Well, I guess I have written something that describe the advantage of the new IeGO R301 series IEC sockets far better than I did before, so I feel that it would be best if I can post it in the first post, replacing the originals. As well IeGO had kindly provided studio quality photo of the silver R301, which without a doubt, looks far better than the photos I shot.
Ag-R301(BU)
Have you ever wondered why there are all kinds of cool cables, cool connectors that is supposed to improve performance of your equipments, but there are no better alternatives for the IEC power sockets on your equipments. It's always just another standard industrial part with unknown metallic material with unknown performance.
Well, not anymore, with IeGO's R301 series, you can now replace the IEC sockets on your machine with IeGO's pure silver or gold plated pure copper IEC sockets.
What's so special of IeGO's R301 series?
Gold Plated Copper Gu-R301
* Improved details and transparency.
* Overall warm tone, with smooth mids.
* Powerful presentation.
* Enhanced bass performance.
Pure Silver Ag-R301
* Everything Gu-R301 have, plus
* Overall netural tone. (In comparison with Gu-R301)
* Livelier and more energetic presentation.
* More details without exaggerating the detail itself.
* More transparency and thicnkess in the higher frequencies.
Please note that silver does NOT automatically sound sharp, thin or harsh, it is badly made silver or badly plated silver that's making it sound harsh. High quality silver actually have a netural tone with thickness, and is well suited to almost all equipments other than ones that is already too bright to being with. For those, we recommend using copper to tone it down. If your system does not have such problems, and your budget allows for the extra cost of silver, then we wholeheartly recommend going with the silver Ag-R301.
For those who are interested in technical "Gibberish", here we go:
* 99.99% pure silver. (for Ag-R301)
* 99.99% pure copper with gold plating. (for Gu-R301)
* Forged powder metal process, for excellent surface uniformality. (better contacts!)
* Cryo treated for 22 hours @ -240C/-400F. (better performance!)
* Polycarbonate housing that is both shatter and flame resistent.
Mounting IeGO R301 is simple, basically any machines that uses standard IEC R-301 type connector can use it to directly replace the original IEC socket. I could not find IeGO's original mechanical drawing, but this is designed with international R-301 standard in mind, so that anyone's R-301 drawing would almost sufficiently describe the details.
With that said, here's a link to RichBay's drawing
http://chinese.richbay.com.tw/pdimage/2o4717.jpg , please pay attention to the screw spacing, which is 40mm center to center. If your machine's IEC socket looks like our Ag-R301 or Gu-R301, and the mounting screw is spaced exactly 40mm apart, then you are most likely to be able to use our product effortlessly.
(image curtesy of RichBay, please go to the link above to see the image.)
Warning:
Do not attempt to install R301 yourself if you do not have any experience dealing with AC power. Because AC power can become deadly very easily, sloppy wiring, incorrect wiring, and any other little mistakes and details cannot be overlooked when dealing with such power. If you are not sure about your skill when dealing with AC power, please ask someone experienced to professionally install it for you.
Warranty:
IeGO standard 5 year warranty, as long as the product failed within 5 years normal use, we will gladly replace it free of charge.
Exceptions and what's not considered as normal use? Natual disaster, act of God, abuse or abnormal use, and soldering or related marks that hinted soldering had been done on R301.
Soldering is strightly prohibited on R301, we recommend that you use the mounting hardware included to secure your cable to R301, it is not only very simple, but also very safe. We prohibit soldering on R301 is that due to the extrodinary conductivity of both pure copper and pure silver, it is very difficult to solder anything on without melting the plastic housing while you are at it. If you melt the housing, then you would have compromised the strecture integrity of R301 and thus we cannot provide any warranty on it. You can ignore this and solder it on, but please remember that this is NOT a good idea, and could potenically lead to damage of R301 and/or your equipment. Not to mention you'd be voiding a very cool 5 year warranty.
Pricing:
Ag-R301(BU) $90/ea (Solid 9999 silver)
Gu-R301(BU) $30/ea (Solid 9999 copper with gold plating)
Shipping:
$20 flat rate for any quantity to anywhere in the world.
Ag-R301(BU) from different angles.
the Magic(tm) silver stix
===========Old Post Below This Line===========
Well, enough with words, here's the photos.
Gu-R301(BU), box, IEC inlet and mounting hardware.
A closer look at the marking on Gu-R301
Close up shot.
Ag-R301(BU), box, IEC inlet and mounting hardware.
Close up shot of Ag-R301(BU)
Mounting hardware.
=====Some obligatory ugly warnings=====
First of all, this stuff is intended for people who know the risks of modding stuff related to AC power. When modding components related to AC power, all precaution must be taken to ensure safety and correct wiring. As when something goes wrong, it won't be just your expensive equipment going up in smoke, it could be your room or your house going up in smoke. I have personally seen some smart guy wired up his amp so that the amp's chassis automatically peel his power cable for him while he is using the amp, and eventually, a big puff occurred and nothing works anymore. Circuit breaker saved his home, and lucky he didn't wire up his home himself...
Simply put, AC power is serious, and there is no room for a sloppy job. If you are not sure, please hire someone to install it professionally for you.
=====Warning ends=====
With the warning done, let's talk about the IEC inlets.
Most people are aware that there are a lot of cool power cables with all kind of exotic materials it them. But one part had been ignored for far too long, and that's the IEC inlets. IeGO had recognized this and produced the R301 series of IEC inlet for modders and DIY builders.
What's so special about R301 series?
- Polycarbonate housing that is both flame retardent and massively reinforced. Much more durable and much safer than other cheaply produced IEC inlets
- High purity silver (Ag-R301) or high purity copper with gold plating (Gu-R301) is used to manufacture the metal pins. Not bronze or other not quite conductive stuff.
- High quality surface finishes, ensure better contact with IEC plugs.
- Industry standard size, easily replaces most available equipment without much effort required.
Please note that silver comes in many grades of purity, the most common is the Sterling Silver, which is only 92.5% pure. We only use high purity silver or copper for the best performance. Less pure material may be easier to manufacturer, but why be half way there when you can go all the way?
We do not skimp on the Gu-R301 either, it is made using high purity copper, not bronze, not brass, and for sure not steel. Then it is directly plated with gold for corrosion protection and performance. We do not plate it with nickel so that we can save a buck on gold plating and cheapen down the performance.
Warranty:
All R301 series enjoy a cool 5 year warranty, however there is a catch. Due to the fact that R301 is a lot harder to solder than any other IEC inlets on market, we have decided that any R301 that show signs of soldering will void warranty.
This is done because a lot of people had melted the housing of R301 while they where trying to solder it. Which in effect would have destroyed the housing's integrity. We include the mounting hardware and screws so that you do not need to do any soldering on R301 itself, just crimp on the connector on your cable and screw it on. that's it!
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks.
