[ecramer]

]http://www.diycable.com/main/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=117[url]
http://www.diycable.com/main/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=572[/url]

I like these, i use them on my diy cords.

What do you guys think are the best economy IEC Female and 120 V plugs?

Dave

[DaveC113]

Thanks...

The price on the P and S wall plug is good, but the IEC is $12.50, and Allied sells it for $3.62. It looks like Allied has the P and S hospital grade plug for $13.89, the regular one isn't in stock.

Dave

[navi]

Has anyone heard a DH labs power plus ac cord on a power amp and how it sounds compared to a Belden 83803 or simular for example?Also Ive seen that Cardas twinaxial 15.5,sheilded has been used (could be used on source equiptment or solid state preamps).Partconnexion sells Cardas and DH labs,Audiyo sells Belden 83802 only.Cardas Twinlink A speaker wire with sheild is said to be used as ac cord ,has anybody heard it?Right now Im just using a premade Belden triple 16 guage sheiled cord that came with the amp and Swan triple 18 guage,sheiled cord I got from radio shack.Actually I really question if they could be any differance having cord any fancier than this. So its really experimental but I do have several sets of Marinco IEC and triple hospital plugs to test this theory out.Also if anybody has ripped apart a Black Sand cord you guys have so raved about ,let me know its construct,Ill be glad to hear about it.

I've used the DH labs- on a Clipsal plug and wattgate IEC on my Krell CD player- Good highs and Mids but the lows were slightly rolled -off. It's not perfect but it's not bad for the price.

[ecramer]

I knew that but wasn't going to put a plug in for Allied as once you have the numbers a simple search will get you there. 

Thanks...

The price on the P and S wall plug is good, but the IEC is $12.50, and Allied sells it for $3.62. It looks like Allied has the P and S hospital grade plug for $13.89, the regular one isn't in stock.

Dave

[Geoff-AU]

I still have trouble getting my head around PC's making a difference.  I've heard the position that the electric current goes through crappy cables to get to your equipment so anyone who believes the last 3-6ft makes a difference must be nuts.  On the other hand I've heard the position that this is not the last 3-6ft but the first 3-6ft your equipment sees.  I was in the former category until my local dealer loaned me a top of the range Shunyata PC  and I became a convert.   

The first position is the one I believe, I'm cynical about the idea.  However, that's not to say that a difference is impossible, I just wouldn't believe it unless I could hear the difference with my eyes shut and somebody else randomly changing the cord.

[lonewolfny42]

However, I can probably explain why DIY guys making their own AC cable don’t get dramatic results.  It’s because the cable companies are not willing to sell any of the good stuff in bulk to us DIYers cause they won’t make oodles of money on us.

...............

[DaveC113]

However, I can probably explain why DIY guys making their own AC cable don’t get dramatic results.  It’s because the cable companies are not willing to sell any of the good stuff in bulk to us DIYers cause they won’t make oodles of money on us.

...............

VH Audio has bulk AC cable up to $1k/m.

[Occam]

DIY project ditched .My Marinco plugs will go into my useless junk drawer.Ive decided to get $50 Monster Powerline 200.Save myself lots of money and headaches.Good quality,cheap and just as good as any you mentioned.Satisfactory for me cause I am finished now with this discussion.

I've no doubt that when you actually receive the Monster powercord, you will report that it is 'just as good as any you mentioned', that you've also haven't used. 
Looking forward to your speaker, source and amplifier evaluations.  (Just not in the Lab Circle, please)

[Philistine]

On the positive side this thread has become a consolidated source of good DIY PC information and feedback.  Learning new stuff and generating ideas is one of the reasons I hang out on AC, and it's motivated me to try out the Cryoparts cable.  Having earwig prodding us has shaken the tree, which is not a bad thing    Maybe we should volunteer him for the Randi/Pear challenge?    

