DIY 13A Power cord

[Marco]

The best plug is no plug (or sonically degrading 13A fuse)... Hard-wire where possible and practical!

Marco.

[YNWaN]

And safe and legal - of course .

[Cotlake]

I'm pretty sure your balanced mains unit cost more than this plug though

Ha ha, yes, certainly it did and it's the Belden mains cable I used for it's supply lead. I think what I am trying to say is that I finally have arrived at a point where I am very happy with my system, so now I am trying to polish my own turd, and the addition of the Airlinks BPS has made a remarkable difference which I particularly like, even with all the mains cables after the attached distribution block being bog standard kettle leads. To other readers, I would just like to encourage them not to spend volumes of money on connectors before considering getting the very best they can afford in terms of main components in their systems. Fancy cables should be the very last consideration IMHO. By the way, my Airlinks BPS was second hand at £200. It's made a massive difference to sound presentation and far more than two or three Furutec 13 amp plugs might make. Old old story, get the priorities right.

Marco makes a very very good point, albeit, safety has to prevail.

[brian2957]

I've also reached a point where I'm very happy with my system by using '' expensive '' plugs and cables Never spent £200 on any of them though . Yes I do own one of these plugs and the reason I bought it was because the cable I use to feed my mains block was too thick for an ordinary plug . The Furutech plug fitted the bill perfectly .
Don't get me wrong , I heard the effect one of these BPS units made at Garys place when Ali brought his over and plugged it in . It wasn't subtle . This was long before they bacame popular on any of the forums ( much kudos to Ali Tait ) The problem is my listening room has nowhere to put one of these things and TBH I wouldn't feel particularly happy about having one in my home . Just a ''gut '' feeling on my part.
I respect your opinions on all things hifi Greg but I'm afraid '' turd polishing '' is going to continue at brian mansion for the foreseeable future mate . Well at least until Saturday when I win the lottery

[Carlos-UK-2016]

Thanks Guys, this is a useful thread, and it encouraged me to start to gather the right information to also assemble a DIY power cables too.
I was looking to see what the next step up from the Belden 19364 cable might be (If any of you guys have some suggestions, would be appreciated?)


Anyway, so far thanks to AOS & Google, I have got my Belden cable shortlist started, and I have ordered this new Belden 19364/83803 Combined cable.
I've included a link to the 3 Belden cables that I had 'shortlisted'

BELDEN 19364 SHIELDED MAINS POWER CABLE £5.95 PER METRE
- ebay link here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150872772623

BELDEN 83803 AUDIOPHILE MAINS POWER CABLE £23.50 PER METRE
- ebay link here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150869246453

BELDEN POWER CABLE 19364 | 83803 COMBINED DESIGN MCRU EXCLUSIVE | £15.00 PER METRE
- ebay link here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/351203220557


Here is the info on the differences:
The belden 83803 is a close 2nd to the 19364 and uses a slightly different construction this high-quality power cable has become the leading wire for high-end custom-designed power cables.
Belden 83803 is a 12 AWG cable that features (7x20) tinned copper conductors, Teflon insulation, 100% Beldfoil Shield with 85% tinned copper braid shield and a Teflon jacket.
Now MCRU brings you a genuine new Belden cable that combines the best qualities of 83803 and 19364. this cable has been manufactured by Belden USA and is a cross-breed of the 2 best selling Belden mains power cables. 11.5mm outside diameter.

This 'new' combined Belden cable is constructed from 3 x 2.08mm sq (14 AWG) oxygen-free copper conductors and incorporates the patented Beldfoil® Shield (which is in constant contact with the internal drain wire). This forms a ground loop to trap unwanted mains interference and keep it safely at the plug end of the cable, away from interaction with any equipment.

Well that's all so far, any other cable suggestions? (I have ordered some of the 'new' Belden 19364/83803 Combined cable, so I will update and let you guys know my impressions)
If you guys are interested I'll put some info on the UK mains plug & IEC connectors, that I have already ordered? The IEC connectors were a really good price (I'll know more once I can inspect the quality of the contact connections).

