[WarmColors]

Question,

Does anybody who has bought the B16 or the new power cord being offered, does it completely insert into your equipment? I have the B16 and no matter what equipment I try to hook up, it does not feel like a secure connection.
Yes the power cord does provide power, but my concern still is that its just not a secure connection.

[subsonic1050]

I've experienced the same thing with multiple IEC plugs. I don't have one of Danny's cables, but I have been disassembling the plug and crimping the copper insert to get a better connection and a firmer "grab". If you loosen the screws that are visible (the 2 that clamp onto the cable - and the 2 from the front of the plug that hold the plug together) you can slide the back half off. Then loosen all 3 lugs and remove the wire from the plug. Then you should have a very small screw in the center of the back of the plug - remove that and you can separate the plastic back of the plug. Using a needle nose pliers pull out the 3 contact lugs. You'll see where it needs to be pinched in order to get a better grip. If this doesn't make sense I can disassemble one of mine and upload pictures.

[newzooreview]

Question,

Does anybody who has bought the B16 or the new power cord being offered, does it completely insert into your equipment? I have the B16 and no matter what equipment I try to hook up, it does not feel like a secure connection.
Yes the power cord does provide power, but my concern still is that its just not a secure connection.

I've purchased three B16 cables over the last few weeks. I've had no trouble getting them to seat confidently in the IEC receptacles on amp, DAC, or preamp. I always give it a good press-in while holding the front side of the device. I've certainly experienced other power cables that were a bit uncertain seating into the IEC connector, but the B16s have been good in that regard.

Because the B16s (and, as I understand, the B24s) are a braided design with a cotton core, they are much more flexible than other power cords of similar gauge. This is a big advantage.

They are still breaking in, but I'm very happy with them.

[Cheytak.408]

Question,

Does anybody who has bought the B16 or the new power cord being offered, does it completely insert into your equipment? I have the B16 and no matter what equipment I try to hook up, it does not feel like a secure connection.
Yes the power cord does provide power, but my concern still is that its just not a secure connection.

Many IEC C13 connectors have a longer body than the well depth of the C14 inlet.  It gives the appearance of an Ill fit, but they are designed that way to seat the face of the C13 squarely against the bottom of the C14 inlet well.

It ain't broke.

[subsonic1050]

Many IEC C13 connectors have a longer body than the well depth of the C14 inlet.  It gives the appearance of an Ill fit, but they are designed that way to seat the face of the C13 squarely against the bottom of the C14 inlet well.

It ain't broke.

Totally agree Cheytak - however I believe that in addition to the plug not appearing seated all the way, he is also having the issue that the plug doesn't seem to be grabbing very well - if I'm interpreting correctly. I've had this issue many times with IEC plugs - even high end ones. I've had some high end plugs that grabbed so little that they seemed not to be seated at all - despite being pushed in all the way and powering the electronics. That weak "grab" always bothers me (it makes me wonder how good the connection is), so that's why I tweak mine as I outlined above.

[WarmColors]

Totally agree Cheytak - however I believe that in addition to the plug not appearing seated all the way, he is also having the issue that the plug doesn't seem to be grabbing very well - if I'm interpreting correctly. I've had this issue many times with IEC plugs - even high end ones. I've had some high end plugs that grabbed so little that they seemed not to be seated at all - despite being pushed in all the way and powering the electronics. That weak "grab" always bothers me (it makes me wonder how good the connection is), so that's why I tweak mine as I outlined above.

Yes, that is one of my main concerns that its not a tight grip. A gentle breeze may come into my house and disconnect it.
That is my only disappoinment with the cables. Maybe i just got a bad first batch?
If you have time, i would really appreciate a step by step with pictures.

Thank you,

[Hobbsmeerkat]

I cant say I've heard of this being an issue. Save for some difficulty inserting the ground pin into some outlets.

But I'll pass info this on to our cable guy to make adjustments with IEC-end tightness going forward. 

[subsonic1050]

I spent some time putting this together for you. Hopefully this makes it clear. It's quite easy to do.

First thing is to remove the 2 screws that hold the two halves of the plug together and to loosen the 2 screws that clamp onto the cord enough that it can be slid back onto the cord:




Then slide the housing of the plug back:



Loosen the 3 screws that hold the wires into the plug and remove the end of the plug. Looking at the back of the IEC plug you need to remove the small center screw that holds the back plate on:



Then, grasp each of the lugs and pull them out one by one with a pliers. I pull one out at a time, crimp it, and reinsert it before moving to the next one so I don't accidentally get them mixed up.





This is what each lug looks like (obviously, there are 3 of them). The gap between the 2 contacts helps determine how much the plug will grab. I use a needle nose pliers to simply pinch the contacts together. I actually pinch it completely shut at the location I marked. Don't pinch the flared tip as that is what allows the contacts to spread.




Then, simply reinsert all 3 lugs, screw the back plate back on, reattach all 3 leads (making sure you have them in the right terminals), slide the plug housing back up, screw the housing to the plug, then tighten the 2 clamping screws on the cable. Done!

[WarmColors]

Thank you so much!!!

I will try it out if not today, hopefully by Wednesday.

[subsonic1050]

Thank you so much!!!

I will try it out if not today, hopefully by Wednesday.

No problem - let us know how it worked for you.

