Construct your own Audiophile Power Cable from £15 (no soldering)
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- Опубліковано 27 лип 2024
- A quick tutorial on how to construct your own Audiophile Power Lead for as little as £15. I walk you through the process, step by step. It it a lot simpler than you may realise and a worthwhile upgrade from using the generic, freebie IEC cable you get with your equipment.
Here is a link to the supplier I used to get my power cable and connectors. I have no affiliation with this company and do not get anything for recommending them. I have merely provided the link for your convenience...
www.mcru.co.uk/product-catego...
Also, here is a link to my video where I explain my top 5 inexpensive hifi tweaks. No. 1 on the list was Power Cables and I briefly explain their benefits here. Please move to the time stamp 12.55 to see the section on Power Cables...
• My Top 5 Inexpensive H...
DISCLAIMER:
All electrical work should ideally be conducted by a qualified electrician. Please understand that you do this at your own risk and A British Audiophile accepts no responsibility for any damage to your equipment resulting in actions you take following watching this video.
Mr Tarun, seems that there still are issues of ground problems in equipment causing noise and hum problems. If this is an issue, it is usually internal of the gear proper in my experience. If there is nothing that can be done by a tech, the method of not connecting the ground on the IEC power connector at the equipment end as you stated in your video is the ticket for all low current draw gear like preamps, tuners, cassette decks and CD players. On the power amp, the shields and ground should be connected on both ends. I’m with you on the color of the conductor insulation rather than the two black conductors numbered one and two as these could more easily be confused if notes taken are not followed. I am unfamiliar with EU wiring other than the standard colors used for mains hot, the neutral wire and ground. Both in EU and the States, the ground wire is green. Not having all conductors hooked up on both ends could potentially end up violating equipment warranty. This may or may not apply, but it is worth mentioning to the viewers if it is applicable. Hope this may help viewers.
Hi Mark, thank you for sharing this. I appreciate you bringing it up. I have traditionally done the same as you, grounded the shield at both ends. I even mentioned this in my previous video discussing my top 5 inexpensive hifi tweaks. I don’t have a ground loop issue and was always of the view that the shielding is more effective if grounded at both ends. Grounding at one end makes the shield work as an antenna to the best of my knowledge.
Paul McGowan (CEO of PS Audio) claims that grounding at both ends can strangle dynamics but he did not explain the technical reason why. He has a lot of experience in this area so I have no reason to doubt him. I personally did not experience this as a problem when I had my power leads grounded at both ends but, from the comments I received, others have experienced ground loop issues. This makes sense if there is a potential difference between the two grounded points.
David Brook (MCRU) is an another expert in this area in the U.K. I did ask his advise before posting this video and his recommendation was also to just ground the shield at the mains end leaving the shield at the component end not grounded. Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to explore with David as to the reasons why. It was based on this advise that I changed my recommendation to grounding the shield at the mains plug end only. I doesn’t seem to have adversely affected the sound quality and avoids the ground loop issue that I am sure some viewers will experience. I do intent to go back to David to shed some further light on this and will keep viewers posted.
A British Audiophile, I could be wrong on this, but by grounding the shield at the mains end, problems posed will be directed to ground. Bad grounds are some of the worst problems that are. I have seen many cable issues from corrosion on the grounding lugs for cable connections. I look forward to hearing what David Brook has to say. I’ve fought bad ground problems in the military and civilian worlds. These can bring much grief! Thank you for your video. If I can help, let me know!
Thank you Mark, I will keep you posted.
He is connecting the ground on both. He is not connecting the RF shield drain. This is definitely in line with best practices for draining RF interference. Given the option and having both a ground and a drain, always float the drain at the destination and connect at the source.
Scott R Smith, excuse me if I was un clear on this issue. It is, as you stated, the drain should be connected at the mains end to draw interference to ground and the way to do this is as you stated. It works. You are correct on this sir! Thank you for clarifying this.
I finished my own speaker cables a few weeks ago. They look awesome. Now it's time for power cords! Whew!!
Thank you for watching and sharing Bruno
What I like most about this channel is how clearly and quickly it gets to the point - during a cable build I'd forgotten which end the drain wire is connected and which end it floats,trying to get an answer on google well what a performance - I remembered this tutorial and bingo straight to the point thank you - thanks excellent.
Much appreciated Paul 🙂 👍
I was always taught when wiring a plug, that the earth should have slack in the plug. This is because if the cable gets pulled out of the socket, then the earth wire will be the last to break off for safety.
Hi gingertom64, thank you for watching.
Gingertom64. It is true! All wires should have slack
In the UK they have already taken care of that in the design, the live wire is designed to break first if the lead is over stretched, followed by N and then E that's why they have different lengths inside the UK plug.
@@r423sdex Did you actually watch the video? Tarun explains why he doesn't do this - it can set up a current through the shielding, which creates noise. In the case of hi-fi equipment this would defeat the purpose of constructing new cables.
@@r423sdex The earth/ground wire is connected at both ends, just not the shielding to ground at both ends, just the mains end, which should still provide the same safety if you were to say accidentally cut the cable through with a solid metal knife or whatever, not that I'd recommend trying.
Just a quick note to say I respect the way you deliver your videos - the exlanations you give about the reasons for and against key aspects of audiophilology (is there such a word) are what most of us come here for. Thank you for the excellent videos and HowTo''s. You've helped improve my setup.
Thank you Trauma 2000, I appreciate you watching and your kind words of support 👍
I connected my Nespresso coffee machine with an audiophile power cable. I immediately noticed a marked improvement in my coffee. Like never before, I was able to discern subtle arabica aromas and a much deeper robusta flavor.
I bet it sounds good too
Hi Jacques, when we are out of lockdown, can I come for coffee at your house ? 😂
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Sounds good, please bring some audiophile power cables with you, I'd like to test them on my vacuum cleaner to check if it can suck finer dust.
Hahahahahaha!
You are a lamer. I'm replacing all cables in my house . My voltage will be so pure!
good effort. well aimed, clear and honest
Thank you Lee 😊
Just a point as a retired electrician you should use a small bit of Earth sleeve on the screen cable to be compliant Plus tape can fall of over time Hope you don’t mind my comment Great video as always Best wishes and kind regards Mike in the U.K.
What about a little bit of heat shrink tube
Gerald Holley yes of course but technically it should still be colour coded green and yellow This is I stress purely from a professional standpoint it’s highly unlikely that the average person will have to justify their work to a governing body such as the NIC you’re heat shrink will be just fine certainly better than tape wishing the very best with kind regards Mike in the U.K.
Thank you for the tip Mike.
Thank you for a clear and good understandable video and your narrative. I am new here and you can imagine spending already weeks in watching different videos. As others might tend to mumble or have a fast wired dialect you speak clear and slow to follow each step. the international community will thank you too.
Well done Tarun, I feel now confident in doing my own PC project.
