IEC power inlets of course come in all price ranges and I plan on getting a few of the Furutech and other "audiophile" ones and AB them against the poly glass non magnetic cheap ones from parts express in the near future with the same amp wires speakers etc and see if anything is audible at all from them. Of course this experiment can be money wasted and time wasted and wondering if anyone has tried this and what the experiences and results were. Surely someone here has tested this before not just by ear but also with testing equipment probably better then I have access to. Anyone care to share their findings and experiences?
🙂 this is what ALWAYS messes me up. One person says a mains filter isn't needed unless a SMPS is being used and another says something else.
Comparing apples to apples a Furutech IEC inlet with a filter and a regular non magnetic IEC inlet, would anything be gained other then an emptier wallet?
What about for regular non filtered IECs, would these over marketed Rhodium plated non inductive, etc really outperform a started non magnetic IEC?
An SMPS GENERATES noise, and a mains filter helps keep it from leaving the unit and infecting surrounding gear with the noise. I'd be hard pressed to expect any external mains noise from making it all the way through an SMPS and into the audio.
For that matter, most SMPS have substantial mains filtering built into them already.
Linear supplies have in my view a much greater potential to pass mains noise on into the system. And so using the filter to keep noise out from the start seems like sound advice to me.
As to rhodium, well, I stay out of the audiophile discussions. My career was in pro audio, and we don;t buy $250 power cords over there. Or non-inductive power cords. What exactly would the tiny inductance of an IEC inlet do to the 60Hz mains current in terms of audio?
For that matter, most SMPS have substantial mains filtering built into them already.
Linear supplies have in my view a much greater potential to pass mains noise on into the system. And so using the filter to keep noise out from the start seems like sound advice to me.
As to rhodium, well, I stay out of the audiophile discussions. My career was in pro audio, and we don;t buy $250 power cords over there. Or non-inductive power cords. What exactly would the tiny inductance of an IEC inlet do to the 60Hz mains current in terms of audio?
^ +1 on these points.
I use a mains filter for linear supplies for incoming noise, but nothing special.
IEC sockets are desirable if they are built well for reliability and ease of use, fuses, switches, shielding and built in mains filters are bonuses.
Other possible issues with the conductors and dielectric will be well swamped by your supply. After all, if the goal is DC and nothing else then that's what you'll arive at.
I use a mains filter for linear supplies for incoming noise, but nothing special.
IEC sockets are desirable if they are built well for reliability and ease of use, fuses, switches, shielding and built in mains filters are bonuses.
Other possible issues with the conductors and dielectric will be well swamped by your supply. After all, if the goal is DC and nothing else then that's what you'll arive at.
The first issue with IEC inlets is safety: does it actually meet the requirements? Most, of course, are fine in this respect but it is possible that some very cheap ones and some very expensive ones are unsafe.
The second issue with IEC inlets is safety. Sorry, I am repeating myself because that is the only issue. You can add a filter, to reduce muck coming in or going out but these filters are usually aimed at RF so may not do much for lower frequency stuff. There is no need whatsoever to buy an 'audiophile' IEC inlet, unless your aim is to develop a product intended to impress gullible audio journalists.
The second issue with IEC inlets is safety. Sorry, I am repeating myself because that is the only issue. You can add a filter, to reduce muck coming in or going out but these filters are usually aimed at RF so may not do much for lower frequency stuff. There is no need whatsoever to buy an 'audiophile' IEC inlet, unless your aim is to develop a product intended to impress gullible audio journalists.
I came over from proaudio also and was never concerned about power cords or even thought of them previously until you see all these people talking about all sorts of nonsense. Honestly I thought it was all tom foolery personally and a person who's ears I trust very much who's known in pro audio said a guy came into the shop when he was working with Andrew Lapinski and used his power cord for the left amp and they kept the standard power cord in the right channel. They both swore their ears were drawn to the one with this cord. Perhaps it had an inline filter or something i couldn't tell you. But the argument of wiring seems like something that will always be debated
Which inlets would you say are unsafe? Power is not to be played w and rolled the dice and had a few too many close calls as it is.
I think if you stay with real brands of IEC like what Mouser sells, you will be OK. Don;t buy some wang fu brand from China unless you know it to be first quality.
Just a personal opinion. but when I hear about the expensive power cord versus the generic one, I will believe it, bit I also want to make sure the expensive one is of the same gauge wire and such. That 14ga expensive one might sound better than the 18ga one simply because of wire size rather than some esoteric factor.
And yes, once started, these debates take on a life of their own.
Just a personal opinion. but when I hear about the expensive power cord versus the generic one, I will believe it, bit I also want to make sure the expensive one is of the same gauge wire and such. That 14ga expensive one might sound better than the 18ga one simply because of wire size rather than some esoteric factor.
And yes, once started, these debates take on a life of their own.
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