
I had a 'top of the range' 8-way Belkin, which was ok, but I decided to modify it after receiving advice suggesting Belkin strips degrade sonics, and I didn't want to fork out for an audiophile-price power block! (also I didn't believe the Belkin could be so bad)
Firstly, I had to modify a screwdriver just to open her up, using a Dremel
When inside I one can quickly see why these things make a difference- this Belkin had a PCB with 6 varistors, a very small 'x' cap acroos L+N - this is the good part. The bad part is power goes through (quite thick) PCB tracks, and a fuse! Yes, as well as the fuse in the plug! The rail connector things were all tarnished and horrid too.I polished the rail things with brasso, and cut out the PCB, removing its components for later use, I just bypassed anything that used to be inside, wiring the rail things directly.
-The impovement was shocking, as I expected none to little, but the increase in dynamics and solidity, particularly in bass was excellent. I attribute this mostly to there being a silly 0.5R fuse in the path.
Later, I removed the wire, as I was using an extension to reach it. So I replaced it all with a long piece of hand braided (very) high current wire. Again, an increase in solidity and dynamics was had, and distortion went down, and the noise floor etc all seemed to improve too.
AFAIK shielding can offer no improvement to a power cable, shielding is often said to do more harm than good in most cables/wires.
BTW, you probably do want varistors and caps across the mains, I had little use for mine as I made a box with a large 'lighting' cap (10uf) across live and neutral, y caps to earth, and 2 varistors, and a cool light at the front
This box seems to make the sound warm and pleasant with other small improvements.edit: don't forget to polish all your plug pins with brasso and then protect and 'enhance' them with contact enhancer such as Deoxit - more improvement (you'll start to know what clean, deep bass is, hehe). Also, spray the box black as I did!
Simon, that's a lot of unexpected improvement.
What components did you have plugged into the powerstrip? Do you have any theories about how your mods improved the sound?
I am agnostic on the subject of how mains supplies can affect sound. I suspect that stuff like half an ohm's worth of fuse in the mains has little or no effect as the transformer/capacitors in an amp provide a low impedance for the amp's circuitry. I don't understand how high current wire can improve bass - a 100W amplifier is only going to take a couple of amps at most from 240V.
Not disputing your perceived improvements, I'd just like to understand the mechanics of what's happening.
I will try 10uF across the mains, that sounds like worthwhile filtering.
What components did you have plugged into the powerstrip? Do you have any theories about how your mods improved the sound?
I am agnostic on the subject of how mains supplies can affect sound. I suspect that stuff like half an ohm's worth of fuse in the mains has little or no effect as the transformer/capacitors in an amp provide a low impedance for the amp's circuitry. I don't understand how high current wire can improve bass - a 100W amplifier is only going to take a couple of amps at most from 240V.
Not disputing your perceived improvements, I'd just like to understand the mechanics of what's happening.
I will try 10uF across the mains, that sounds like worthwhile filtering.
Hi Bremen,bremen nacht said:
I cannot explain why there is this [marked] change in sonics, as I am not an EE, and cannot backup any of this with facts or science, or even blind listening, and so I expect some skepticism, especially as many have not 'played' with the mains yet, so cannot corroborate.
As for why I think it improves the sound: I could be way off the mark, but I think it's mainly down to resistance. It could also be something to do with RFI, this is why I braid wires. I think dodgy contacts pickup RFI too, perhaps partly why cleaning and applying Deoxit is so beneficial. WRT "0.5ohm fuse" - it was the fuse, cleaner contacts all-round, *and* no PCB ie. more than 0.5ohms total.
I openly admit I may have imagined these improvements, or that the improvements could be due to some unknown factors, though these were quite large changes to imagine. They do correlate with what Russ Andrews says about mains quality, and this suggestive information, combined with my furtive imagination might explain it as entirely ficticious. There, that covers my back, now I needn't explain, haha!
Hi,tiroth said:
My totally unscientific mind tells me a mix must be best. I have about 5 0.47uf x caps in a bag somewhere, I'll see if throwing those in my filter makes any additional change. Also have a couple more 'y' rated caps that can go in.
I was going to put these in my isolation transformer, for my amp, but I'm too scared of it, ever since it 'rejected' the varistor I tried, lol.
Yeh, they were the biggest of that type Farnell sell, they're quite nice and chunky. I was just thinking along the lines of "more the merrier". However, I do realise smaller caps are effective to higher frequencies, or something like that.tiroth said:
These being power strips or plug in parallel filters, anything in series is not an option or a good idea IMHO.
I consider this stuff to be a sort of belt-and-braces addition to whatever is built into the equipment itself, and might even improve kit that won't be modified like a TV or whatever else is plugged in nearby...
Any opinions on MOVs/varistors Tiroth? I pulled 6 from my Belkin, and I feel I oughta put 'em back in somewhere!
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