Best, Peter
Thank you Peter. Much appreciated 😊👍
I made two of these following your last video so thanks for sharing this. Nice little project to keep busy during lockdown!
Hi lomes 57, it is funny how far us audiophiles will go to keep ourselves busy in lockdown. My wife has been asking me to put a shelf up in one of the bedrooms for the last 3 years. I just don’t have the time 😂😂😂
I bet if it was a shelf for a new system it would be up in a flash! 😂
Many thanks Tarun. My system is worth several thousand pounds (Focal/Cyrus) so already sounds great, but due to limited space the power supply, pre/power amps and speaker cables are fairly tightly packed in. Just built 3 cables using Lapp cable from your suggested retailer and they have definitely made a difference! Voices have moved forwards with clarity and there is a greater soundstage. Presumably there was EM interference from the power cables affecting speaker and/or other low current cabling. I normally spend 6 hours a day with my music on and i can confirm this definitely ain't snake oil! Great channel, btw. Cheers, Paul. 👍
Thank you PD. It had a similar impact in my system. Great to hear about your experiences. Thank you for sharing 😉👍
Awesome video ! I love the diy alternative to super expensive power cables. I am an electrician from Canada and they teach us to only connect the drain wire on the mains end and NOT the equipment end. The drain wire is designed to dispose of any emf (electromagnetic frequencies) that may develop in the shield of the cable from other cables in close proximity. So just cut off the drain wire on the equipment end. This might clarify a few peoples questions. Crank the tunes and enjoy!
Further clarification. Only ground the connection on the mains end.
Thank you Crank The Tunes 👍
Very informative and helpful. Makes you wonder why some manufacturers charge hundreds of pounds for mains cables. Thank you.👍😊
Thank you for watching and commenting James 😊
Many thanks for this - your channel is a great resources - and well done for being open to other ideas and 'changing you view' - marker of an intelligent being :-)
Thank you Neville, one of the great things about running this channel is that I learn from my audience all the time and it encourages me to ask more questions and do more research. The exchange of knowledge is definitely not a one way street 👍
Thanks for the video I will try and do these for my amp and cd player.
Also doing the anti vibration pads.
Will try surge protector later.
Love your presentation
Thank you Peter 😊👍
Hi Tarun thanks for the video that is quite straightforward & very clear many thanks. Rob
Thank you for such a patient and helpful video
Thank you for watching 😊
Good video. I have also made my own rca cables using silver plated copper teflon coated wire with great results. I don't have a problem with do it yourself projects as long as it is done properly with quality products. Thanks for great videos
Thank you Crimson. I appreciate you watching and sharing your experiences 👍
Would that happen to be the military grade MIL Spec M16878/4 18 Awg wire? I used that wire inside my DIY Voigt pipe speakers, and will also be using it in my DIY power cable (along with Wattgate brand plugs from Parts Express). It's a great wire!
@@MrCantredr I have used several guages of wire for different projects. They have all been military grade wire. I have great results with it. Good luck with yours.
After watching this video I just double checked my lapp power lead and I've just realised even though it's not colour-coded they still are marked, if you look carefully one has the number 1 written on it and obviously the second one has the number 2 written on it!
This is another good idea from you because I can now get four new heavy-duty shielded power leads for the price of one!
so thanks tarun
They should really use the U.K. version which has colour coded leads but mine had the 1 & 2 markings as well. Thank you for watching and commenting 😉👍
I haven't analysed this in depth. But, an earth wire is a protective earth. It will also pickup noise from the ground of the house and your entire plumbing system, which is very thick copper in the UK (compared to wires). Running a washing machine can create a lot of electrical noise in this way. So grounding to earth at the wall plug can induce more noise than it drains at that point. Then the shield would be an aerial transmitting noise into the power supply. The protective earth wire is grounded to the metal case of the equipment at that point. Any shield in the wire is minuscule compared to the thick casing of the the equipment. The live and neutral typically have very good input filtering inside the equipment. For shielding the wire, you want a 1pF capacitor to the equipment case (or a very small value). Ground loops can happen within the equipment and from signal and speaker cables, but that is off-topic.
Great video Tarun👌 really informative, clearly explained and pretty helpful. Thank you.👍👍😺
Much appreciated 🙂
Wow. Very useful tip. Thank you.
Thank you for watching Vic
Thanks Tarun for posting this video, as I've been looking at replacing my power cables for my hifi gear since your video, but was a bit unsure about connecting the shielding to the plugs. Personally I love the look of the Lapp cable as it looks more expensive. Glad to see you had changed your view on wirering of the shielding, which shows your not arrogant and open to other peoples ideas. Top marks my friend for this video :-)
Another good find on your channel! Didn't know you dabbled in diy portion of the audio hobby. I hope you make more like this. Perhaps some diy interconnects or speaker Wire? Or perhaps some diy audio pass labs amp camp 1.6 class a low powered amps? These do require soldering but the kits are shipped with 24 volt 5amp linear brick power supplys . So no messing with live mains voltages. Still have yet to assemble my mono 1.6 amp camps. They sell out quick at diy audio! Been collecting parts for a diy pass labs first watt aleph j and recently bought a entire parts kits for a f6. All the first watt amps use the same power supply. Only have to do that once. You can buy the input boards for say a f5, f6, aleph j or a mx2 and swap them for a different amp. Also bought the parts for a whammy class a headphone amp/preamp from nelson pass right hand man Wayne at pass. He does the all the low powered stuff such as preamps. Also bought a korg nutube b1 preamp kit that is supposed to be terrific and easy to build. No high voltage mains with this kit. Just some ideas I thought I would toss out there for future content. Steve will be doing a review of the amp camp amps mono here shortly, though he has somebody else doing the soldering/assembly in a time lapse. I wish someone would go more step by step in a series on some of these wonderful amps that neslon has been so generous to provide. Their are terrific but not for everybody as they are lower powered.
Thank you Brandon for sharing this. It will encourage many to take the leap. Nelson and Wayne are legends in the industry and I personally would love to build one of Nelson’s DIY amps. Just need to create the time to do it. Thank you once again 😉👍
Nice basic build vid m8.
So I wasn't the only one who felt the shield was best only connected at the wall. Thanks for the transparency.
Hi chris, a few people pointed out that it is better to just ground the shield at the mains plug end including yourself. Thank you for watching 👍
The cable lengths in the IEC plug are lethal. If the cable clamp slackens off, and the cable gets pulled then the earth cable would be the first to detach. The earth cable should always be the longest one in the plug. That way, the equipment ALWAYS remains earthed. The art is to loop the earth to one side to make it the longest.
Yeah that's a nice feature of UK plugs, over here (continental Europe) we don't have that.
@@QoraxAudio Technical rule is to have the earth wire 1.5 times of the length of the other wires. At least with VDE regulations in continental Europe. A cable strain relief is mandatory too.
how is it "lethal" , its not. That like saying a gun is lethal. Its not the correct way and could be dangerous , its not lethal.