[Cheytak.408]

Totally agree Cheytak - however I believe that in addition to the plug not appearing seated all the way, he is also having the issue that the plug doesn't seem to be grabbing very well - if I'm interpreting correctly. I've had this issue many times with IEC plugs - even high end ones. I've had some high end plugs that grabbed so little that they seemed not to be seated at all - despite being pushed in all the way and powering the electronics. That weak "grab" always bothers me (it makes me wonder how good the connection is), so that's why I tweak mine as I outlined above.

Got it.

Nice tutorial BTW 

[jbl]

I too noticed the B16 power cord does not sit in the iec socket as snugly as it could.  Have noticed this with other brands of power cords I have used.  My solution was to wrap some scotch tape around the end of the iec plug.  about 6-8 layers seems to be ideal.  This will take the play out of the connection and keep the plug in the iec socket snug.  Depending on the width of the tape you may need to trim 1/8" of the end of the tape to keep it flush with the plug.  Have done this with all the power cords.  I figure this could potentially decrease electrical noise as well since it will keep the plugs from moving around and arcing during louder passages of music with heavy bass.  Overall, all the plugs stay nice and snug with no worries of falling out or moving around and arcing.

[Danny Richie]

There is (or was) an issue with the first batch of plug ends being too long and not letting the clamps reach in deep enough to get a really good bite.

We have resolved it with shorter ends.

We modified the existing ends by cutting the tips off of them. It didn't look as pretty but worked great.



Anyone that has the old ends can send them into us and we will replace them with the new ends.

[EdwardT]

My solution was to wrap some scotch tape around the end of the iec plug.  about 6-8 layers seems to be ideal.  This will take the play out of the connection and keep the plug in the iec socket snug.  Depending on the width of the tape you may need to trim 1/8" of the end of the tape to keep it flush with the plug.  Have done this with all the power cords.

This is a tried and true solution for IEC cables used in touring equipment especially in hard to reach areas in fx, in-ear and amp racks, also for stage gear where the vibration from the amps and subs could potentially disconnect a critical piece at the most inopportune time. I used electrical tape instead of consumer scotch, thicker and a tiny bit more temperature resistant.

[subsonic1050]

There is (or was) an issue with the first batch of plug ends being too long and not letting the clamps reach in deep enough to get a really good bite.



We have resolved it with shorter ends.

We modified the existing ends by cutting the tips off of them. It didn't look as pretty but worked great.



Anyone that has the old ends can send them into us and we will replace them with the new ends.

That is a simple and elegant solution!

[jbl]

Follow up on my experience with the B24s after 1 week.  Overall a significant step up from the B16 in bass, detail, air, dynamics and soundstage.  However, I am finding a puzzling issue with the B24's that perhaps someone could provide some insight on.  When I have the B24 connected from the DAC and streamer into the DigiBuss and Digibuss into the outlet, the sound has too much glare to it.  Listening fatigue sets in quickly.  The initial impressions with this combination is great.  Bass is deeper and everything has much more detail and air.  It sounds incredible for about 2 minutes then  the mids and high become fatiguing.  Using a B16 from the outlet to the DigiBuss removes the glare and everything becomes very listenable but with the loss of the added bass and detail and air.  Just not nearly as exciting, interesting and engaging. 

The current configuration that sounds best is the B24s on the DAC and streamer, using the 3rd B24 from the outlet to the UberBuss which powers my Emotiva mono blocks via B16's.  I have tried using the B24 on the amps and UberBuss but that also added too much glare and didn't sound quite as good as the DAC, streamer, DigiBuss combo.

I wonder if my Emotiva amps may be the weak link in the system and are being exposed by the B24s when used in series on the front end of the system. They have been great amps and have done an excellent jobs driving my Maggies so far but given the quality level of the rest of the system perhaps it is time to upgrade them.

I wonder if using B24's in series from the outlet may be amplifying the deficiencies of my system too much? Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. 

System:

Lumin U1 streamer-SR Mig Tidal MQA and HiFI
Lumin X1 PSU-SR Orange Fuse, SR Mig, B24
Berkeley Audio Designs Alpha DAC Reference Series 3-SR Orange Fuse, SR Mig, B24
Pi Audio DigiBuss->streamer, DAC, B16
Pi Audio UberBuss->amps, B24
Emotiva XPA-DR1 monoblocks-B16
Magnepan 3.7i with upgraded crossover parts-Sonicaps capacitors, Jantzen foil/wax inductors, Mye Sound custom stands
Iconoclast AES/EBU digital cable, speaker cables(dual run), XLR cables

[Tyson]

How many hours of burn in do you have on the cables?

[jbl]

168 hours

[Tyson]

Yes I think you may be right, the Emotiva's are good for the $$ but aren't really at the level of the rest of your system.  If you really like digital amps and want to stick with a digital power amp, I think the DAC Maraschino's are a good option.  Otherwise I'd look for used Pass Labs or something similar.

[WarmColors]

There is (or was) an issue with the first batch of plug ends being too long and not letting the clamps reach in deep enough to get a really good bite.

We have resolved it with shorter ends.

We modified the existing ends by cutting the tips off of them. It didn't look as pretty but worked great.



Anyone that has the old ends can send them into us and we will replace them with the new ends.

I take it we have to pay for shipping back and forth to get them "fixed"