[Carlos-UK-2016]

Just so I can do some sort of check my existing cables & DIY cables, I ordered a Supra LoRad Test Pen


http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00MGUXGWQ

I could not find a lot of info on this, but thought it would be worth the risk of £20; I will report back after it arrives & I get a chance to look at it.
There was a little more info on it here: http://www.supracables.co.uk/mainsca...orad-spec.html

I was wondering if this Test Pen might be useful to you guys?

Also was hoping that those of you , who are more experienced (than me) might know of a device to check for DC polluting the AC (if that is possible?) ?

[Gazjam]

The best plug is no plug (or sonically degrading 13A fuse)... Hard-wire where possible and practical!

Marco.

This ^^


Great post Rikardo1979, with good photos showing how the mains cable construction, will be helpful for a lot of folk I'm sure.

2 wires into one plug?
Bunch of big Jessies...

...yes, this is a work in progress photo

Big shout out to Marco for his reccy of Nexans solid core mains cable...sounds way better than anything Ive had in previously.
Its all you said it was mate.

In my own setup my mains cable install is totally "fit n forget" with all cables cut to the exact length and the solid core cable is clamped off behind my rack, so its not moving anywhere.
Stranded mains cable is obviously more flexible, so if your plugging and unplugging a lot I'd definately go for stranded cable as solid core can break easier and is not as practical.
For myself, in my own setup, and having tried more mains cables in my system than Im happy to mention I find solid core to sound better.

Just as a sideline, those interested in going beyond choosing mains cables and further maximising their mains should look into the work done by a guy called Roy K. Riches from a few years back.
This guy really knows his stuff.

As always, safety first folks.

[Gazjam]

Ha ha, yes, certainly it did and it's the Belden mains cable I used for it's supply lead. I think what I am trying to say is that I finally have arrived at a point where I am very happy with my system, so now I am trying to polish my own turd, and the addition of the Airlinks BPS has made a remarkable difference which I particularly like, even with all the mains cables after the attached distribution block being bog standard kettle leads. To other readers, I would just like to encourage them not to spend volumes of money on connectors before considering getting the very best they can afford in terms of main components in their systems. Fancy cables should be the very last consideration IMHO. By the way, my Airlinks BPS was second hand at £200. It's made a massive difference to sound presentation and far more than two or three Furutec 13 amp plugs might make. Old old story, get the priorities right.

Marco makes a very very good point, albeit, safety has to prevail.

Yup, have an Airlink blanaced mains setup myself Greg and it made a helluva improvement.

[Carlos-UK-2016]

This ^^
Great post Rikardo1979, with good photos showing how the mains cable construction, will be helpful for a lot of folk I'm sure.

In my own setup my mains cable install is totally "fit n forget" with all cables cut to the exact length and the solid core cable is clamped off behind my rack, so its not moving anywhere.
Stranded mains cable is obviously more flexible, so if your plugging and unplugging a lot I'd definately go for stranded cable as solid core can break easier and is not as practical.
For myself, in my own setup, and having tried more mains cables in my system than Im happy to mention I find solid core to sound better.

As always, safety first folks.

I have to say THANKS to Rikardo1979 (Richard), your post got me started thinking about all my mains cables, so I bought a LoRad cable tester & was surprised that every cable in the house was not properly shielded.
So I just started making up my DIY Belden cables (spurred on by your success).

I used the slightly thicker 11.5mm Red Belden cable (£15 a metre), it was a bitch to fit them into a plug, the conductors are SO thick I had to use pliers to bend them into shape so that I could screw them down. About 2 hours in I had thoughts that I had made the wrong decision using such a thick cable with stiff conductors (I almost gave up), it even took me about a minute just to cut through the damm cable.
Anyway, I kept going, and plugged in the cable from AC regenerator to Tube amp, and....

Bloody Hell !!! I really never thought it would make that much of a difference, but at slightly louder than normal levels my amp seems to come alive, the whole range seems to gave been effected (especially in low to midrange, much fuller).
I am over the moon, my amp has just been given a major upgrade.
THANKS again Rikardo1979, Gazjam, and others... these DIY threads have really got me hooked on this AOL forum

[DSJR]

You lot scare the bejesus out of me with those mains cable ideas. Next minute you'll be building a power station next door purely for your stereo's and be comparing nuclear generated to coal and gas fired.... By the way, the fruity loopy Enid Lumley clained to do just that in Absolute Sound mag some years ago.