@@patthewoodboy
It depends how you define “dangerous” - a burned finger tip or the last thing you ever do?
If the Earth wire touches the Live terminal then all the previously “safe” Earthed metal services are now at 230v potential. All 13 amps + of it.
Were you to have one hand in contact with an earthed surface when you touch the Live surface then the full 230v is across your heart - no heart can survive very long conducting 13 amps before ventricular fibrillation is induced that can kill you with heart failure.
We are taught that when someone is suffering an electric shock DO NOT PULL THEM AWAY. Instead, KICK THEM AWAY. Do not risk your own electrocution.
To quantify the danger, for fun, put a wire between the terminals of a 12v car battery, touch that wire and feel how much that hurts - then imagine that the voltage is 10 times higher and AC... (the human body has a considerably higher threshold to DC than to AC; halved as a simple conversion of ac to dc; and yes the wire will melt very quickly in a short circuit situation).
If you want to risk electrocution personally, then fine, but don't make it optional for any one else.
Very helpful! Thanks!
Thank you for watching Brandon
Many thanks for your great videos!
Thank you 👍
The MK plugs that have a large brass screw down terminal are very good as you can terminate a lot more of the conductor under the terminal. I think the question of whether to terminate the screen is not relevant to the mains it is a method of screening a "twisted pair" without the screen becoming a signal conductor, I think it is mostly relevant in interconnects, that's what van-den-hul do in the D102 cable, the screen ground is only connected at the transmitting end.
Thank you for watching and sharing 👍
Excellent! Well this is indeed timely. I am waiting for four of these kits to come from MCRU and was looking for a decent UA-cam video; yours exceeded my expectations 😊
Thank you David. Hope you are happy with your new cables 😉
Hi Tarun. I found this video last week kind of by accident and decided to try building a couple of improved power cords using the materials and supplier you named in the video. Results are good, certainly in tandem with the improved speaker cable I bought! All in, less than £100 and I didn't blow up the house!
That is great Mark. Thank you for letting me know 👍
Well presented and clear on the How To. Some folks make the wire look pretty with a cover and shrink wrap at the ends which keeps it "clean" looking. Going for the Oyaide cable with their connectors. Thanks Tarun.
Thank you for watching and commenting Ian 😉
Excellent video
Thank you Howard😉
Hi. After watching the previous video I decided to knock up a couple of these cables. I used 3 core 2.5mm SY cable that I had on the van (I am an electrician). The Lapp cable looks to be what we call SY. I would say though that I did not attempt to terminate all the shield strands as well as the 2.5mm earth at the plug. I pulled all the strands back and cut them out but left 3 in (3 x 4 strands) and twisted them together then heat shrinked them. Just waiting for the IEC plugs to arrive so I can finish them.
Thank you for sharing Zig 👍
I've just got some of this sy cable to try 1.5mm to make a 5metre cable to projector & a few others with figure 8 plug to my tvs worth a try at £11 for 10 metre.got silver connectors to put on.but on my pre amp & dac got supra 1.5mm with there gold connectors made up for £36 each worth it they better then belden and lapp on amp got the 2.5mm belden.
Thank you Mark. I have a Supra interconnect. They make good stuff 👍
@@abritishaudiophile7314 the supra cable made up yourself with supra gold plate 13amp plug and iec is definitely work a try seen a review where he says the mk2 supra as good a premium isotek cable.i like van damme interconnect and speaker cable always sounds good an not silly money within most people's budget a good upgrade.
nice and clear-good presentation
Thank you Larry 😉
that braided cable is just known as "SY" cable - it's used to wire industrial equipment such as motors (machine tools etc) to a power outlet - they are more often multicored, so the cores are just numbered rather than colour coded.
Finally I did it 👍🏾
I built 2 power strip too 😀
I made real parallel connection and it sounds as good as my wireworld matrix 2. I even made a RC low pass filter on one plug for the TV. I can blast the volume now without eating distortion. Smooth to the max.
Well done 😊👍
Keep up the good work and I've got does buchard S400 speakers with Primaluma preamp tube
Thank you 😉
I invested in a soldering iron a long time ago and for me it pays to solder the braids of wire.
Coloured heat shrink is also a good identifier and better than tape. The rest is up to individuals choice.
Thank you for watching and sharing Jeremy 😉
As far as I understand it, BS 7671 says solder is not permitted if screw terminals are used, because the solder can ‘cold flow’ around the screw head, resulting, over time, in a loose joint.
@@chriswilliams1096 spot on. Best to use ferrules and stay away from solder
Both floating shield and shield to ground are viable options, depending on the circumstances.
If it's connected to ground, all the noise that hits the shielding flows away to ground.
Because of that, more noise will be present on the ground, but that's no issue as long as the impedance of the ground to the wall is lower than that of the equipment.
It also increases the cable capacitance, luckily this is no problem for power supplies, but when making signal cables, that can be detrimental to the higher frequencies going through (phono cables connecting MM cartridges in particular).
Even when the shield is only connected to ground at near the power outlet.
Good advice to only connect the shield at the mains plug ground to prevent ground loops; that's often overlooked 😉
Shielding without connecting it to ground also works, but only reflects noise, instead of dissipating it to ground.
Thank you Qorax. What is your view on shielding power leads at both ends? I know it can introduce problems due to ground loops but is the shielding more effective if you don’t have ground loop issues?
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Well... A connection is a connection, but the closer to the power socket, the better.
AFAIK, the only real benefit of connecting ground on both ends is redundancy.
That can be useful in harsh environments, where there's a chance that one of both ends gets loose.
Connecting both doubles the chance of a good connection (more or less, the chance of disconnection is probably higher at the IEC plug then the UK plug).
But this doesn't really matter in home applications, especially since the cables are installed in a static setup and not moved around all the time.
Firmly screwing down the wire terminals and firmly mounting the strain relief comes a long way.
Also, using crimps on the wires helps the reliability of screw terminals, but the right crimping pliers and crimp diameter needs to be used in order to be sure of that.
Instead of crimps, some people use the soldering iron to put tin on the wires, so that it's more easy to insert it into the screw terminals.
This is one of the worst DIY ideas possible, because tin has the property of cold flow when it's under pressure like a screw tightly mounted onto it.
If you have bad luck, the tin will be squeezed too flat in a matter of weeks or even months. The tin will get flat enough to cause intermittent connection issues and eventually get loose.
Because the issues are intermittent at first, it's very hard to troubleshoot.
Good video. Yes, I’ve always been under the understanding that it’s best to only ground the shield at the source end, as you suggest.
Thank you David
Tarun, that looked great - good explanation. I noticed some comments on the length of the earth/ground lead and would say the way you did it was dictated by the amount of space in the connectors (or, I don't see another way to do it with these connectors).
The connectors you use now confirm you are in the UK, as your accent did ;).
My advice would be to look at the "domestic ring" that dominates UK home electricity cabling design, as the second "cheap" improvement option.
That ring puts all devices in the same circuit - your high-end audio with your washing machine.
