I am sure this has been discussed ad nauseum, but I have not found what I am looking for yet. I have built several power cables and bought a bunch, but I am consistently disappointed by the IEC plugs and their weak grip. I have spent some bucks on Neotech and Wireworld plugs and cords, and they frequently have to be pushed back in place. One of the cords that does have grip is the Classic+ that I received with my Puritan PSM156, that holds quite well.
Any suggestions? I know that I can improve things by wrapping the plug in tape to make it stay put, but my interest here is finding something with grip that will improve the connection.
Above all things, avoid Wattgate, they don’t seat fully and are prone to suffer from cable leverage/weight pulling them out. I’ve had decent luck with Connex (the Parts Connexion brand) but it’s only relatively better than Wattgate.
Avoid Rhodium plated connections. They are too hard and therefore don’t grip well. Stick to brass with silver or gold plating.
They do make locking IEC plugs, but the one's I've seen are for "normal" diameter cables. They are meant for server rooms, not phat cable audio junkies.
The "grip" is a function of both the cable, and the female receptacle on your amp. I'd try to find out what brand it is and try their male. Or change the female out to a female of a good brand that I have a male to match.
I have no issues w/ IEC, using original PCs, in my Accuphase/Luxman setups. Using third party cables could lead to tolerance / bad / incompatible metal contact issues. To avoid it, either replace receptacle and plug by respectful brand, ideal one series, or hardwire device! It worked for me to resolve many critical studio and stage equipment power noise issues.
Or there is the old jury rig - tape wrapped around the cable in cradle fashion with the loose ends attached to the top of the component thus holding up the plug and preventing sagging. The only drawback is having to loosen the tape sling when the component needs to be unplugged.
I always use this technique on I2S plugs most of which have very inadequate bearing shoulders.
I am a little confused, and maybe it is just me. I have never had the male side of a power cord pull out, but have on several occasions had the female (component) side of a power cord come loose… particularly with upgraded PC with harder / larger plugs. I am never able to feel like they are fully seated. Is there a trick I am missing?
I've tried Teflon tape and if it migrates, You have to be careful as it conducts electricity and you'll hear a crackle. I stopped using it. I've stacked things to prop up the connector but will try those inserts.
The grippiest C13/15A IEC I’ve experienced is from IEGo. Comes in a bunch of different flavors ranging from bare copper to gold-plated copper to rhodium-plated silver. They also happen to be a pretty good product for the money, so perhaps that’s your ticket.
Totally feel you on this one. I have been very disappointed in many of the higher end power cables from Shunyata, Wireworld, and Synergistic. They do not trip well at all. In many cases I have had to place an object or 2 under the connection to the component so they stay in place and connected.
I highly recommend DH Labs. Specifically the Power Plus Cryo and Red Wave. These cables have a super tight and secure grip. The best I have experienced. Plus they’re amazing cables. I replaced a Shunyata Delta on my Processor with the Power Plus and what a difference! Solid connections!
There’s a lot of quite humorous but not very PC jokes that come to mind regarding the male / female plug matter which I will leave alone….
That said, I wonder why no one has come up with power cord locking devices similar to the older multi pin computer cables w/ a thumb screw on each side to lock the cable in place & thus separating out the mechanical & electrical connections?
If you’re looking for a mechanical solution that doesn’t require replacing plugs or inlets, Furutech makes a “bracer boost” which is essentially a chunk of their NCF material with some adhesive. Comes in singles and doubles.
After trying many different things over the years, the only things that really work are the retention sleeves mentioned in an earlier post. And they work great and are cheap.
"But you do not have any control what a manufacturer uses on his equipment.” +1
Why should we?
I don’t have power connection issues using my Esoteric, Luxman, and Accuphase devices. If there will be such problems, I will buy original parts to replace failing ones. You may call me “originalist”! If I want something different than is offered by high-end manufacturers, I will build it by myself, and in that case I will have full control!
Power connection is important, but it is not at the top of SQ impact pareto chart for users’ following reputable manufacturer recommendations. We also have no “control” on what transistor/capacitor/PCB-layout-materials/design/clk-jitter/wires/terminals/fuses/chips/etc. used to build our equipment.
I have tens of thousands of dollars in power cables. This works best if you do not use cable support lifters. My computer helper friend uses these throughout his campus on the small stuff and told me about them.
It might be the IEC male plug mounted with the component. Here are some from Furutech and Oyaide at VHAudio, but give them a call or email; Chris has always been a big help to me
@ctromeo87I am trying out the Iego's, and they do have a great grip and are well constructed, thanks for the advice. They are a tight squeeze for larger cords, 10 awg, so I may give something else a try for the larger ones. Great for source cords though.
Fun fact: you can remove the rubber grommet in the shell; it buys you a surprising amount of diameter for the larger cords. If you’re worried about dust/debris, add some 1.5” 3:1 heatshrink after the fact.
@williewonkathanks for the spade tip, I have struggled with jamming 10 AWG wire into clamps. Now I need to obsess over the “right” spade to use. 😀 I also ordered some Sonarquest plugs. Too bad they don’t have a US source, it will be a long wait.
@ctromeo87I did have to remove the grommet, even for the source cord.
@zlone Furutech makes some narrow spades primarily for power cables (though they’re also great for barrier strips). They’re the FP-209. They take 10 gauge wire no problem, and you can get them in gold-plated or rhodium-plated versions. They’re a staple in my little cable workshop.
@zlone- I've tried solders with different silver content, which are better than normal solder, but I've found that eutectic solder performs better. It has a single constant melting point and solidifies very fast, which makes for a much better electrical path.
Very close to Sonar Quest. They also have silver plated copper versions.
So, You can probably tell I am a fan of silver played copper. I have tried other materials but have found silver plated copper provides the most dynamic and articulate performance
On a whim I bought an IEC connector and plug from Amazon. Needed a power cord.
Monosaudio is the brand (made in China)
Damn these are nice quality product. They offer bare copper, rhodium plating of the copper, and gold plating.
My thirty plus years around plastic injection molding says the bodies are polycarbonate. The internal wire clamps are robust. And the design basically has a built in strain grommet.
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