   

[DaveC113]

I stopped by the local electronics surplus store and got IECs for $1.95 that looks suspiciously like the Schurter, and hospital grade plugs for $6 that look a lot like a Hubbel. I made a ~8' cord with 12g mil-spec silver plated / teflon wire for my tube preamp for $16 total (the wire was $30 for 100 ft). The preamp is an Anthem pre1 with a seperate power supply, it uses 4 6922s and a 5ar4 in the line stage. I am using a Trends running on battery power for my amp.

The plug was fine, I'd use it again, but the IEC might be worth getting the entry level Wattgate or something that takes 12g wire and has higher quality screw terminals... the cheap IEC wasn't really made for 12g wire, and if you're not mechanically inclined you won't get a solid connection. The wire and IEC prong had to be held with a pliers as the screw was tightened so the wire didn't squeeze out the side, and the strands had to be evenly divided into 2 groups to make a spade shape for this to work. Soldering on spades would make things a lot easier, but I didn't have the right size spades around.

I twisted the hot and neutral with a drill, I don't think this can be done by hand with the wire I have. I wrapped the ground around the twisted pair in the opposite direction, probably at 1/2 the rate of twist. I held the wires together with a few nylon ties, then put the ends on.   

It makes a big difference vs. a cheap cord w/ molded plugs (my only comparison, unfortunately). Also, the difference is not subtle, and was noticebale immediately... A/B comparisons were not needed. The most obvious difference is low frequency extension and better quality bass in general. There is also better dynamics and an overall livelier, faster sound to the music. Transients just pop, they are very fast. It didn't change the overall sound or tone (with the exception of lf extension), it just made it faster and more dynamic. Not bad for $16... I'll have to make one for the cd, sub amp, and for the SimpleSE 6550 tube amp I'm building. Oh yeah... speakers are Omega XRS.

Dave   

[DaveC113]

I made another for the sub amp. Again, not a subtle difference. The sub is cleaner and faster. It reacts to transients faster, has more slam. The distortion has decreased noticeably, so the tone is better. Overall, the sub amp now has better control of the subwoofer cone, making for a huge leap in performance.

These cheap pcs made more of a difference that I though possible.

Dave

 

[earwig]

Ive recieved from Audiyo enough this rather stiff teflon Belkin 83802 cable and add a couple of ground wires around the outer jacket to try on my Marinco plugs.Ill shall listen if theres any differance to stock ac cords or not with these. thank you

[jkelly]

Back about a year ago when the shoot out came out on Head-Fi, I ordered a few cords.
One of the lower cost cords that really impressed me was the IRON-LUNG JELLYFISH
hospital cord. ($29.95) They have great detail and 3D but at the start did not have much bass.

I emailed Paul about this and he said to let them break-in.  Well after about 300-400 hours
the bass slowly came in with the detail and 3D.  I use this to power the cd player.

The Volex power cord had much more bass from the start but did not have the detail, 3D or
magical wide soundstage that I look for.  The Volex were darker and more center image.

The other day I had a musician over and asked if he wanted to hear the difference in power cords -
he preferred the Jellyfish over the Volex.

Both were an improvement over the stock cords.

Now I dumpster dive for power cords and test them in the "lab".

[Occam]

Hi earwig,

You've probably already seen this -
http://www.venhaus1.com/diymains.html
but others might benefit from Chris VH's recipes for his Flavors 1 & 3 powercords that can use the Belden 83802 cable.

Looking forward to your evaluation of your diy cord.

Regards,
Paul

[Occam]

Hi jkelly,

You impressions seem to jibe with other's comparisons of the Volex 17604/5 vs. the Jellyfish cords. Its all very system dependant. I like the Volex, as I'm a really cheap SOB, and bought mine from Carleton-Bates in small quantites for less than $1/ft for a complete cord. Folks should note that Volex has changed the manufacture of these specific cords, and what is recently offered might not have the same performance as the Volex of old.  Dunno, I've not tried them.