If we ignore cynical commenters, and focus on "clean" AC, then we have a mission here. As you know too, what comes out of your speakers is AC that got rectified and next modulated by a source signal. Any !@#$%^& coming in on your AC can disturb and distort your music.
Electrical companies in Europe are increasingly concerned about household and commercial appliances putting stray signals into their networks. So, with the single-side grounded shield on the power cable you now have provided for an isolation against inductance interference from other sources into the protected device and vice versa, contained some of the potential stray interference that your device might throw back in the air.
As "cynical" is derived from the Greek word for "dog", the cynical puppies in all their illiteracy and lack of manners warrant a demonstration of interference. If you have (access to) an oscilloscope, nothing is more impressive than to take two test pins and walk these towards an empty wall outlet and somewhere, mid air, see the 50 Hz appear on the 'scope's display.
People are surprised by that as if it is incredible magic. Well, the puppies now have to explain why these devices work that tell you where the electrical wires are, in your wall. I mean, we have to give them homework as punishment. Maybe
Domestic ring. In my country, we don't have those rings, but a star architecture where the mains 3 phases coming in fan out (as a star) into leads going to distribution boxes that create new stars.
It is easy in this architecture to add one or more mains fuses on the main mains switch board and have direct spurs to the stereo. Which I did. In shields. And, now revise how your electrical circuits with high power dirty devices (or low power extremely dirty devices like computers and switching power supplies) are distributed across the 3 phases coming into your house.
And then look at the stereo system to consider keeping a few things apart: all switching power supplies on one spur, delicate analog amplification on another, and power amps on yet another.
I have come across Brits in the past who created a direct spur to their audio. You?
For viewers, Tarun, outside the UK: the UK has AC outlets and plugs with a fixed Live/Neutral orientation that cannot be swapped by inserting the AC plug of the device into the wall outlet one way or the other. Tarun stresses the "polarity" in the wiring he demonstrates. In many countries, wall outlets do not force proper live/neutral connection. However, connecting a chain of audio devices really requires that correct polarity. So, in my continental European house, the country standardized to German Schuko connectors, I replaced a couple wall outlets by French grounded ones that do not allow live/neutral swaps. Many Schuko plugs have French compatibility, b.t.w. Using the French connection really helps to keep the AC side of devices clean and protects against stray AC wandering from device to device, causing raw or dirty sound.
For an electrical AC motor or a lightbulb the L/N orientation is not critical. For audio it is.
If outlets from another country are not an option - for code or other reasons, then I would look at connectors often used in data centers and PDUs in there, that use IEC connectors almost everywhere (that is, on both ends of the power leads). If I upgraded to another level of cabling, I would seriously consider UK PDU and device cables, personally.
Another thing I would digest on, would be to replace the spurs by longer ones that are terminated in an IEC connector, instead of a wall outlet. We have no fuses in AC plugs, nor in wall outlets, but these are centralized on the main mains switchboard. And all outlets are under ELCB "supervision".
Hi JP DJ, thank you for sharing you interesting. It was fascinating and educational. Plenty of food for thought. I will look into a dedicated line for the audio but suspect I may have to wait until we are due to redecorate. In the interim power conditioners may have to suffice. Changing the mains plugs and wall sockets also very interesting. I appreciate you taking the time to share your insights 😊👍
Hi sir as a U.K. retired electrician I always recommend for those hifi enthusiasts who wish to go the extra mile To consider a dedicated supply from the main distribution board in the property. The cable should preferably be screened ie SWA or SY type with core diameter of no less than 2. 5 mm increasing to larger if the length of the run is problematic And if possible well separated from other mains cables This will achieve the best possible solution May also stress hear in the U.K. we have some of the most stringent electrical regulations in the world So any work carried out on an installation must conform to the regulations And be certified that this is the case We in the U.K. no longer consider electrical circuits other than radial or ring to be compliant ie star types configuration are not permitted on a new installation Finally any loss of Earth continuity would be classed as grade 1 defect So no attempt at isolating the Earth or changing polarity should be performed The way I have described above is the only option available in this country Obviously some form of mains filtering devices would also make a considerable improvement to achieving a clean supply Ultimately it all comes down to cost but it could be one of the best improvements you could do Best wishes and kind regards Mike in the U.K.
Thank you Mike, that is very informative and great to get your professional opinion 👍
A British Audiophile no problem sir my main concern is for the safety and welfare of your views And on no account should anyone consider reversing live and neutral as a way to counter the effects of R F signals Yes the equipment may work but under certain fault conditions the chassis of the unit could potentially become live If I have miss understood the comment posted that seemed to in intimate this as a possible proposition I humbly apologise But I have certainly see it being suggested on other forums Best wishes and kind regards Mike in the U.K.
@@amarcy5369 Mike, Sir, excellent. As continental European, I am aware that code is very strict in the UK. Note, if you have watched the video here, that earth continuity is maintained in the cabling. Three wires are used: live, neutral and earth. The discussion is about the fourth thing, the shield. Its role is to catch electromagnetism from the air and dissipate that energy to earth. The Faraday cage principle. The cage needs grounding, as floating it, will render it inoperable. If we ground the shield (the fourth thing in the cable) on one side, we ground the shield to your continuous earth. It then catches electromagnetism straying from the inside of the cable, as well as electromagnetism trying to get into the cable through the air from the outside. That radiation, if you like, is not an earth leak, but it impacts clean power. If we ground the shield on both ends, it becomes less effective and may become a conduit for the radiation to start its own running around, introducing noise audible in the audio chain. Major culprit is the electronics design in audio devices that uses a common ground the wrong way, not from your code point of view, but from my audiophile point of view. So, all the time, in the video and my comment, one of the three insulated wires/leads in the cable provides earth continuity.
As to the 2.5 mm you mention, I guess you mean 2.5 square mm cross section, or a wire/lead diameter of 1.8 mm. That can handle a lot of Watts at your 240V, but is no luxury - so I guess we agree as per your indication or “or more”.
As to “Earth continuity”, in the audio trade, we must know that some devices are low powered, internally fused, and have their power consumption on the other end of a transformer. This “on the other end of a transformer” defeats our - yours and mine - ELCB and consequently, in some countries such devices have no earth/ground connection but just a L/N connection. (The ELCB monitors L and N, not ground, but will not see an earth leak on the other side of a transformer.) I only have seen the grounded UK plug when in the UK, generally fused internally and 15A, but you may have devices that, on the device end, connect the AC cable with a simple “Figure 8” connector that can have its L/N swapped because it fits either way. (maybe your code forbids such things - don’t know). As code and connector designs over here “facilitate” L/N swaps, devices that use “Neutral” as common ground in their electronics become a source of problems like ground loops and stray signal from noisy power supplies - because one of the audio channels has its neutral connected to that common ground. This can become very audible and is hard to figure out by the general public. Fortunately we have these detectors that beep when they are near a source of electromagnetic radiation like your cable following code in a wall. And fortunately, when a device has its L/N reversed, its electromagnetic forcefield becomes much deeper. So, we can use your detector to measure the field of a device powered up but only connected to AC, no other devices , measure where the detector beeps (in midair) and when code, connectors and physics allow, reverse the L/N and meter again. The shortest measurement is guaranteed the proper L/N orientation. All maintaining Earth connectivity. And no ELCB were harmed in the process.
