Will a mains cable upgrade improve these?

[Dan.m]

I read with great interest peoples comments on mains cable upgrades. I am thinking of buying a clearer audio copperline alpha (£35) for the following products.

1. TV: pana 42PX80 (plasma)

2. SKY+ box

3. CDP: Arcam alpha one (I know its old!). My mains cable on my rotel amp is not detachable.

4. DVD player/ recorder: Sony hdd 860

If i bought one for each component would it be worth. I realise i would be the final judge of that upon demo, but what do you guys think.

5. I have read that people have had limited success with TV's compared to the other devices?

6. Would it be worth spending more per cable?

7. What about these BT units and isotek products as discussed by trevor?

I already have a tacima mains filter.

Thanks

Dan

 

[carter]

let me no if you have any luck fitting one to your tv .only one i could get to just about fit was qed qonduit.i havent tried them all but the ones i did try i had no luck.

 

[idc]

Clearer Audio do a money back trial period, as do other cable companies. I am not sure how many cables you would need to trial as some of your equipment has IEC and others figure of eight connections. I am also not sure what connections Clearer Audio provide, Russ Andrews do both. My experience was a mains cable had most effect on my CD, then TV and none with my amp. But the effect was not huge. My experience is that mains filters have a greater effect with both AV and hifi.

 

[Pistol Pete1]

Hi Dan.m

You may like to read my thread on this subject:

http://whathifi.com/forums/t/212364.aspx

Basically, I'd agree that connecting the Alpha cable to a CDP has the best effect. My player is old too - Marantz CD63 mkII KI Signature. Its a truely amazing improvement.

I, too, have that plasma tv, and again the improvement was pretty good. It's like you have cleaned a very dirty screen. Colours are more vibrant etc.

Not got SkyHD, so can't comment and not tried DVD/blu ray player/recorder.

As for the Rotel, you can cut the mains cable and add a connector onto it. Then use that connector with the Alpha. The improvement is there, but not as obvious (well, at least on my Onkyo 606 av amp)

I have the tacima mains filter too, but I imagine the BT version is far superior - it all depends how far you want to go with all this!!

I bought just one of these cables and tried it on tv, CDP and amp. I'm pleased with the improvements on all three, so i ahve ordered the second one, and will no doubt order a third on my next credit card bill!!

But with a 60 day money back policy, it's best to try it yourself - there's nothing to lose....

Hope that helps....

 

[aliEnRIK]

Dan.m:
I read with great interest peoples comments on mains cable upgrades. I am thinking of buying a clearer audio copperline alpha (£35) for the following products.

1. TV: pana 42PX80 (plasma)

2. SKY+ box

3. CDP: Arcam alpha one (I know its old!). My mains cable on my rotel amp is not detachable.

4. DVD player/ recorder: Sony hdd 860

If i bought one for each component would it be worth. I realise i would be the final judge of that upon demo, but what do you guys think.

5. I have read that people have had limited success with TV's compared to the other devices?

6. Would it be worth spending more per cable?

7. What about these BT units and isotek products as discussed by trevor?

I already have a tacima mains filter.

Thanks

Dan

Hi Dan

I can only really tell you my own experiences with cables.

Ive tried various cables ~ russ andrews classic, Isotek Elite, Black Widow, Isotek Premium and various ebay homemade ones

On my system as a whole theyve ALL been connected via Silver Plated, braided 5 core TM3 connections (off ebay).

The Classic is very good for the price, The Elite was particularly good for amps. The Widows good for sources (cd players etc). But the Silver Plated ones were better than them all.

I was intrigued as to what I COULD 'sqeeze' out of my system, and fitted a 16 core machine braided copper mains lead to my Russ Andrews mains block. The difference was staggering! So Russ Andrews theory (Now measurably 'proven') that braided cables lessen mains bourne RFI is definitely true.

Ive found that most amps like SILVER better so my denon av amp, Arcam p1000 (And my Arcam A85+ when I used it) all MAJORLY benefitted from 16 core braided solid silver mans leads (All from TM3). However, they are expensive (But worth a WHOLE lot more to my mind as weve tested them against NORDOST cables etc worth 500 quid!). SO for 150 quid or whatever they are they do compare to branded cables costing 5 to 10 times as much!!

All other equipment is connected via 16 core machine braided copper (TM3 again).

So getting back to your questions im trying to say its down to what equipment you have and how far your willing to go

The Pan' tv will definitely look better.

