Mains cables & PSUs

[Ali Tait]

In that case try the 6v also and see if there is any difference. I was just a bit leery of saying so in case the higher voltage was a problem, but it shouldn't be. I'd have thought there was more than a one volt leeway.There'd kinda have to be to allow for mains fluctuation methinks.

[Reid Malenfant]

All the supplies are regulated Ali, i reckon you are right that half a volt shouldn't be a problem, but lower could be problematic on handshake issues. Half a volt up should be ok, i'd be wary of 6V though as this could cause excessive dissipation. Don't forget what we are dealing with here is effectively very fast logic & hot isn't good for longevity....

Hmmm, you just made me wonder about something I'm wondering if the voltage level affects what we see on the screen, after all my wall wart was outputting 5.3V & not 5V..

Looks like a little experiment is in order

[Ali Tait]

Let me know how you get on.

[Reid Malenfant]

Let me know how you get on.

Yes i will do Ali, in theory it shouldn't make any difference as the signal is digital - just 1s & 0s but we'll see. Just waiting for my CB supply to get here before i can have a play


On a different note i have installed the Mark Grant figure of 8 mains cables from both the TV & BD player to the Belkin PF40, i'll try it out early this evening & see what gives

[Reid Malenfant]

As i mentioned the other day i changed back to the SMPS wall wart so i could evaluate these Marg Grant figure of 8 mains cables which i connected up earlier.

System as it stands right now:-

Belkin PF40
Panasonic DMP-BD80 (stereo output to hifi pre amp)
Octava 5 x 2 distribution amplifier (SMPS wall wart)
Mark Grant G1080 HDMI cables
Philips 56PFL9954H

The Mark grant leads are replacing standard giveaway figure of 8 plug mains cables...


On power up there was an even greater reduction of distortion on the Panny splash screen than using the linear PSU wall wart which kind of surpprised me to say the least I'm not exactly sure how this is occuring, it could be due to the greater cross sectional area of the cable or the screening or both, whatever it was a surprise

Same film as last time just so nothing changes. The same effect as per the linear wall wart - increased contrast, improved colour saturation, improved edges, detail & less motion blur Detail in shadows is also enhanced & an even more pronounced effect of depth to the picture..

Now another shock Just like i know the film & picture well i also know the sound & i was dead surprised that this appears to be more solid with a frankly astonishing bass end (it was nice previously but not quite like this ) & greater detail throughout the audible range. It'll be interesting to see how it sounds in 5 channel surround which i will very shortly!

At this point i couldn't help myself, i decided to plug the linear wall wart back in & see what happened. Paused the BD player, unplugged the SMPS & plugged the linear supply in, waited for the handshake & hit play &


I have never in my life seen any LCD, LED or Plasma TV look as good in my entire life. I'm seeing new stuff on this film that i have never noticed before. I can't believe how detailed everything is even if it's moving like the clappers, when things slow down to normal levels it's quite breathtaking!

In my opinion the Mark Grant cable & the linear wall wart have made as much difference to the picture (possibly a tad more) as the Belkin PF40 did upon installation.

Recommended

[Ali Tait]

Good stuff. Might have to try some of these mains cables. Mark's HDMI cable certainly made an improvement.

[Reid Malenfant]

Yes, & i believe you are using a PF30 as well You don't need to worry about the wall wart thing, that's just me this way so i can feed both the TV & projector from the same source without having to plug & unplug stuff

Must say i'm a happie chappie Ali, very surprising indeed & all for the better..

[Ali Tait]

Glad it's worked out for you mate. I've managed to get rid of all switching supplies except one feeding the NAS, but I should sort this sometime soon. All is plugged into two PF30's, but I'll have to change things as I'm getting occasional static clicks. Must have an earth loop somewhere.

[Reid Malenfant]

It could be a fridge or freezer switching on or off Ali, they are a sodding nuisance due to the inductive load of the motor An earth loop would cause hum, not clicks or pops

[Ali Tait]

Well it's a static build up somewhere as I've stopped it before by changing plugging arrangements. As it is, everything is plugged in to the Belkins, so should be immune to switching spikes! In any case they are random and not down to anything switching as far as I can determine.

I need to do it methodically this time so I can find the culprit.