Sorting the proper L/N polarity and cleaning the AC power can have such benefits that it takes GAS impulses away for at least two years.
Note that some audio circuits “float” their connections - potentially XLR-balanced - like DA converters might use transformers on either end of an interface to relay data or signal as cleanly as possible. If properly done, these devices however still maintain Earth continuity at the level of their power supplies.
The same applies to expensive AC filters that are based on transformers, or completely “synthesize” AC (like a music synthesizer that creates waves).
(GAS: Gear Acquisition Syndrome)
Tarun says the suggested cables are more substantial but we should not interpret this as 'a better conductor'. They are not. The clear braided cable is simply re-purposed SY control cable normally used for connecting plant and machinery. It is designed to be thicker, with additional filling plus braiding for strength and durability. The braided shield is also there to limit EMI emissions from the equipment itself but not to protect the equipment from outside interference. Well designed equipment already has EMI suppression circuitry. If wear & tear of moving machinery is not involved then the electrical conductors are essentially the same as any good quality PVC insulated flexible cable. Over-sizing the conductor for HIFI will have no significant benefit either as the equipment will draw what it requires and no more. What is the point of having a thicker conductor than necessary when the same supply current has to go though 2 thin fuses, one at the plug end and an even thinner fuse inside the equipment being powered. What this boils down to is the law of diminishing returns where the effort & cost involved to change to these cables does not have any worthwhile audible cost benefit factor other than placebo.
Thank you for watching and sharing.
Great vid.I have made my own mains cables using supra mains cable and mk plugs and Russ Andrews iec connectors and their fuses.I have also had great results too and saved some money.
Thank you for watching and sharing Roger 😉
I built a pair of the Belden power cables. The uk plugs I bought came tarnished from manufacture. I gave them a polish to clean up the contacts and fuses before assembly.
Thank you for sharing Din 😉
Thanks for the tip Tarun. I had not really thought of upgrading generic power cables before watching your video. Father Christmas just bought me some Belden Cable and a Schurter IEC plug from MCRU (he is used to weird stuff on my Christmas list). I have just made up the cable for my amplifier and had a bit of a listening test. I am really pleasantly surprised, it has made an obvious difference to the sound of my HiFi in 2 ways. Firstly the music, immediate difference, no question, more open sound, separation between sounds, punchier mid range, I would not have believed it. It’s quite a thing. Secondly my amplifier, it’s 30 years old and had developed a bit of a hum ( the transformer I assume) you don’t hear it when you are more than a meter or 2 away from it but close up it’s there. With the new cable it is significantly reduced. That can only be a good thing.
For £15 this is a bargain upgrade. Due to the large size of the Belden Cable and the conductors making up the cable was tricky. I had to cut back the grommet on the IEC plug to get the cable through and fitting the conductors into the wall plug was tricky but I got there in the end.
But now a question for you. Based on this success I would like to repeat for the power cable on my CD player, however that is hard wired in to the machine. Any recommendations?
Thanks again, all the best for 2021.
That is great buddy. Thank you for sharing your experiences. I would leave the CD player’s captive power cable alone unless you can replace the cable all the way to where it is soldered internally. This is only recommended if you are really confident you know what you are doing. Chopping the cable externally and replacing it with a shielding cable will add connectors. This is a potential for increased EMI. The shielded cable is solving one problem whilst creating another one.
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Thanks for getting back to me. Hmm, I think you right, I am not up for opening my CD player so on balance it is probably better to leave as it. 👍
I'm interested in your opinion of using a ferrite choke on the LIVE / Active incoming electricity supply and NOT on the Neutral / Return cable. An electrician told me that there is no point using a ferrite choke on the return / neutral wire, and that doing so actually results in (can't remember) ATTENUATION issues. ie: only the LIVE / ACTIVE wire should have a ferrite choke used on it to smooth 'ripple' in the power supply. Is this correct? What is your opinion on this 'wives tale' re use of ferrite chokes. I'm not an electrician, and don't have any qualification as such.
Hi Trauma 2000, here in the U.K. the brown wire is the “hot wire” carrying power from the outlet to the component. Neutral wires carry currents back to power source to better control and regulate voltage. Its overall purpose is to serve as a path to return energy. Ground wires are electrical paths designed to carry fault currents when a power abnormality occurs. They don't carry currents, their purpose is to provide operator safety. As a result you could argue that you only need to filter RF on the hot (brown) lead as it is the source of power to the component. I am not sure about the sonic differences between having the choke on both leads as compared to just the hot lead. If you are using a ferrite choke on ac power lead, you need to place it at the component end of the lead where it is not possible to isolate individual leads. This is due to them being wrapped in a PVC jacket. It is not advisable to gain access to individual leads at this point. Hope that helps a little.
Hi Tarun. I noticed the MCRU DIY kit included ferrite rings as well as the plugs/cable etc. Do you use these, do they make a difference?
Hi I just use 1 ferrite ring on each speaker.
Another great video, if you want to try one of my cables, just let me know, your be surprised how good they are.
Thank you Tweaker Man. You can email me the details on abritishaudiophile@gmail.com
Thank you for watching 👍
So I'm making my own using all totl furutech. Now I read that the power amps aren't to be shielded? Wtf as In don't use a shielded cable at all for them? Is a cable shielded if it has a shield or only if you connect the shield to earth ground?
Thank you for this video and your video on 5 good value tweaks. I purchased the Tacisma power block as I needed a power block anyway. I was amazed at the improvement on my system. I have a high end system but I have neglected the power side of things since being lent some power cords a number of years ago which, with a different system, made the sound slightly worse. I have ordered a very low (£25) and fairly low priced (£60) items to put together my own power cords with a view to assessing whether there are any benefits ( which I think there will be) and if so how much benefit will I get from each. I've also ordered the Tacisma mains conditioner so you've really got me going down the rabbit hole with your recent videos!
Hi Patrick, I hope it meets your expectations. Thank you for watching and sharing 😊
Thanks Tarun -much appreciated mate. Actually I've DIYed my speaker cables (bi wiring) using that very same Lapp Kabel Ollflex, only the 4 colours one. Connectors are Purist Audio (spade). Is this something you'd recommend? You know, capacitance, resistance etc wise. Cheers
Hi EfeTe2010, I use spades and banana plugs. As long as the connectors are good quality (solid construction) and the contact pressure is good, I don’t think it makes much difference. Thank you for watching and commenting 😉
@@abritishaudiophile7314 yes they are good quality (Purist Audio) mate. All the best from Buenos Aires.