My Pioneer 42" looked better in stages. 5 core silver plated was better than stock. 16 core braided copper better still (Im thinking of fitting solid silver to it maybe). I then fitted a Isotek Mira ~ another step up. Then EVERYTHING was connected through an Isotek Sigmas which I bought on 24th Dec last year. It took several weeks before I truly switched on my tv and realised the difference it had made (But it now looks jaw droppingly good). This very site believes they dont make a difference to new tvs, but id say it wasnt tested for long enough...!

Ive seen people trying to do 'tests' by swopping mains leads about. Ive found you can only do that to a small degree. Ideally you should test them over months if new, or weeks if 'run in' (Silver sounds AWFUL from new)

For example ~ When I fitted my Isotek Mira I honestly couldnt tell a difference. But 2 days later I was watching somethng and thinking to myself 'wow'.

I believe ALL equipment accustoms itself to whatever cable is being used over time and cable 'burn in' exists without a shadow of a doubt as ive tested so many and its always been true.

So I would personally say ~ invest in a better mains block that you can fit a 'separate' cable to. The Tacimas are good, but very limiting.

Fitting ANY branded cable to your equipment to them will be better than 'stock'

Personally id fit the TM3 16 core copper to all of them for now as nothing comes close for the price (Certainly not that ive seen)

If you want the best out of your tv then you really need a better mains conditioner

My dad has sky+ and the biggest difference was swopping his IXOS (40 quid) scart cable for a Russ Andrews 'video only' scart (120 ish) . But certainly the mains cables made a difference too.

The rotel you have COULD be changed. My Denon is also none detachable, so I cut it near the unit and fitted a silver plated FEMALE IEC to it and connected via the 16 core solid silver cable. The difference was staggering as I myself hardly thought it would be worth it as I was doing it! (I got the idea off Russ Andrews website)

Any questions ask away

 

[jase fox]

I agree with all that alienrik says on this, that cables do perform better after a burn in period & i do advise to give cables & cords time before making an overall judgement.

Im using an OLSON (sound fantastic) 8way extension block that ive had for some years now, does anybody remember the "Home entertainment" magazine? It was a great mag by the way but it suddenly stopped being published, no idea as to why? anyway that aside the OLSON got a 5 star rating from that mag & it even said it gave the RA mains purifier a run for its money & i must say that when i first started using it, boy did it work!! This was the first & only block ive used & all my scepticisms about mains cables etc went out the window & this was without using any branded mains cables.

I was recenly using a RA yello powercord (now been replaced with the powermax) on my plasma & it looked great however, im now using the classic powercord on my plasma & i have to say that my plasma as never looked so damn good as everything has changed, the picture is beautifully clean, its even more 3 dimensional, the whole colour spectrum is completely jaw dropping & theres even more finer detail to be seen, i cant see how this PQ i am now getting can be improved? It would be a scary thought to think it could be improved upon as im blown away with the image i am watching.

So for anyone who doesnt believe that specialist mains cables make a difference there gravely mistaken as i think mains upgrades are even more effective than upgrading interconnects & HDMI leads as to me mains upgrades are more noticable.

 

[Anonymous]

A bunch of great posts from people like myself who have found noticable improvements.
It never ceases to amaze me that cleaning up the Mains supply totally upgrades the quality of the equipment on both sound systems and picture. (TV's)

 

[Dan.m]

Thanks aliEnRIK, Thats one hell of a post. Lets say I had £150 to spend on improving My plasma, Sky + box and sony HDD recorder, what would you recommend.

1. Newmains block?

2. individual Mains cable?

3. A combination of both. If i went for mains cable, would i plug it into tacima or would it be the limiting factor.

I could spent some more but a max of £200.

Anyone got any suggestions. What about isotek products. Would it be worth spending it all on amains block and then buy mains cables over the next couple of years?

Also do these cables degrade with time?

How do i buy a TM3 cores cable. Will i have to get it made up with terminals. Can you buy it of the shelf?

These forums are outstanding!

 

[Anonymous]

The ultimate improvement is buying a BT mains conditioning unit, the 500va model for power amps.

 

[clearer_audio]

Dan.m:
Thanks aliEnRIK, Thats one hell of a post. Lets say I had £150 to spend on improving My plasma, Sky + box and sony HDD recorder, what would you recommend.

1. Newmains block?

2. individual Mains cable?

3. A combination of both. If i went for mains cable, would i plug it into tacima or would it be the limiting factor.

I could spent some more but a max of £200.

