[mresseguie]

I'm in the early stages of delving into high-end (read: expensive) power cords to try with my gear. I'm specifically curious how tube gear reacts (sounds/improves, etc.) when high-end PCs are hooked up. I've ordered three new PCs (1 Obsession PC, 2 American 7+ PCs) from Pete at Triode Wire Labs and they will arrive in about 10 days (nicely coinciding with my return to Oregon!), so I'm going to find out how much improvement there is.

What I'm now curious about is how the IEC receptacle affects sound quality. I've got D Sachs gear and a new Mivera amp and I wonder what changes might be achieved by replacing the IEC receptacle with either a superior quality receptacle or bypassing the IEC receptacle with a dedicated/fixed power cord.

Has anyone tried replacing their amp's/preamp's IEC receptacle with a higher quality receptacle? What was the result? Was it worth the effort and expense?

Has anyone removed the IEC receptacle entirely and added a fixed power cable?

Thank you for any responses. As my new PCs burn in, I will post my own impressions.

Michael

[JackD]

Michael

According to Mike, Dave and some others it would make some difference but who really knows how much or if you would hear it.  In terms of upgrading the ones on Don's gear or the Standard Mivera amp you can only go so high as you have to stay with the same cutout.  For example with Mike's amps the standard case IEC could not be swapped out for the TOTL Furutech on the SE as the cutout is different.  Once you identify what is in the gear originally then you can get the guys at Sonic Craft or Mike to tell you what upgrade will fit the cutout.  As to IEC or hardwire that opinion I will leave to others. 

[mresseguie]

Jack (or others),

Have you experimented with applying something like the Furutech Nano Silver/Gold Liquid? Is it real or is it snake oil?

Could this or similar product be applied to the pins of the IEC receptacle for an improvement (or is this throwing good money at bad fantasies)?

https://www.tweekgeek.com/furutech-nano-silver-gold-liquid/

Michael

[FullRangeMan]

In the 90s I used the audio quest contact enhancer liquid on a power mains wall, the effect lasted only afew days, due the Custons duties it was very expensive for only 2 oz net wet.

[JackD]

Michael

I have never tried it but I remember somebody on one of the forums we belong to talking about it making an improvement I just can't remember who it was.  Similar claims of Caig DeoxIT Go products at a higher price.  I've used the Caig products in the past because the price was reasonable but can't swear I heard any difference.  Will be curious to see if you really hear a difference between the 7+ and the Obsession though as I am quite satisfied with the 7+'s and DA's.

[rollo]

Minimal difference will be heard. A clean, tight connection is all ya need. If you have a desire already to tweak the new stuff maybe it is the wrong stuff.
Just leave it be and spend your money elsewhere. Get a better front end.

charles

[rollo]

  If one must treat connections then Mad Scientist Graphene contact enhancer would be it.

charles

[mresseguie]

Charles，

I haven't heard my new amp nor my new power cords yet. I don't return to Oregon until next Wednesday. I've got lots of free time this week, so I think of ideas or questions because of things I've read recently.

Re Mad Scientist....That's amazing timing. I just 15 minutes ago found the website thanks to a post by Ric Shultz I happened to see. 

Michael

[fredgarvin]

I'm definitely interested in your findings although the last thing I need to do is blow more money on peripherals.

[rollo]

Charles，

I haven't heard my new amp nor my new power cords yet. I don't return to Oregon until next Wednesday. I've got lots of free time this week, so I think of ideas or questions because of things I've read recently.

Re Mad Scientist....That's amazing timing. I just 15 minutes ago found the website thanks to a post by Ric Shultz I happened to see. 

Michael

  Cool just feeling it out with ideas does not hurt. CJ and AR would still use hard wired cords if up to them. Pressure from customers changed that outlook. Same with AVA.
 Find a PC that does no harm meaning it does not add anything to sound. If the component has a poer supply that needs more filtering find another component is my way of thinking. Anyway always fun to try.

charles

[hi5harry]

I think changing the iec on my gear made a VERY nice difference. I now use the Furutech NCF 9 iec on  almost all my gear, but especially on the gear that my TWL Obsession power cords feed. I believe using the same metal connectors with  the same NCF material covering those power connections( EMI and RFI insulators) really helped MY system. The Furutech 9 gold iec favored the bass and lower midrange and was sweet in the mids and top end. The  Furutech Rhodium  9 iec was very vivid and dynamic, but favored the top end. The new Furutech NCF 9 iec was the " just right" mix of all those attributes that really helped my system along.

