Been a while since I bought a mains cable... Apple TV sound and image improvements

[Gazjam]

More of an AV related post than Audio,
Mains cables n stuff for the HiFi sorted out years ago happily no need to go down that road again.

But..

Been using my Apple TV 4K for all things TV streaming, I love it.
Compared to all other boxes Ive tried and TV inbuilt apps its way above others in picture and sound quality.
When I got the AppleTV just plugged it into the wall and started enjoying it.

Got my Audiophile eyes on it though when I read on a few AV forums of folk who swapped out the supplied figure 8 mains cable that is in the box with something better.
One reviewer was waxing lyrical enough (you know the way) about the improvement with a £150 Nordost Purple Flare that I got curious.
I use fancy kettle leads in my audio system,
but never used any fig-8 cables other than whats been supplied in the box.

So set about thinking of ways to improve the power getting to it, see if cleaner mains could improve it.
Short answer - Hell Yes - a lot.

Run my hifi from a hardwired balanced mains transformer, and that got rid of any electrical moosh on the line, noise floor pretty much gone.
AppleTV plugged straight into the wall, tried plugging supplied Fig-8 cable into an unused socket on the breakout box I'd wired up to it.

BOOM
There it is... nice improvement.
Ok, so it responds well to cleaner mains with less noise like most kit, even with the supplied length of wet string it came with.

Bought one of these as an experiment,
Used Mark Grants interconnects and mains leads in the past, top notch top bang for buck.
Looked about and his Figure 8 cable looked legit quality, his own recipe double screened cable, quality MK Toughplug and obviously beefier better quality Fig 8 connector.
Didnlt break the banks at £55 delivered for a 2M length either.
https://www.markgrantcables.co.uk/uk...e-8-connector/

Old and the New:





A noticeable jump in quality over the standard cable, suspected it would be, but not prepared for the level things got better.
Everything really Pops on screen, even non HDR stuff on YouTube.
Put on something in 4K Dolby Vision on Netflix and it'll melt yer eyes.

Same level of improvement on Playstation 5, 4K HDR gaming at 60Hz, audio through the Hifi is an astonishing thing.
Bring on Grand Turismo 7, the main reason I bought it!

Happy days.

Sorted out a new D65 Bias backlighting system for my Sony OLED as well?
This one, from the guys at Spears & Munsil, who really know their stuff.



Again,
Not expensive at about £70 for a 5M kit.

Watching OLED at night in pitch black,
the absolute black combined with bright HDR can be fatiguing on the eyes if you don't take a regular break.
This kit takes that edge off by making the eyes not need to work so hard, and being 6500K temp the colours are spot on.

Had a similar system few years ago when I had a Pioneer plasma, but that was 4 flourescent tubes cable tied to vents in the back of the bulkier TV with a bulky power Brick you had to plug in.
Contrast that with self adhesive LED strips AND a remote control to set the light level without having to get up off your arse.
Needless to say with the big OLED, the backlighting AND the improved AppleTV the picture is bonkers good.

Speaking of improved AppleTV 4K,
I've bought an IEC to Figure 8 adaptor, to let me try one of my spendy Wireworld mains leads to see if that brings even more improvement over the Mark Grant cable.

Eight quid to try it out,
and I'm curious how far I can take it!

Use it every Day for Lossless Apple Music, YouTube, Netflix all in 4K so be good to get the best quality out of it.
Have a spare unused Wireworld cable fed directly from balanced mains, see what it does for the AppleTV when the Adapter comes.
Its this one.
https://www.futureshop.co.uk/clearer-audio-solid-iec-to-figure-8-adaptor
From reviews, construction seems solid, which is what you want. (Microphony from vibration n such)
Adapters never the idea solution, but some are better than others.

The Mark Grant cable will do top Duty on the Playstation if this experiment works the way I expect.



Will post some images up here of movie n game nights if I can remember.

Good times.

[Gazjam]

Putting a proper screened mains cable like the Mark Grant improved sound and picture on AppleTv, no question.

Still curious though if there was any more gains to be had,
So plumbed in an unused Wireworld cable fed directly from the balanced mains.



Overkill no doubt!
But the wee Apple box stepped up again, it really responds to cleaner AC.
More of a jump I'd say going from a boggo kettle lead to MGs cable.

Still prefer not to have to use an adapter, but it's good enough and we'll made.
Is what it is.

good stuff.

[Discopants]

Ive DIY’d oyaide black mamba II power cable with furutech connectors both ends and also use a converter like you. Big improvement over the stock cord, mine also runs through an isotek sigmas gen 2 conditioner.


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[Pepperamip]

I've got an apple 4k tv and wondered if any improvements could be had with better leads.

I've got a tacima conditioner so could plug a new mains lead into that. Prob is I'm still only hd albeit an lg oled so doubt I'll notice it as much.

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