Nice video, my recommendation would be a better quality plug as that one is pretty pony, something by MK or Crabtree would be much better, they have a better cable grip and much more effective terminations. Not expensive either.
Thank you KO L 😊👍
Good video as always! Additional comment to avoid accidental shorting. This is relevant for any diy cable. Buy a cheap multimeter and use the 'beep' function to check conductivity across conductors before plugging it in. I bought some cheap aliexpress connectors and I discovered there was a short in the connector. Glad I checked before plugging it in! The check is a bit over the top of you have good connectors and good skills/eye sight. However it only takes seconds and might save you an expensive mistake one day 👍
Good point. Thank you GD 😊👍
I made this with Belden yesterday and installed it on my NAD M32. It really makes a difference. Not big,but surely there is more control.
Very curious if a more expensive cable will make more bigger difference.
Hi Rick, that is great to hear. I was auditioning the Iota VX SA3 and I switched between the standard IEC and the Lapp one I made. The was a subtle but definite improvement in the sound quality with the Lapp cable and that is a £400 amplifier.
@@abritishaudiophile7314 I was a hardend not believer in the cable story. Now I tested my speaker wires myself. Switched from QED XT40i to Supra 3/4. What an improvement!! I directly ordered the Art Speak silvercore wire(yes,silver but soft silver so no sharp edges in sound and awesome). This wire is handmade and not known very wide,but I think one of the best kept Dutch secrets and worth the money(you should test one!).
Now I tested the Belden selfmade and again a noticable difference! Now i also ordered an Art Speak powercable.
The Art Speak site sucks....he's a real technician/musician and no nonsense kind of person. Just call him.
Really worth testing!
Thank you Rick
Good video thought I’d give it a go
Cool 😎
A lot of people don't understand cable and how they differ. most of the really good power cables that are sold use a shield that surrounds all three conductors like the Lapp cable does as the shield on that Beldon cable isn't doing anything to interfere with noise emitted from the current carrying lines. The other thing that is done is to use twisted pairs which change the phase of what is emitted and makes more difference than the shielding does.
Thank you for sharing Rob 😊
Good that you looked into how to conect the sheald.
In Europa our wall plug we are able to turn it 180° aruond. And we have also 230v and 50hz. so 50% of the time when we plug it into the wall, we either get L or N and or vice versa (the ground is alwas the ground). So it is not that important here and we do not have the fuse in the wall plug that England has either.
Thank you for watching and sharing 😊
Bless ya mate and thanks 👍🏻
Thank you for watching Shaun 😊👍
I have used the MCRU Lapp mains kits. They look substantial and have the benefit of the screen. Like you only connect the plug top screen to earth with sleeving. Question, does it make a difference? Don't answer, please don't answer 😬They look nice though.
Thank you for watching and commenting Andy
Greetings from Trinidad and Tobago.
Hi Randy, you live in a beautiful part of the world buddy. Thank you for watching 😉
Thanks Tarun!!! One question or thing that is bothering me about power cables is how do you deal with single power point/outlet and the need to use a multi plug. Doesn’t the multi plug negate the better power cable? Is there a different method to distribute power from a single point?
Hi Alvin, I would use a main extension block with a decent shielded cable. Something like, www.mcru.co.uk/product/audiophile-mains-block-6-gang/
Hi Tarun,
Not really related to the above film, but you may recall we had a brief exchange about Target R4 speaker stands on another film?
My question is, what are those blocks underneath the base plate on the above stands?
Thanks
Just Eva blocks MMN 😉
This video should be titled 'How to make your IEC look pretty'!
Cool 😎
A simple tip to make sure you wire a plug correctly is - holding it with the pins down, as at 6:09, the *BL*ue wire goes to the *B*ottom *L*eft, and the *BR*own wire to the *B*ottom *R*ight.
I made my own mains cables, five in total, about three years ago from Viablue silver-plated wire. I decided at the time not to connect the shielding. I now wonder if I should go back and modify them and connect the shielding. I don't suffer from any noise that I'm aware of. Does anyone know if I would hear any difference?
Hi djbeatroot, this things are very system dependent. I would suggest connecting the shield back on one of them and see if you notice a difference...
Thanks Tarun. I've ordered myself some kit from MCRU. Lets see how it goes. I got a free upgraded mains fuse with my kit. Would you dare open a can of worms discussing fuse upgrades I wonder?
Hi Ian, I am not sure I am feeling that brave. Maybe sometime. Please let me know how you get on. Thank you for watching 👍
@@abritishaudiophile7314 You should try it and do a video on it, you'll love it. I've tried various audio grade fuse types and they can make a huge difference. It's like changing an analogue interconnect for a higher grade cable in some cases and it's night and day the difference. Equipment & sound quality will benefit hugely from fuse changes at both the plug end on the mains cable and also the equipment end internal fuse. Try 'Hi-Fi Tuning Silverstar' as a starting point using cryo'ed fuses with silver end caps and silver internal fuse wire surrounded by ceramic particles. They can be expensive but worth it!!
Thank you for the suggestions Johnny 👍
A 10 gauge copper wire cut to fit where the fuse resides proves a most reliable and sound-enhancing upgrade, I'd suggest. Bonus is it will last forever ;-) The last time my flat caught alight, the fire brigade leader noticed how my fuse survived the conflagration very well.
@@jamesplotkin4674 Was your removal of a crucial safety feature the cause of the fire?
I have the Cambridge AX81, CXN & CXC. I made contact with MCRU who suggested I needed to spend something nearer £120 per cable on the their no 75 set. Given I need three cables, this is a almost £400!
I’d be very interested in your views and appreciate your help
Nice video Tarun ! The problem is what would you do if you need a rewireable "figure 8" connector; -there are not easy to find. My recently aquired sub has this kind of power inlet, so I guess I'll have to buy a cable eventually.
Hi George, it can be made just using the fig 8 connector instead of the 3 pin IEC connector shown in my video. MCRU sell these connectors, may need soldering. The only problem is that the fig 8 has no earth connection so the only benefit is the screening on the cable.
I wonder if in the standard power cables that come with audio devices (amplifiers, etc) have the shield and ground wire joined on both ends?
Just one end. I amended my advice in follow up video 😊
Thank you for the video it was very helpfull. but if i have no ground pin on the power input of my AMP of i have a streamer with c7 plug, do i need to use 2 conductor wire and then where i need to connect the shielding? As an option it will be great if you could make another video for C7 plug DIY power cable.
The shielding is connected to ground on the mains plug end 😊
That's very useful, thanks. I make up my own similarly by getting the parts independently, but probably no cheaper than those MCRU kits which look good. The way I look at it is that it's so cheap to make up your own that you're really not risking much by having a ago - well, other than perhaps your life if you're not competent at electrics :-)
And thinking about the LAPP cable that came with live and neutral both coloured black, I have a commercial "audiophile" mains cable (which came with an amp I bought second hand) with all three wires yellow.