[A_shah]

Theoretically Better parts should make a difference , wither it is audible or not is another issue , I once asked Don Sach's if I could have WBT connectors( binding posts) if I choose to order an amp from him his view was it was not worth it spending money on high end connectors plus their would be  an issue with drilling wholes in the back plate.
What surprised me was a conversation with Mike Sanders of Quicksilver Audio who is not only a legend in his own right but a qualified Engineer, with 10's of thousand of amplifiers built by him  Mike's answer was practically the same as far as binding posts are concerned , a good quality gold plated posts is all that is needed , I am assuming same holds true for IEC outlets
What I do know from personal experience is that yes PC's  and fuses do make a difference ( both in Signal path as well as in IE C's)   

Asghar 

[OzarkTom]

Blind folded, I seriously doubt if you hear any difference. Back in the 80's, VPI brought out a brick that laid on top of the amp that was suppose to make the amp sound better. It had me convinced that it would, so I ordered some to sell since I was a VPI dealer. As long as I put the brick on, I imagined I heard a difference sonically. I finally had my daughter do it, and nope, never did. So I never ordered any more VPI bricks to sell.

Psycho acoustics plays a big part in the audio world.

[Tomy2Tone]

Hey Michael,

I'm always in the camp of everything matters so if I had the chance to change the inlet I would but as far as contact enhancers go I just applied some of this stuff called Total Contact from Perfect Path Technologies and its the best I've tried. Way better than the Furutech nano liquid. I put it on every power cable, interconnect, speaker cable, tube pins and so on and its pretty amazing so far. I'm only a week in and it's supposedly only going to get better. Here's a link under the product link where people are talking about their experiences with it.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis8ib2e-perfect-path-technologies-total-contact-electrical-contact-enhancer-tweaks


https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/new-tweak-its-fantastic

[Mike B.]

There are several high end companies that use my IEC sockets. I can't speak for them on why they chose them.

[FullRangeMan]

FM Acoustics amps have a approach based on reality facts not fashion.
https://www.fmacoustics.com/support-1/
Q: Why does FM ACOUSTICS not use detachable mains cables?
A: The main reason is that the cable is an integral part of these products. By fixing it we can assure the quality of reproduction is optimized and no deterioration can occur.
Also, with a detachable mains cable three additional contacts are added in the mains line. These are unnecessary and wherever possible contacts must be avoided as they are a weak link and it is always better to have as few contacts as possible.
This is also the fact with the widely used "Euro" plugs which are not suitable at all for high currents. While their ratings suggest that they can handle high power, practical experience shows that the contacts of these plugs are not optimal and often there is quite a bit of "play" between the plug and the socket. Due to this, the actual area making contact is rather small, clearly too small for high current demands. As the contact is not perfect, micro-arcing makes these contacts loose their initially more or less reasonably smooth surface within a short time. Thereby additional resistance is added into the mains line, certainly not what is wanted in precision audio...
The lower the impedance, the better - the fewer contacts in a product the better it will perform and the better will be reliability.

[RDavidson]

I believe that all parts and their quality can and will affect performance in some way. The issue is variability in systems and circuits and rooms etc. etc. It isn't possible to account for all this. In addition, everyone is entitled to their own experiencial truths. So my policy is this : If you're curious and have the money, give it a try. If anything, you'll hopefully learn something.

[mresseguie]

Theoretically Better parts should make a difference , wither it is audible or not is another issue , I once asked Don Sach's if I could have WBT connectors( binding posts) if I choose to order an amp from him his view was it was not worth it spending money on high end connectors plus their would be  an issue with drilling wholes in the back plate.
What surprised me was a conversation with Mike Sanders of Quicksilver Audio who is not only a legend in his own right but a qualified Engineer, with 10's of thousand of amplifiers built by him  Mike's answer was practically the same as far as binding posts are concerned , a good quality gold plated posts is all that is needed , I am assuming same holds true for IEC outlets
What I do know from personal experience is that yes PC's  and fuses do make a difference ( both in Signal path as well as in IE C's)   

Asghar 

 

I prefer Snake Essential Oils Aromatherapy myself.

[mresseguie]

Hey Michael,

I'm always in the camp of everything matters so if I had the chance to change the inlet I would but as far as contact enhancers go I just applied some of this stuff called Total Contact from Perfect Path Technologies and its the best I've tried. Way better than the Furutech nano liquid. I put it on every power cable, interconnect, speaker cable, tube pins and so on and its pretty amazing so far. I'm only a week in and it's supposedly only going to get better. Here's a link under the product link where people are talking about their experiences with it.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis8ib2e-perfect-path-technologies-total-contact-electrical-contact-enhancer-tweaks


https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/new-tweak-its-fantastic

Thanks, Tommy.

Once my new PCs have settled in and I figure out if  I'm getting the SQ I desire, I'll decide if something like this is what I need. It'll probably be a month or two from now/

Michael

[maty]

I think is better idea to add a Schaffner RF/EMI FN 9244B filter intlet. Changed the original inlet or to build a DIY cable with the inlet and a Schurter IEC C14 connector. Or with expensive audiophile cables and plugs, your choice, but with this geometry:

The cable of the DIY, well, can be star quad with the ground wire on the outside and rolled in the opposite direction like this with only 2+1 wires:

Star quad, the best geometry to build audio and power cables

https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=156793.0