Captive mains lead on cd player

[admin_exported]

Im thinking of replacing my captive mains lead on my Pioneer cd player as ive decided not to upgrade to another player and instead adding a decent mains lead.

Im looking to fit an IEC socket and although skilled with electrics and solder i realise there must be a hole cut into the back of the player to fit the IEC socket. To be honest this is the only part im nervous about as id need a grinder or something.

Has anyone else on here had any experience in doing this kind of upgrade?

Thanks

 

[chebby]

bluedjdaz2010:Im thinking of replacing my captive mains lead on my Pioneer cd player as ive decided not to upgrade to another player and instead adding a decent mains lead.
Im looking to fit an IEC socket and although skilled with electrics and solder i realise there must be a hole cut into the back of the player to fit the IEC socket. To be honest this is the only part im nervous about as id need a grinder or something.

You'll just be introducing more solder joints and another connection into what is at present a single, uninterrupted length of cable.

 

[Anonymous]

You do have a point but surely anything is better than its cheap thin captive lead.

I could always hard wire a chosen high quality cable say for example a cable from Chord or something and bypass the IEC socket altogether

 

[Crossie]

Cut off the mains cable about 3 inches (7.5cm) from where it enters your equipment and wire on a male IEC plug as shown. This is the advice given by Russ Andrews.

 

[Anonymous]

Crossie:

Cut off the mains cable about 3 inches (7.5cm) from where it enters your equipment and wire on a male IEC plug as shown. This is the advice given by Russ Andrews.

Is certainly an easier method that ive considered in the past but would this method actually be an 'upgrade' though?

 

[chebby]

bluedjdaz2010:You do have a point but surely anything is better than its cheap thin captive lead.

Why?

What problems are your present cable giving you?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi chebby...

I wouldn't say it's causing me problems but most of us upgrade our cables whether its signal or mains and after the upgrades to mains cables i saw & heard on my TV and amplifier using a Chord superscreen i'm now wondering what the difference will be like if i was to do this to my cd player but its a little harder as its got a captive lead rather than an IEC or Figure 8 socket we see on most of todays players

So the only way really is to undergo a little DIY to achieve this

 

[a91gti]

What amp is the fuse in the plug on your cdp? If its not 13amp then make it so.
If you really feel the need to change the cable then ignore Russ Andrews as their advice is designed to sell wire. The only way to do it is to replace the whole length and this is far trickier than you may think. I've done it a couple of times and quite frankly it made less difference than the 13amp fuse.
Another easy and very effective way to improve mains quality is to wire your cdp and amp into one plug and put this into your wall socket thus avoiding multi-socket leads which tend to be filled with a mass of thin and lengthy jumpers.

 

[Anonymous]

i wouldnt worry about chebby blue, he isnt a believer in the difference a good cable can make. I had the same problem you face with my pioneer a400 amp. I got around it by removing the captive lead completely and hard wiring an aftermarket lead.
The only trouble i had was with the rubber ferrule that surrounds the cable as it goes through the metal case. You may need to enlarge the hole in the ferrule or do away with it all together.
If you get rid of it just make sure to wrap a good few layers of electrical tape around the cable at the point it passes through the case to avoid any damage to the cable.
goodluck

 

[Anonymous]

andrewknight:What amp is the fuse in the plug on your cdp? If its not 13amp then make it so.If you really feel the need to change the cable then ignore Russ Andrews as their advice is designed to sell wire. The only way to do it is to replace the whole length and this is far trickier than you may think. I've done it a couple of times and quite frankly it made less difference than the 13amp fuse.Another easy and very effective way to improve mains quality is to wire your cdp and amp into one plug and put this into your wall socket thus avoiding multi-socket leads which tend to be filled with a mass of thin and lengthy jumpers.

I think its a 5 amp fuse in there

 

[the record spot]

bluedjdaz2010:
You do have a point but surely anything is better than its cheap thin captive lead.

I could always hard wire a chosen high quality cable say for example a cable from Chord or something and bypass the IEC socket altogether

I've quoted your post which was the third in the order on this thread. Follow the advice of the second, far better. Minimal, if any, improvement. Spend the money you'd spend on a cable getting a better bunch of recordings, or use the time you'd spend selecting one shifting your speakers about a bit. Both will give you far more for your time or your money.

 

[chebby]

ifitsoundsgoodlistentoit:i wouldnt worry about chebby blue, he isnt a believer...

Flaming torches and pitchforks available now. Meet outside "The Olde Pluggett Inn" for further instructions.

 

[hammill]

bluedjdaz2010:

Hi chebby...

I wouldn't say it's causing me problems but most of us upgrade our cables whether its signal or mains and after the upgrades to mains cables i saw & heard on my TV and amplifier using a Chord superscreen i'm now wondering what the difference will be like if i was to do this to my cd player but its a little harder as its got a captive lead rather than an IEC or Figure 8 socket we see on most of todays players

So the only way really is to undergo a little DIY to achieve this


Most of us upgrade our cables? I think that is a very brave assertion.

 

[the record spot]

ifitsoundsgoodlistentoit:i wouldnt worry about chebby blue, he isnt a believer in the difference a good cable can make.

Nor's this guy: roger-russell.com - reckon he and McIntosh know a thing or two about what makes good sound, no?!

 

[Anonymous]

there's no such thing as "a good mains cable" if a component is getting electricity, from the mains, via its standard supplied cable. why/how/ would replacing it with another cable that would also simply act as a transport for said electricity make any difference whatsoever to the performance of said component? i mean,like, huh??

