I've been reading up on the subject of main cables, conditioners
etc...I'm rather sceptical of the improvement such expensive things
will add to the sound of my hifi but have a couple of questions if
anyone would care to enlighten me
- are mains conditioner blocks supposed to be used with the basic mains
leads supplied with everyday hifi, or with the custom powerkord type
leads? eg take Russ Andrews the PowerLink, would you add in Powerkords
or not?
- if considering a mains block extension lead that costs £££, would
I not be better just installing a couple more double sockets in the
wall of my lounge and plugging in the hifi directly? The money I'd save
could then be put towards better quality mains leads for my CD player &
amps (assuming one is convinced of the need to do that!)

And just how much improvement do folks get with these products? Mains
leads are around £50-£200 and blocks are anything approaching £1k!
(looking at the Russ Andrews products)

For example (to power CD player + 2 mono blocks)

The Silencer Block (with generic leads) = £150
or
PowerLink + 3 PowerKords - £230
or
DIY extra sockets (free), 2 x Powerkords and a reference PowerKord for
the CD player = £225
or the option I rather favour:
Maplin Multiway Mains Plug VD02C £6.99!!!

Cheers,
David

On 22 Aug 2005 07:51:26 -0700, deja wrote:

I've been reading up on the subject of main cables, conditioners
etc...I'm rather sceptical of the improvement such expensive things
will add to the sound of my hifi but have a couple of questions if
anyone would care to enlighten me
- are mains conditioner blocks supposed to be used with the basic mains
leads supplied with everyday hifi, or with the custom powerkord type
leads? eg take Russ Andrews the PowerLink, would you add in Powerkords
or not?
- if considering a mains block extension lead that costs £££, would
I not be better just installing a couple more double sockets in the
wall of my lounge and plugging in the hifi directly? The money I'd save
could then be put towards better quality mains leads for my CD player &
amps (assuming one is convinced of the need to do that!)

And just how much improvement do folks get with these products? Mains
leads are around £50-£200 and blocks are anything approaching £1k!
(looking at the Russ Andrews products)

For example (to power CD player + 2 mono blocks)

The Silencer Block (with generic leads) = £150
or
PowerLink + 3 PowerKords - £230
or
DIY extra sockets (free), 2 x Powerkords and a reference PowerKord for
the CD player = £225
or the option I rather favour:
Maplin Multiway Mains Plug VD02C £6.99!!!

Cheers,
David

YOu can easily check for potential improvements yourself. With all your
controls in their normal positions - particularly the volume - listen to
your system turned on, but with no music playing. Hear anything? If not,
your power is already clean enough. (A bit of mains hum doesn't count,
because you actually need the mains to come through) I have never, ever
been anywhere in the UK where the mains power supply was dirty enough to be
audible in a Hi Fi. We do have very good mains here.

d

That's a good test - will try it. I think I did try it a while a go and
couldn't hear anything at all except with my ears up close to the
speakers.

I like the TNT "hydra" setup using that Maplin multi way plug, its
cheap, might give some sound improvement but will help tidy up the
spagetti. Tidying things up so interconnects aren't overlayed by mains
cables should help if nothing else.

On 22 Aug 2005 08:27:49 -0700, deja wrote:

That's a good test - will try it. I think I did try it a while a go and
couldn't hear anything at all except with my ears up close to the
speakers.

I like the TNT "hydra" setup using that Maplin multi way plug, its
cheap, might give some sound improvement but will help tidy up the
spagetti. Tidying things up so interconnects aren't overlayed by mains
cables should help if nothing else.

As for the spaghetti, chop it all as short as you can so it just reaches a
multiway strip behind the kit. That is the key to a tidy setup.

d

Its the simple ideas that are the best This hydra thing does
exactly that as well as providing a convinient "multiway"
adaptor/strip. Or I could buy some nice MK plugs and shortern the
existing mains leads, apply some brass cleaner to the pins and make
sure the multiway strip is wired up well.

"deja" wrote in message
oups.com...
I've been reading up on the subject of main cables, conditioners
etc...I'm rather sceptical of the improvement such expensive things
will add to the sound of my hifi but have a couple of questions if
anyone would care to enlighten me
- are mains conditioner blocks supposed to be used with the basic
mains
leads supplied with everyday hifi, or with the custom powerkord type
leads? eg take Russ Andrews the PowerLink, would you add in Powerkords
or not?
- if considering a mains block extension lead that costs £££, would
I not be better just installing a couple more double sockets in the
wall of my lounge and plugging in the hifi directly? The money I'd
save
could then be put towards better quality mains leads for my CD player
&
amps (assuming one is convinced of the need to do that!)