Anyone got any suggestions. What about isotek products. Would it be worth spending it all on amains block and then buy mains cables over the next couple of years?

Also do these cables degrade with time?

How do i buy a TM3 cores cable. Will i have to get it made up with terminals. Can you buy it of the shelf?

These forums are outstanding!

Hello Dan.m

With your budget and to achieve the best performance out of all of your components then adding a good mains block and dedicated power cables for each component would be the best route. This way you will be providing optimal performance for you each component rather than one in isolation. You could spend more on a higher performance mains block or conditioning system and then add power cables as funds allow. This would obviously be more costly so it just depends on how far you want to take it.

Usually cables will not degrade with time. I cannot comment directly on cables made by other companies (there may be factors where a degradation could occur in some circumstances) but our cables certainly will not degrade over time hence we offer a lifetime warranty.

Hope this might be of help to you.

Kind regards,
Darren

 

[aliEnRIK]

Dan.m:
Thanks aliEnRIK, Thats one hell of a post. Lets say I had £150 to spend on improving My plasma, Sky + box and sony HDD recorder, what would you recommend.

1. Newmains block?

2. individual Mains cable?

3. A combination of both. If i went for mains cable, would i plug it into tacima or would it be the limiting factor.

I could spent some more but a max of £200.

Anyone got any suggestions. What about isotek products. Would it be worth spending it all on amains block and then buy mains cables over the next couple of years?

Also do these cables degrade with time?

How do i buy a TM3 cores cable. Will i have to get it made up with terminals. Can you buy it of the shelf?

These forums are outstanding!

Hi Dan

Ive just had a quick look on ebay and found theyve dropped the price!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/OFC-16-core-mains-cord-MK-Plugtop-Wattgate-Evollv_W0QQitemZ400034011756QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL?hash=item400034011756&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14

Trust me when I say you will NOT do better for that price

So id say buy 4 of these for now. You can buy through the site or email them with your order and specs you require

sales@tm3connections.com

Ive ordered loads off them over the last couple of years so theyre quite safe to use outside of ebay (Saying that, we ARE in 'credit crunch' times so whos to say HOW well theyre doing!). I order through their email as I tend to order in bulk and get knock offs

Either way ~ Try them all through the tacima for a few months then if you wish to experiment then do so (plug the tv straight into the wall say)

Or you could buy 2 of them and try 2 of clearer audios cables?

Anything will be a step up to stock anyways

Welcome to the world of cables

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the link, I will check them out also.

 

[aliEnRIK]

jase fox:I agree with all that alienrik says on this, that cables do perform better after a burn in period & i do advise to give cables & cords time before making an overall judgement.

Im using an OLSON (sound fantastic) 8way extension block that ive had for some years now, does anybody remember the "Home entertainment" magazine? It was a great mag by the way but it suddenly stopped being published, no idea as to why? anyway that aside the OLSON got a 5 star rating from that mag & it even said it gave the RA mains purifier a run for its money & i must say that when i first started using it, boy did it work!! This was the first & only block ive used & all my scepticisms about mains cables etc went out the window & this was without using any branded mains cables.

haha ~ funnily enough, the OLSON 8 way block was the very first conditioner I ever bought (Still in use, though not with my main gear). I could understand how conditioners could work but at the time never believed in mains cables.

Shame as I missed out on quite a few years with 'inferior' sound on that bad call

 

[aliEnRIK]

ooooo ~ my bad

The link I originally posted was for bidding. This is a BUY IT NOW price ~

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/OFC-16-core-mains-cord-MK-Plugtop-Wattgate-Evollv_W0QQitemZ170180683353QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL?hash=item170180683353&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14

And this is their shop link ~
http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/TM3CONNECTIONS__W0QQ_armrsZ1

And heres their website (Though they oddly dont put their mains cables or interconnects on.)

http://www.tm3connections.com/

The HOME AUDIO products they sell are very good too (American brand)

 

[jase fox]

aliEnRIK:
jase fox:I agree with all that alienrik says on this, that cables do perform better after a burn in period & i do advise to give cables & cords time before making an overall judgement.