 

[MUSICRAFT]

chebby:
ifitsoundsgoodlistentoit:i wouldnt worry about chebby blue, he isnt a believer...

Flaming torches and pitchforks available now. Meet outside "The Olde Pluggett Inn" for further instructions.

Hi chebby

You got told

Btw, you're a bit late joining the party though.

Oh well better late then never

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[shooter]

the record spot:roger-russell.com

Bookmarked for a read...

 

[Anonymous]

Hi bluedjdaz,

Please DON'T listen to them. I did it with my NAD tuner. I am a very happy man. BUT: I used an IEC socket with build in EMI/RFI filter. See eBay : Business & Industrial>Electrical & Test Equipment>Electronic Components>Passive Components>Inductors, Coils & Filters. There are a lot of other tweaks for your CD player. What about a stand-alone Dac. Start with: www.lampizator.eu Don't be afraid to cut a hole in the back of your player. Use a small high speed drill with small cutting discs. Use wet towels to pick up the metal particles. Not too wet of course. Things like this are always very awarding ( is this the right word, English is not my first language).

Happy tweakings, hendrikj.

 

[the record spot]

.

 

[cstanwhf]

Hi, FYI. Click on How to fit a male IEC.

http://www.russandrews.com/product.asp?pf_id=1855

Hope I am not breaking any house rule(s) here.

 

[Anonymous]

If I understood correctly, it is OK to leave the captive mains lead in place, you just cut off the old plug and add an in line connector so that you can connect the RA mains lead of choice to the shortened captive lead.

I guess I must have an odd sense of humor, because reading that link made me laugh.

On a more serious note if you really do want to add a non original lead to your amp this option would appear much safer than opening up your amp, drilling holes, and cleaning with a damp towel.

 

[Anonymous]

maxflinn:there's no such thing as "a good mains cable" if a component is getting electricity, from the mains, via its standard supplied cable. why/how/ would replacing it with another cable that would also simply act as a transport for said electricity make any difference whatsoever to the performance of said component? i mean,like, huh??

and i mean, like, huh... all metals have the same characteristics when it comes to conducting electricity and like there's no such thing as RFI and delicate electronic circuitry isnt you know affected by such things huh?
this will be my last post on this subject because im sick of the nay sayers stopping people from realising the full potential of their equipment purely on the basis that THEY dont BELIEVE cables can make a positive difference. If you havent got anything nice to say....

 

[chebby]

ifitsoundsgoodlistentoit:...this will be my last post on this subject because im sick of the nay sayers stopping people from realising the full potential of their equipment purely on the basis that THEY dont BELIEVE cables can make a positive difference.

Do you think that the opinions of those of us who don't attach such importance to third party cables is ever going to stop even one person from trying it out for themselves?

Most people are pretty clear on what they think about it after some 35 years of debate. (Arguments on this subject were raging well over a decade before the glimmerings of the World Wide Web.)

I love the way you picked out 'THEY' and 'BELIEVE' in capitals and chose the description 'nay sayers'. There was almost religiosity in the choice and emphasis of the words. I would wager that hifi cable discussions contain more use of the words 'believer' and 'non-believer' than any religious tract.

ifitsoundsgoodlistentoit:If you havent got anything nice to say....

So are you saying any opinion that differs is not 'nice'?

 

[hammill]

ifitsoundsgoodlistentoit:maxflinn:there's no such thing as "a good mains cable" if a component is getting electricity, from the mains, via its standard supplied cable. why/how/ would replacing it with another cable that would also simply act as a transport for said electricity make any difference whatsoever to the performance of said component? i mean,like, huh??
and i mean, like, huh... all metals have the same characteristics when it comes to conducting electricity and like there's no such thing as RFI and delicate electronic circuitry isnt you know affected by such things huh? this will be my last post on this subject because im sick of the nay sayers stopping people from realising the full potential of their equipment purely on the basis that THEY dont BELIEVE cables can make a positive difference. If you havent got anything nice to say....What people are trying to stop is someone wasting a lot of time & money (as well as possibly damaging their equipment and making it unsellable) for no or little improvement to the sound. If you want better sound, buy better kit, don't waste your time on magic beans.

 

[the record spot]

ifitsoundsgoodlistentoit:maxflinn:there's no such thing as "a good mains cable" if a component is getting electricity, from the mains, via its standard supplied cable. why/how/ would replacing it with another cable that would also simply act as a transport for said electricity make any difference whatsoever to the performance of said component? i mean,like, huh??

and i mean, like, huh... all metals have the same characteristics when it comes to conducting electricity and like there's no such thing as RFI and delicate electronic circuitry isnt you know affected by such things huh?
this will be my last post on this subject because im sick of the nay sayers stopping people from realising the full potential of their equipment purely on the basis that THEY dont BELIEVE cables can make a positive difference. If you havent got anything nice to say....

Merely having a different opinion isn't the same as not having anything nice to say. Also, the Russell site I linked to earlier gives a pretty good explanation around a lot of this stuff and seems to be based on something that's more than some of the claims expensive wires are supposed to have. By all means, fill your boots, but for all the effort that will be required to do this - some of which sounds pretty dangerous if we're taking damp or wet cloths close to the equipment - as great or more will be had by finding good recordings, or shifting the speakers around. Wire is wire.