I think they are for non UK markets.
I agree with you osliverpool. Thank you for watching and commenting 😉
Thanks Alan. I think you've answered my previous question to Tarun. Its MCRU I'm looking at for the belden cable. Must be the one you're talking about. I could add the electrical tape round the earth myself.
The "Lapp" cable looks like generic SY cable to me, which has a braided sheath, not for electrical screening, rather mechanical protection. If it is, the braid is not tinned copper, but steel, which is not a great quality conductor. The open weave and the fact that all the strands are not electrically bonded to one another, so contact resistance is unpredictable and termination is not easy, all means its not a great option for an electrically shielded cable. Also I think the Belden cable is a properly screened/ shielded cable with a complete electrical envelope in the form of a foil with drain wire, that is more easily terminated. Thanks for the video, rolling our own can save a lot of money!
Thank you for watching and sharing 😉
First remark I would use correct heat shrinking tube (voltage current) for PE +shield isolation than ferrules to fix all naked wires before placing them to connectors. This is nicelly presented at SUPRA LoRAD assembly movie (by SUPRA). Shield discussion - as many audiophiles as many opinions. I would stay with SUPRA idea so shield connected only at source side (wall plug) This is more to move all collected electricity down to ground not to amp or other "users". But that is my opinion. SOme are not recommending using shielded cords to prevent heat cumulation from power L/N but here cable has to be selected correctly Gauge vs power consumption - no downsizig reccommended.
Tarun, great tips. On the other hand , do you believe in power treatment from the house power board, with better fuses, better wiring, up to the wall outlets? (which I already improved with Furutech and Shuniata, with great results). Obs: my ac is 220v, 60hz.
Hi TCC, I have never gone that far down that route but others have and claim that it does improve things. I suppose one you have taken care of the fundamentals. These things are worth exploring. There is a saying in hifi, “everything matters but not everything matters to the same extent.” I know it poses more questions than it answers but what can you do 🤔
Thanks, man! I think I will try these tweaks, and report to you the results. Thanks for the encouragement! Cheers!!
Thank you for watching TCC INC RJ
Many thanks. Too late for me, already bought professionally prepared mains cables. Not sure why good cables don't come hifi gear .
Hi B Shah, it all costs money at the end of the day...
waiting for parts to arrive to make a Lapp cable. already have a tough perma plug which i dismantled and used various grades of wet/dry paper to smooth down the pin and the fuse holder then buffed with fine wire wool and cleaned with brasso and treated with 3in1 oil (i'm not buying deoxit, i'm not made of money). this gives a smoother, cleaner surface for the electricity to conduct into the plugs to give a cleaner current
Thx for sharing 😊
Hi Tarun, excellent video 👍 did you cut off the drain wire at the component end then?
John Sarge
Coz that's what you should do.
Hi John, thank for watching. Yes, just grounded the shield at the mains end, cut it back on the component end 😉
A British Audiophile Tarun....thank you for the response mate
Discovered your channel and like your video's and explanations. One thing, most I can only view in max 720 resolution. And some of the 1080 still seem a bit unsharp. Nitpicking probably, I know it is about the audio information but maybe with minor tweaks better video quality is possible. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for watching and your feedback. It is shot on my iPad. The video and audio quality leave lot to be desired. Will consider proper camera in due course.
Hi Tarun, should all units in a Hifi set up ( pre/power amps, CD players, streamers) have an upgraded power cord ?
It is a matter of personal choice but I would change all the ones I can 😊
Great informative video Tarun, bought a 0.5m belden cable ready made for £20, it's twice as thick as supplied marantz cable, don't hear much difference on my low end amp but the belden 8402 RCA cable I bought definitely improved bass clarity in my system, that's a relatively cheap upgrade cable, where it was murky sounding, it's now tight & clear!
That is great. I am currently demoing a Belden RCA cable 😉
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Hi Tarun. Was this a 19364 Belden cable? If so I believe I maybe in luck like bigambientdeath with a similar 1m ready made cable (keiser connector) albeit a few extra quid. Cheers
@@CM-dw3gh it was a while ago but I think it is the 8402 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 cheers Tarun. We had ours wires crossed ('scuse pun). I meant the power cable in you're vid. It's OK. I've ordered one. Half way on the tweaks you've recommended. Cheers.
@@CM-dw3gh sorry, I was referring to my interconnect video. The power cord is the Belden 19364 😊
I also make my own mains cables, but they are slightly more involved, though still reasonably doable for DIY people who can wire up a standard UK mains plug:
You will need:
two core lighting cable (0.75mil)
Earth cable (nothing fancy, but thicker than the lighting cables
What you do:
Strip the lighting cable so you have individual blue and brown wires (N and L respectively. Cut lengths roughly 3x as long as you need. Stick blue and brown wires in a vice at one end and the chuck of a cordless drill at the other. Pull them tight and start up your drill in the clockwise direction to twist them together. Maintain a little tension as you to to make the twist nice and even. Stop when the twist is 1.5-2cm per full twist.
Now cut the twisted pair in half. Cut an earth cable the same length as the two live-neutral pairs. Now stick the two pairs of LNs and the earth cable in a vice and electric drill as before. This time twist them together anti-clockwise.
The rest is just finishing. I normally use a bit of heat shrink at either end and every 30cm or so to hold the twisted bundle together, but insulation tape works just as well. Then I put some nylon braiding round the whole thing to make it look nice.
Attaching plugs is easy - a blue pair to neutral, a brown pair to live and the green/yellow single wire to earth.
The twisted pair concept comes from Ethernet cable, which runs very long length without picking up radio interference because of the twist without shielding.
You can make the cable for (literally) a couple of quid a metre, plus the cost of plugs. I’d love to know if they are as good as yours, but I like them, and I’ve tried them against very fancy branded cables for audio with some very nice kit and they are easily as good.
Hi buddy, thank you for sharing. Very clear instructions. You should make a UA-cam video and sent me a link 😊
A British Audiophile I’m better in writing than on tv... but maybe you have a go, see what you think and if you like the results, make the video. I’d really enjoy that!
There is videos that do same but wrap with aluminium tape then heat shrink that on for shielding then the braided sheath over that to look nice.
Silly question Tarun... so if one buys say 50-60 ft of this Belden cable, how does one cut it to length neatly without making a mess at the cut point? Thanks (and keep up the great work!!!)
Not silly, it isn’t so easy but I tried to cut half way through with a decent pair of wire cutters and then cut the other half as cleanly as I could 😉
Those Martin Kaiser plugs supposedly have a max cable diameter of 8mm, yet you and MCRU manage to fit 10mm cables into them. So is it just the removable 'strain relief' tube on the back that limits the cable size?
You are right it is not ideal to remove the strain relief but the cables are too thick. As long as you are sensible and don’t put too much pressure on the cable grip, I don’t think it will be a problem.
Would using Electrical House (Solid Core) Wire (non shielded), be better than stock power cables?
