Would be interesting to do a blind test on it, where you listen to both cords not knowing which is which, regular cord vs upgraded.
Power Cords for M/L 13a B212 Make a difference ?
- Thread starter FruitloopSR
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Hospital Grade is a spec which primarily strives to reduce the possibility of catastrophic failure. This includes reducing the possibility of becoming unplugged, broken connections, etc, as well as visually confirming power is active via LED indicators.
Hospital Grade outlets have a very powerful bite on inserted plugs so they provide a strong connection and make them difficult to unplug. They can have LED indication for presence of power, surge protection status, and isolated ground continuity.
Hospital Grade power cables would be a wise choice over common cheaply produced power cables. They are high quality and since they are made to meet a spec for powering life safety equipment they are quite robust, and the IEC ends have a strong bite.
I'm a fan and installed HG outlets. I chose to do this for two features: The strong bite on the plugs and isolating the ground all the way back to the panel. Isolated ground doesn't solve all the problems but it helps. The outlets were about $38 each, and was bummed that they weren't available in black, although red is better than the orange. The LEDs are a bit annoying, but should any device ever fail I won't have to guess if there's power getting to the outlet.
My boss also had his power cables sitting on small granite blocks so that the power cable did not touch the floor. He claimed it made a big difference.
I asked him what was the purpose of that. He replied that "micro-vibrations" from the floor disturbed the electron flow.
Has anybody heard of such a thing?
I do know that granite is slightly radioactive!
Stefan_DR3
Well-known member
Folks have the right idea but you don't even need Hospital Grade. SPEC GRADE accomplishes the same thing without the annoying colors and extra cost. Legendary Bob Crump recipe with part numbers here:
https://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=cables&n=7885https://db.audioasylum.com/mhtml/m.html?forum=cables&n=13554
It's a 20-year old recipe but Lowes still carries Pass & Seymour 5266-X plug and 5242 outlets (they look a little different now). I bought the Belden wire online in bulk. No need to go to a commercial supplier anymore. These are better quality parts than you will find on a $500 "audiophile" cord and only cost a few bucks!
https://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=cables&n=7885https://db.audioasylum.com/mhtml/m.html?forum=cables&n=13554
It's a 20-year old recipe but Lowes still carries Pass & Seymour 5266-X plug and 5242 outlets (they look a little different now). I bought the Belden wire online in bulk. No need to go to a commercial supplier anymore. These are better quality parts than you will find on a $500 "audiophile" cord and only cost a few bucks!
Yeah, he probably is. But then there are people who worry that their A.C power comes from a nuclear power plant thus affecting sound quality.your boss is a nut job !
Granite, as well as a lot of natural rock, has some radioactive elements in it. Bring a Geiger counter over to his house and test the rock.
https://www.epa.gov/radiation/granite-countertops-and-radiation
https://www.epa.gov/radiation/granite-countertops-and-radiation
amey01
Well-known member
Heard of it, yes. Go to any audio show and you'll see lots of crazy stuff like this (usually from distributors trying to sell stuff like Shakti stones, GSICs, and all manner of other things you can pay $10,000 for in order to get "coherent quantum superposition" and "quantum entanglement").
Do these rooms sound better than any other room? Nup. I find the rooms that sound the best are the ones with the best equipment in them, as well as the "lucky" ones who happened to get good sounding room geometry; or those who paid most attention to setup and treatment.
The good news is that his system sounds amazing. The bad news is that you glow in the dark afterwards.
Sounds like if you are doing new construction and building a home theater, you need to really plan out the circuits well and run the right kind of conductors. Then you also need to construct the walls and ceiling so as to minimize vibrations. Has anyone here built a home theater from the ground up, fresh construction? Id like to be doing this within the next 5 years.
Decoupling and dampening the walls. All sorts of things you can do to improve the sound of your system other than just buying new components.
https://www.soundandvision.com/content/soundproofing-101-how-keep-your-home-theater-quiet
Decoupling and dampening the walls. All sorts of things you can do to improve the sound of your system other than just buying new components.
https://www.soundandvision.com/content/soundproofing-101-how-keep-your-home-theater-quiet
I think your boss has been stuck in a snow drift up in Tug Hill for too long !
You know about Tug Hill?!
Alright, what is Tug Hill!? I gotta know now!
Tug Hill is a place in Central New York on the eastern shores of Lake Ontario. It is notorious for huge
snowfalls due to something called "Lake Effect". Back in the 70's, Tug Hill once received 40 feet of snow.
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Yes and I started snowmobiling up there in '74, was there in January of '97 when the second biggest 24 hr snowfall(North America) was recorded, 6' !
I believe Silver Lake, Co (1921) still ranks #1
I can assure you that what you purchase at Lowes and Home Depot is not the same quality as what you get from an electrical warehouse.
I purchased Shunyata power cords when I had my CLS's. Didn't hear a difference but I liked the look better. Use them now on CLX even though the CLX came with a heavy PC.
Crazy Audiophile Syndrome.
Crazy Audiophile Syndrome.
amey01
Well-known member
You realise that before the power goes to your amp it goes through a fuse, don't you? What is the gauge of that?
That is based on the wife of a friend that is a purchaser for Home Depot. They contract for products, electrical included, that are cheaper.
That is not to say they don't meet UL approval. Just built to a price point which requires something to give.
You can look at products that they stock in plumbing and electrical that aren't available anywhere else. Model #'s only show up at the big box stores.
An EE friend tested some outlets I purchased there and the ground leakage within the receptacles was really bad.
Then tested the Hubble receptacles I purchased from Shunyata and there was no leakage.
I will look for the information posted on the subject.
That is not to say they don't meet UL approval. Just built to a price point which requires something to give.
You can look at products that they stock in plumbing and electrical that aren't available anywhere else. Model #'s only show up at the big box stores.
An EE friend tested some outlets I purchased there and the ground leakage within the receptacles was really bad.
Then tested the Hubble receptacles I purchased from Shunyata and there was no leakage.
I will look for the information posted on the subject.
