YNWaN
14-04-2014, 10:10
Rather surprisingly (for me), this post is to praise the MS HD Power 13A mains plug I recently purchased (from Dave at Mains Cables R Us - swiftly dispatched as ever).
When I built my Paradise phonostage it was constructed in an entirely dual mono manner - meaning that two mains leads were required. I was starting to get a bit short of sockets so built a custom 'hydra headed' mains lead. This lead used Belden 19364 cable and both leads were terminated by an MK Tough plug. The problem is that two lengths of Belden terminated at one plug represents a heck of a lot of cable and copper for the plug to accommodate! Even after a bit of plug customisation it was still a real struggle to fit everything in and I wasn't really happy with the results - I needed a 'beefed up' plug. Unfortunately, all I could find were the usual 'audiophile' options and, to be blunt, my opinion is that the majority of these are little more than a standard 13A plug in a fancy suit. However, the MS HD plug is a genuine attempt to provide a seriously beefed up plug. The pins will take much thicker cable than a standard plug (three times as thick) and the wire clamps in a better manner. There is also easier routing of the cable internally and the strain relief is really well thought out -I managed to clamp both the Belden cables side by side without any compromise. This thing is really well thought out and nicely made. I used the copper version (I can't see the point in further plating when the socket is copper and so are the wires) and the pins were very highly polished (not sure how much of a benefit this is as the connections in the socket certainly aren't, but I guess it can't do any harm). In Short, highly recommended.
http://www.av2day.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/IMG_0102-300x225.jpg
http://www.hificollective.co.uk/images2/ms_hd_power_ms328_ukplug_350.gif
http://www.mains-cables-r-us.co.uk/16-mains-plugs#/page-2
When I built my Paradise phonostage it was constructed in an entirely dual mono manner - meaning that two mains leads were required. I was starting to get a bit short of sockets so built a custom 'hydra headed' mains lead. This lead used Belden 19364 cable and both leads were terminated by an MK Tough plug. The problem is that two lengths of Belden terminated at one plug represents a heck of a lot of cable and copper for the plug to accommodate! Even after a bit of plug customisation it was still a real struggle to fit everything in and I wasn't really happy with the results - I needed a 'beefed up' plug. Unfortunately, all I could find were the usual 'audiophile' options and, to be blunt, my opinion is that the majority of these are little more than a standard 13A plug in a fancy suit. However, the MS HD plug is a genuine attempt to provide a seriously beefed up plug. The pins will take much thicker cable than a standard plug (three times as thick) and the wire clamps in a better manner. There is also easier routing of the cable internally and the strain relief is really well thought out -I managed to clamp both the Belden cables side by side without any compromise. This thing is really well thought out and nicely made. I used the copper version (I can't see the point in further plating when the socket is copper and so are the wires) and the pins were very highly polished (not sure how much of a benefit this is as the connections in the socket certainly aren't, but I guess it can't do any harm). In Short, highly recommended.
http://www.av2day.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/IMG_0102-300x225.jpg
http://www.hificollective.co.uk/images2/ms_hd_power_ms328_ukplug_350.gif
http://www.mains-cables-r-us.co.uk/16-mains-plugs#/page-2