What gauge would be ideal?
The shielding is important 😉
Nice informative video. Do you notice an audible difference between the 2 cables you made? And how do they compare when put against a £50 "audio file" branded cable?
I doubt anyone would hear the slightest difference between the standard cable and a £50 one. £50 wont buy anything worth trying. You would need to be trying the £200 ones to hear any difference, if any.
Hi Jachogi1990, I haven’t got other power cables to hand at present to do meaningful comparisons. There is no real difference in performance between the Belden and the Lapp cable. These power leads can make a small but significant difference in reducing the noise floor of your system over the generic cables and should considered as part of a wider regime, including a mains conditioner, to get the best results. Outcomes are system dependent but you may hopefully experience a tightening of the bass, a smoother treble, better definition of the leading edge of notes, and small details in the music being more noticeable. I agree with Lazy Dog that you will have to spend over £100 on a cable to get anything better. These cables retail for about £50-£60 if you weren’t going to make them yourselves.
Okay guys thanks for your responses. I was only curious because I've Been tempted to get an audioquest nrg x, y or z cables these range from £65 for the x and £179 for the z. So maybe I'll be better off making my own? Than buying one of these? As spending £200 on a mains cable would be hard to justify as I have a £300 DAC. And yes since watching your previous video I've been looking at getting a parallel power conditioner. Just for reference I have a cambridge cxa60 with klipsch rp-600m connected with shielded cables. With a audioquest firefly cobalt. Connected to the amp with an audioquest golden gate 3.5mm to rca. I'm also relatively new to the hobby and only isolated my system with sorbothane a week before watching your tweaks video
Great video and very concise. I started making my own power cables last year and they are very easy to do once you have the nack of trimming the correct length for the plug terminations.
Is this going to give you notable sonic improvements, unlikely. But it is going to give you DIY satisfaction, visual uniformity with cables / plugs plus the ability to have cables the exact length you require. And that’s exactly why I did it.
Thank you Gavin. A lot of satisfaction in making them and need not cost a lot if you do it yourself 😉👍
So your not suggesting we open our amplifiers and replace it's cord but plug the amps original cord into this extension cord? Would this new cord be acting as a filter?
Hi Henry, there can be a lot of wires in close proximity at the back of a hifi system. A good shielded mains cable is a sensible idea 😉
I wish you would of commented on whether or not you could hear any difference between the 3 cables ,also I heard that the foil shield provides better shielding than the braded one ,So could you hear a difference and if so which did you prefer.
Hi Lee, I only tried the shielded cable and the standard one. It did clean up the sound a little on my system but the results are system dependent and the condition of your supply comes into play. I may have to revisit this topic in more depth in the future 😊
Hi. I have just bought some Audio Technica LP140XP turntables for some occasional home DJ work after several years away from Technics.
I have upgraded the phono cables with Sommer cables and upgraded RCA connectors.
Is it worth doing the power cables with the Belden? Having a lot of debate with my friends who say it’s just a huge waste of time!
Thank you. I would make up one power cable and see now you get on. Best to judge the results for yourself 😊
Hi Tarun. Can I ask if you switched out the stock Hegel supplied power cord with one of you home made Belden cables? If so what was your experience with change to audio quality from the H160?
Great question Mark. I replaced all of them in my system (where possible) and I did notice a subtle improvement in overall clarity and control 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Thanks Tarun. Any luck with persuading Kudos Audio to let you audition their speakers?
@@marklobban5354 I haven’t got to them as yet 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Back to the Belden home made mains cable - how much burn in before the cable is working at its best? Thanks Tarun.
Thanks for the video.I would like to ask if we can do the same with rca cables.Take care!
You can build your own using pro audio cables. Mogami, Van Damme and Belden a good brands to use 😊
Could I just ask about not grounding at one end, I was always led to believe that it was dangerous and that it could cause a house fire or you could be electrocuted and you circuit board might not trip.
The earth cables should be connected at each end for sure 100%. Its the cable screen which only needs to be connected one end for the reasons Tarun described.
The mains earth has to be connected both ends, the screen does not, it can be connected to just one end
Apologies if this has already been asked. which do you prefer the Belden or the Lapp? I've heard the bass on the Lapp is better, but I can't find comparisons of the two cables overall. Thanks
Hi Michael, although I prefer the construction of the Belden slightly, I can’t say I noticed a difference in sound quality switching between them. I didn’t do extensive listening comparisons though. I use them as part of “good housekeeping.”
@@abritishaudiophile7314 thanks mate
Hello Tarun, first time subscriber. Enjoy very much of your video. Did you replace your ProArc with the Buchardt S400? How do you like them compare to your ProArc? Thank you.
Hi Holland, the Proacs are my long term reference. The S400s are here for review. Hopefully you won’t have to wait too long for it. Although lockdown and having to homeschool a six year old everyday doesn’t help the schedule.
A British Audiophile Thank you for the quick reply. I am here in the USA dealing with the same thing. The stay at home order actually helped me pick up this Audiophile hobby once again after I have two kids. Now they are old enough not to polk their fingers to the speakers. I was listening to your speaker placement recommendation and repositioned my speakers. You are absolutely correct, it gives new life to my speakers. Thank you so much sir.
In AC power cables, the electrons vibrate on the OUTSIDE of the cable jacket. That is why you get hum next to a poorly shielded unbalanced RCA cable.
Electrons flow inside the cable jacket in DC power, outside in AC power.
hello, pardon my ignorance but how do you guys deal with equipment without an IEC inlet ? like my receiver for example, the only way for me to make this happen would be to open up said receiver and solder the power cable.... any ideas ?
I would stick with the captive lead if you have one 😉
@@abritishaudiophile7314 thank you but I don’t even know what that is...
@@cesarin321 has it got a power lead hard wired into it?
@@abritishaudiophile7314 yes
@@cesarin321 that is what is referred to as a captive mains lead. I would leave it alone 😉
Hi Tarun very much enjoying your videos. Just a question regarding the cables you used. Do you have any product codes? I,m struggling to find either of the cables you used here in NZ
Hi Mike, I don’t have product codes but I know one is the Belden 19364 and the other is Lapp Olflex Classic. Make sure you get the 3 core version. You could also email David at MCRU.co.uk 😉
@@abritishaudiophile7314 thank you that info will help me find the cable I want. Cheers
Great stuff Tarun!
Just two things a klutz like me would like to know (a cursory look below did no illuminate me): with the LAP cable, is conductor 1 = Live and conductor 2 = Neutral, or vice versa? How is the LAP shielding made into a wire to join to the earth conductor?
Otherwise, foolproof; and no nonsense!
Thank you Chris. This video was a long time ago. From what I recall the Lapp cable had a European colouring scheme and a braided wire shield 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Thanks Tarun. And how does one turn the shielding into a thin wire conductor to twist with the earth cable?
@@Leakey57 yes but only at the mains plug end 😊
Great thanks
Thank you for watching Danny 😊👍