What is wrong with the existing power cord? The manufacturer thought it was adequate for the intended use. I would not bother with such a modification to a mass market receiver. I don't think its worth the trouble. You would only be voiding any warranty, and lowering the resale value by messing around inside. |
Just looking to improve the performance of the unit. |
How about adding an IEC chassis plug? You could put one in and use the 18ga. leads and solder them to the IEC. Would require a dremil tool w/metal cutting wheel. You could then make your own power cord (say 14 guage) and use Pass seymor/Marinco ends. Or...remove existing 18ga. power cord and replace w/16 guage lamp-cord or use Carol Cable 14/16 guage cord. You'll need rubber strain plug/strain relief that could be bought from True Value for around $2.50. You'll use the Carol Cable w/this set-up and make a splice w/the existing 18ga. wire. I've done many times on most of my inexpensive used audio gear. I've been doing this awhile and have experience/practice. Not hard but you have to know what your doing. Does it improve audio performance. I'd say yes it does. But you'll see greater audio improvement by adding better binding posts/rca plugs and rerouting low level wiring away from power wires. (Why are these bundled together?) Lots of little things could be done to improve the sound. If you confident you could do the job well, go for it if you plan on keeping the receiver for many more yrs. Please be careful. Honestly, like the previous member so stated, will not bring that much performance improvement. If you the itch for better 2-ch/stereo sound, look into quality int. amps/seperates. Good Luck! |
Don't let these people discourage you from upgrading your
receiver.All you have to do is buy one of these:
http://www.sfcable.com/YL-3215.html.Plug in your receiver in the female end then plug in a power cord you want. I did this with my sony da777es receiver and now it sounds awesome with
my ps audio lab cable plugged into it. One thing what I would do first is replace your outlet with a hubbell 8300I hospital
grade. I do not recommend installing this yourself if you
haven't done this before. Ask for qualified help. Good luck! |
Agreed with the prior post about
(A) not doing it yourself.
(B) do not simply hardwire a thicker gauge cable; use a quality female plug to facilitate the attachment of a quality external power cable.
(C) replace the crap wall plugs with (at a minimum) hospital grade wall receptacles.
(D) a dedicated power line to the breaker box is the logical extension of this (eventually).
Without prejudice to (a) and (b) above, Not sure whether the cost / reward on your receiver will pan out for you. I would have the qualified technician assess it for before you jump in.
Good luck |
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Agree with Csontos
(1) If you capriciously hardwire in a new power cable, you may trigger a safety issue. If it causes a fire or damage, you probably violated / nullified your insurance coverage
(2) Without prejudice to the above , IMO the potential performance uptick of doing it in a receiver without the higher end power supply, likely just isn't there.
(3) Add to this the added cost of having an IEC female plug dremmeled and soldered in professionally ( if it can even be physically done with the crowded layout in a dated receiver) and then purchasing a quality external power chord , again likely isn't worth it.
If it's not working for you, trade up to new gear instead . |
"These people" have been around the block a few times when it comes to equipment modifications, Speedy 9194, and were offering advice based on experience. |
Danmar123 - here's the downside...
- any hardwiring change will invalidate any outstanding warranty
- even if the warranty has expired, in the event of a repair being required, pioneer will likely refuse to do the work because of those modifications
- in the event of a fire in your home you may find the insurance company unwilling to settle if the cause is related to this component
The upside...
- you may notice significant improvements in performance, e.g. I have upgraded the power cable on my Yamaha mini system that improved performance considerably.
BTW -you don't need to use a really heavy gauge cable, for this amp a 14 gauge cable will suffice, but to maximize performance, build a braided power cable.
Regards.... |
Thank you Gents. I am qualified to do all the work. i'm going to give it a try. I'll keep you informed. AMB Dan M. |
Williewonka, I did a search for 14ga wire & came up empty. I'll have to go w/12ga which I'm sure will be fine. Should I ground the chassis of the receiver, or should I just let the ground float from the plug? AMB Dan M. |
Re the comment on insurance coverage- wonder how that would void first party coverage. If there's a fire, well, you, the insured didn't do anything to deliberately cause the fire. It was not the intent, ie, arson. It might be an unintended consequence and that is covered under first party policies I've seen. |
Zavato, I spoke first hand to the UNDERWRITER & your 100% correct. As in my goal for perfection, I ordered a strain relief (cable gland) & now searching for wire. Any suggestions will be much appreciated. |
Danmar123 - if the existing lead does not have a ground wire, then do not connect the ground in the new cable - it is designed to work without a ground.
Just make sure the polarity is correct.
Re: insurance - asking an underwriter may get the answer you desire, but they are just offering an opinion. Dealing with the claims officer is a whole different kettle of fish, especially if the fire marshall indicates there may be a problem with the wiring - something to ponder.
Having said that - all of my cables are DIY and I accept responsibility for that. I also ensure they are constructed to the very highest quality levels, grossly over built and any internal connections are identical to those employed by the manufacturer e.g. using identical spring clips or spades or other fastening devices.
Anyone undertaking power related upgrades do so at their own risk. Companies spend lots on UL certification and any kind of power related upgrade can be viewed as negating this certification.
Power cables with IEC/MAINS connectors are purpose built, but many of those on the market are not UL certified, making their use a possible grey area.
I actually purchased one expensive power cable that had the polarity reversed - it went back.
It just boils down to how much risk are you prepared to accept?
Hope that helps
Regards |
Thanks, All advised is taken.Waiting for parts to come in. To be continued. |
Hard wire update- Parts came in, had to run to the electrical warehouse for compression fitting drilled the hole to allow for the fitting, SCOTCH LOCKED, heat shrinked, put it all back, AND... Music is more defined & movies, well? I should let the cable break in, but there's an noticeable improvement already. Thanks to all! enjoy the Holidays. AMB Dan M. |
Greetings: 48hrs. since the work was completed. Now I notice more define colors on HD cable. So I decided to drop in a movie, (Battleship) Holy sh*&t ! The sound opened up & the colors also were finer. Again AMB to all Dan M. |