And just how much improvement do folks get with these products? Mains
leads are around £50-£200 and blocks are anything approaching £1k!
(looking at the Russ Andrews products)

For example (to power CD player + 2 mono blocks)

The Silencer Block (with generic leads) = £150
or
PowerLink + 3 PowerKords - £230
or
DIY extra sockets (free), 2 x Powerkords and a reference PowerKord for
the CD player = £225
or the option I rather favour:
Maplin Multiway Mains Plug VD02C £6.99!!!

Cheers,
David


I must say I like waiting for my next Russ Andrews catalogue to drop
on the mat - I love a really good laugh. The real laugh is that there
are people out there who believe him! (And if you want a better
laugh, look up Peter Belt :-))

The only thing that is worthwhile is suppressing any mains click that
you get from such as fridges and freezers etc.. They usually produce
spikes when switches carrying current open. You will of course notice
these on your speakers - a crack or loud click. They are best
suppressed at source by someone who knows what they are doing.

Otherwise use what you've got - you are listening to music remember,
not amps or speakers! What's the point of putting highly expensive
'specialist' mains leads between the wall plug and your equipment
unless you use the same quality of cable all the way from the
generating station?

Trouble is that I can remember what started this all off. About 30+
years ago there was an article in a well known hi-fi magazine that
stated that a Frenchman had replaced the original wire from the door
bell push to the bell unit with Litz wire and it improved the
'tintinabular sonority' of the bell. They're not all locked up yet, or
were even then!


--
Woody

harrogate2 at ntlworld dot com

In article , Owain owain47125@stirl
ingcity.coo.uk writes
harrogate2 wrote:
I must say I like waiting for my next Russ Andrews catalogue to drop
on the mat - I love a really good laugh. The real laugh is that there
are people out there who believe him!

If Canford Audio don't sell it to the BBC and recording studios, why
would anyone else need it?

Its all in the mind. Spend the money and you believe that its better
'cos its expensive!..

What I don't understand is people who witter on about interconnect
quality and then use unbalanced connections.

And balanced is often done in studios and broadcast areas on nothing
more than the same cable you'd use for wiring up a phone extension!.

With the same Krone punch-down blocks......

Owain


--
Tony Sayer

Just get your power installation tested for low loop resistance and have
someone competent prove that all earth points bond to true earth.
Check *all* junctions for loose connections.
Any major interference externally should be reduced at source, ie, lifts,
pumps, and industrial gear.
HiFi PSUs should iron out all power-borne gremlins. After all is said and
done, they supply DC rails.
Don't waste your money on airy-fairy filters, though anti-surge spike
protectors are inexpensive.

"Don Pearce" wrote in message
...
On 22 Aug 2005 08:27:49 -0700, deja wrote:

That's a good test - will try it. I think I did try it a while a go and
couldn't hear anything at all except with my ears up close to the
speakers.

I like the TNT "hydra" setup using that Maplin multi way plug, its
cheap, might give some sound improvement but will help tidy up the
spagetti. Tidying things up so interconnects aren't overlayed by mains
cables should help if nothing else.

As for the spaghetti, chop it all as short as you can so it just reaches a
multiway strip behind the kit. That is the key to a tidy setup.

d

In article .com, Deja
wrote:
I've been reading up on the subject of main cables, conditioners
etc...I'm rather sceptical of the improvement such expensive things
will add to the sound of my hifi but have a couple of questions if
anyone would care to enlighten me
[...]
And just how much improvement do folks get with these products? Mains
leads are around £50-£200 and blocks are anything approaching £1k!
(looking at the Russ Andrews products)

Mains leads for £200!!!!! Don't waste your money. They will make
absolutely no discernible or measureable change whatsoever in the sound
from your hi-fi. This sort of nonsense is sold on gullibility and
ignorance and does nothing whatsoever except make the charlatans who sell
it rich. The people who *make* the broadcasts and recordings that you
listen to don't use them, so even if they did make a difference you
wouldn't hear it.

Rod.

Bob Latham wrote:

Why
should people who cannot attain the levels of kit with balanced
connections not enjoy tinkering to get the most *enjoyment* out of
their equipment?

Note I said enjoyment not performance.

"Enjoyment" which, when spouted about, is couched in terms of "performance".


--
Wally
www.artbywally.com
www.wally.myby.co.uk