Im using an OLSON (sound fantastic) 8way extension block that ive had for some years now, does anybody remember the "Home entertainment" magazine? It was a great mag by the way but it suddenly stopped being published, no idea as to why? anyway that aside the OLSON got a 5 star rating from that mag & it even said it gave the RA mains purifier a run for its money & i must say that when i first started using it, boy did it work!! This was the first & only block ive used & all my scepticisms about mains cables etc went out the window & this was without using any branded mains cables.

haha ~ funnily enough, the OLSON 8 way block was the very first conditioner I ever bought (Still in use, though not with my main gear). I could understand how conditioners could work but at the time never believed in mains cables.

Shame as I missed out on quite a few years with 'inferior' sound on that bad call

Cool ! The Olson is very good though & yes i feel ive missed a good few year not having faith in mains cables, now i cant recommend them enough, even though my friends & family think i need sectioning when i get all worked up about power cords etc they just give me that concerned look saying "its just a cable"!!

 

[Dan.m]

Trevor,

Tell me more about these units. I have found a 125 version for £50. I know some people have bought them for £30 but judging your success with one it is still a bargain. Would the 125 version suffice to supply electric to my plasma, Sky+ box and dvd recorder. I have seen a picture of one but can see no sockets - how does it connect? where does it sit?

Dan

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Dan, the 125va unit will run the TV, but it might struggle with anything more than a DVD player. As I don't have sky myself I am unsure what power the box uses. It might be OK.

I fitted my units on the wall behind my equipment and have plugged them into my Tacima 929 block. I run my TV off the block with a RA Classic powerkord and the picture is just as good as running it through a BT unit.

The 500va unit is the better choice if you can find one. IMHO

 

[Dan.m]

Darren (clearer audio),

Do you do a mains conditioning block?

Anyone else had good results with any other makes? Im looking for a 4 way.

 

[Drummerdave]

Dan.m:
Darren (clearer audio),

Do you do a mains conditioning block?

Anyone else had good results with any other makes? Im looking for a 4 way.

Just got a QED Qonduit 4way hub - it comes with a decent shielded QED cable too. Very good build quality. Got it here...

http://www.hificables.co.uk/11353/Qed-Qonduit-Mains-Distribution-Hub.html

50% off was hard to resist considering it can be returned for refund within 30 days.

Early days yet but it seems to be performing well - cymbals sound more natural (less sibilance) than with the Tacima it replaced - could be a keeper

 

[Dan.m]

Dave,

Looks a no brainer with 50% off. Let me know how it goes. Still fancy trying these BT units as used by trevor.

 

[clearer_audio]

Dan.m:
Darren (clearer audio),

Do you do a mains conditioning block?

Anyone else had good results with any other makes? Im looking for a 4 way.

Hi Dan.m

Apologies for not responding sooner.

We do have a Copper-line Power-HUB and Silver-line Power-HUB. Both use passive filtration using custom-made high performance ferrite rings called Super Suppressors. The Silver-line Power-HUB is significantly better at reducing noise. They are however not cheap given the materials used along with being fully hand-built (it takes 6 hours to build one).

If you have any further questions then please do not hesitate to let me know.

Kind regards,
Darren

 

[Drummerdave]

Dan.m:
Dave,

Looks a no brainer with 50% off. Let me know how it goes. Still fancy trying these BT units as used by trevor.

I've been looking at those too Dan, the smaller 125va unit seems to be readily available but it's the larger two socket 500va version which would be much better for amp and cdp duties (from what I can gather) and they're much rarer.

We have a 125va in work, wonder if they'd notice if I gave it a trial run at home

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I bought one of these 125VA mains conditioners by mistake (was after a more powerful unit).

I now have the FMJA32 + P35 + CDP + record player into it. All works fine, to reasonable volume , but this could be due to the smaller speakers that `i own meaning less load is put onto the unit.

Suppose, if the load becomes too much, the mains unit will auto cutout, the unit will reset, and I can try again (I hope).

 

[aliEnRIK]

clearer_audio:Dan.m:
Darren (clearer audio),

Do you do a mains conditioning block?

Anyone else had good results with any other makes? Im looking for a 4 way.

Hi Dan.m

Apologies for not responding sooner.

We do have a Copper-line Power-HUB and Silver-line Power-HUB. Both use passive filtration using custom-made high performance ferrite rings called Super Suppressors. The Silver-line Power-HUB is significantly better at reducing noise. They are however not cheap given the materials used along with being fully hand-built (it takes 6 hours to build one).

If you have any further questions then please do not hesitate to let me know.

Kind regards,
Darren

Hi darren

Im just wondering where you stand on the subject of 'running in' mains cables?

Do you have any thoughts on the subject? Or even any tests youve done?

Cheers