Regards,
Paul

[TheChairGuy]

I've built a few DIY cords (as long as they are crimp-on connectors of course I'm game, Paul  )....12ga romex, cords from parts express, 'computer' cords that I snipped off ends from and used 'audiophool' connectors...and I bought those from DIYCable, LAT International, Odyssey Audio, Revelation Audio Labs and probably a couple I cannot remember 

I've not tried the Volex cords.

Of them that I have, I though the Iron Lung Jellyfish were as good as any.  They were better still when they were 2 for $29.99 a year+ ago, but still worthwhile value today: http://www.angelfire.com/biz/bizzyb/ILJPOWER.html

They are NOT shielded, which seem to sound better overall (as with the unshielded others, they seem to allow for more fullness to the music), but if you are in urban environments, shielded is likely best.  When I was in Washington DC, just 400 yards from the main TV/Radio towers, the well-shielded LAT International AC-2's were a great advance for me....when I moved to suburban San Francisco (6 miles from SF) I began to notice they sounded etched and strident.  I swapped in non-shielded 14ga, OEM/computer cords and the 'etch' vanished.  Viola 

14ga, hospital grade throughout (not just ends), 6' and plain grey jacket is all you get.  Says nothing about purity of copper within....but it seems 'good enough' for power cord use.  Because it is flexible and not heavy, and the ends are hospital grade, they really grip well and have virtually zero chance of falling out of their sockets in-use.  Not a bad thing in itself as the 'audiophool' fittings have come loose from the IEC on one or more components over time.

The website is hard to find out there unless you know what you are looking for.

I just noticed AR/Acoustic Research now has audiophool power cords...but I've never found ferrite cores to do much more than screw everything up in the past on IC's and (Radio Shack accessory) power cords.
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=181-900

Paul - I hope you don't have to fumigate The Lab now that I've finally posted here    John

[riffer]

I build mine from Belden 19364.  I prefer the Furutech Furutech 15A IEC's due to their tight fit, but have a bunch of Wattgate's as well.  I use primarily Hubbell plugs, but have at least one Marinco for a 90 Degree plug.

In other words, I'm not that picky.  One IEC I don't like is the Schurter, with the spit down the middle.

I built one powercord with Belden 83803, but it was just too stiff and unweildy to use in my setup.  Still, a very nice lookin powercord.

I used DH Labs for a few years, but I found them just too thick to easily terminate.

[Occam]

Hey John,

Thanks for posting. So now you're no longer a Lab virgin....
Was it good for you?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a good crimp, especially for AC connections. I do it all the time.
Its sounds even better if you stretch a point and call it a 'cold weld'.

I gots to try some of those jellyfish. My only recent experience was with dried, then reconstituted, in some delicious soup.

Welcome to the nerd haven,
Paul, Facilitating Primo Nerd

[TheChairGuy]

 ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh - 'twas good . 

[DaveC113]

I got one on the cd transport... still the 12g silver plated copper mil spec wire, since I got 100 ft for $30 I still have more left. I just used a twisted pair, maybe 8-10 twists/ft. There was no IEC plug, so I took the cover off the transport (an old Yamaha cd-burner), unclipped the lead from the pcb, and soldered the clip to the new power cord. This cord was only about $12.

The Yamaha uses a glass toslink cable to connect to an Audio Alchemy DTI, then an Audio Magic I2S cable connects to an AA XDP DAC... and on to an Anthem Pre1 to a Trends T-amp running on battery power to Omega XRS speakers. There is also a 10" Adire XBL2 sub in a sealed cabinet x-overed around 50 Hz. 

The improvements here were more across the board, everything is a little better, and the cumulative effect is easily noticable. I won't try to elaborate, there's just too much going on for me to attemp it. The preamp and sub amp were much more of an improvement in a few key areas, while the cd transport just sounds better overall, less harsh and more relaxed as well.

Anyhow, for about $60, I made cords for 4 components, 3 are in use now. I think there would be a very substantial decrease in sound quality if I went back to the stock cords... but I'm far too lazy to try it. 

Dave