Who on here uses a mains related product?

ultrasonic

Wammer
Wammer
Jan 7, 2006
202
0
0
, , United Kingdom
Hi, as some of you know i am recently in abit of an upgrade dilemma, new speakers or cdp or add a dac etc etc but i might look at the basics first like maybe some mains products. i currently use cheapo mains block and standard mains cables. How do these mains filters, fat mains cablesactually affect the sound? I heard they make systems sound brighter? What are the best VFM products out there? ive never even considered upgrading mains before so don't have a clue.

Cheers

Ultra

 

supercapman

Wammer
Wammer
Jul 19, 2005
1,310
1
0
Bath, , United Kingd
AKA
Chris
IMO I would decide on what kit you are going to have and wait til you are settled with it before you start dabbling in mains goodies.Mains products as a general rule tend to remove a 'hash' from the sound making it more smoother sounding, as you go up in mains cable quality it then improves on dynamics and imagery too.

 

griffo104

Wammer
Wammer
Sep 30, 2005
7,311
2,733
158
Newport
AKA
Griffo
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Totally agree with supercapman. Get the kit sorted first then look to chenge the mains stuff.

First thing I bought was an Irem Esopower 6 way mains block which did pretty much what is mentioned above. It removed hash, greatly improved the stability of the image and bass got better. The cables have refined that sound and haven't made as big a difference as this initial upgrade.

 
E

Effem

Guest
Here is where I disagree with you boys. Get some decent wires into your system first to reveal it's true character to decide whether it needs upgrading or not, then whenever you go to audition any new kit away from hometuck the cables into a bag and takethem with you as I do.

 

griffo104

Wammer
Wammer
Sep 30, 2005
7,311
2,733
158
Newport
AKA
Griffo
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Effem wrote:

Here is where I disagree with you boys. Get some decent wires into your system first to reveal it's true character to decide whether it needs upgrading or not, then whenever you go to audition any new kit away from hometuck the cables into a bag and takethem with you as I do.
Damn it that makes sense.

However it wouldn't be the first time a dealer wouldn't let me take a product he didn't stock along with me to a demo. Sometimes think they forget about customer's needs.

 

Stuckinarut

One of the first
Wammer
Aug 9, 2005
471
137
73
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Two things that have a bearing on all this - the quality of the mains in your area, and the quality of your electronics. Good quality kit will have good quality power supply filtration designed into it already.

A cynic might say that a crap manufacturer will expect you to pay extra for an adequate power supply module…

 

icehockeyboy

Wammer
Wammer
Aug 14, 2005
4,966
94
93
Torquay Devon. UK
AKA
Craig
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
I have to assume that either my mains are ok, or mains related products are a waste of time, had a Chord clearwater conditioner on loan.....not a jot of difference, currently got a little £30 isotek thing that came free with HFN i think,...........cant hear any difference either.....now it might be my hearing aid batteries have gone........Joking!

 

griffo104

Wammer
Wammer
Sep 30, 2005
7,311
2,733
158
Newport
AKA
Griffo
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
icehockeyboy wrote:

I have to assume that either my mains are ok, or mains related products are a waste of time, had a Chord clearwater conditioner on loan.....not a jot of difference, currently got a little £30 isotek thing that came free with HFN i think,...........cant hear any difference either.....now it might be my hearing aid batteries have gone........Joking!
I have one of the £30 Isotek thingies - and I can't hear it either. I bought an in line delta filter thing from a guy on eBay which did make a sonic difference - more so with the Mercury than the RA cables. Quite like what it does and much better than the Isotek thing but these have gone up in cost quite a lot since I boguht one.

 

The Swedish Chef

Wammer
Wammer
Aug 25, 2005
1,147
0
0
Göteborg, , Sweden
AKA
Philip
i'm currently using a certain forum members mains box of tricks to very good effect.

it was purchased once the source and amp were static in my system, but i agree that getting mains and cables sorted first isa valid approach to achieving a system that you stick with over time.

 
E

earl of sodbury

Guest
My own experiences *IME & IMHO* chime with several points above:

First do you actually need a mains conditioner? You may not, so try to get one on loan.

Second -the rightcableswillalways get the best from your kit (see disclaimer above), irrespective of other factors. Experimentation is the rule here, and price is not much of a guide.

Third - appropriate equipment isolation can be a worthwhile investment, but is dependant on both kit and room. Good results can be obtained cheaply.

But: Any difference any of the above does make to your system will be minor compared with a major component change - they are still accessories, and results will depend on local conditions, kit, room, listening habits, etc.

And as with any minor change - a quick A/B will probably not be very illuminating, days or weeks between changes are often more useful.

churz, eofs

 

dudywoxer

Looking for a bigger stirring stick
Wammer
Jul 19, 2005
10,222
1,256
0
sunny scunny
AKA
colin
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
griffo104 wrote:

Effem wrote:
Here is where I disagree with you boys. Get some decent wires into your system first to reveal it's true character to decide whether it needs upgrading or not, then whenever you go to audition any new kit away from hometuck the cables into a bag and takethem with you as I do.
Damn it that makes sense.

However it wouldn't be the first time a dealer wouldn't let me take a product he didn't stock along with me to a demo. Sometimes think they forget about customer's needs.
find a alternate dealer then. if possible.
 

harv

Hard working slacker
Wammer Plus
Jan 5, 2006
1,722
235
163
deepest S.London, ,
AKA
erm... guess
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
I currently use an isotek minisub which I've been happy with, I do think that the use of RA yello on the rega gives it a boost, but the krell dislikes them.

Agree about the dealer, if they're not interested in helping you make the right choice... then give them the
Bird.gif.e5ad7f48d8bb596824f2dfdd3446d314.gif


 

chezi61

Wammer
Wammer
Jul 20, 2005
2,026
2
0
Fife , Scotland.
I se RA Yello fourway into which I plug amp thru RA Classic , CDp thru Krystal mercury Slee thru own wire from Mains block and O/L transformer gets it's own socket.

I hasten to say had I heard Krystal Kables 1st there would be noRA cablesin this house.

chezi.

 

Leonard Smalls

Wammer
Wammer
Aug 14, 2005
8,163
90
0
Shropshire Borders,
I built my own distribution block from TV studio bits'n'bobs - star earthed etc - didn't notice a huge difference from the old standard cheapo 4 way, but I didn't listen to the 2 back to back either...

I also use 1 Black Rhodium jobbie (rrp £250), and the rest are Canford specials.

Plugged into my (quite substantial!) mains block I can't tell any difference between any of these when swapped about, nor could I with a borrowed Siltech or Furukawa thingy.

From this I can conclude:

1. that my mains block may or may not make a difference

2. that, plugged into my mains block, the different leads I've tried make no noticeable difference to my ears

3. that the substation is 100m from my house, with 2 other houses on it.

 

Boxer

Wammer
Wammer
Nov 2, 2005
8,574
13
0
Campaign Conqueror & Candour mains cables & blocks on different bits of stuff, & some Campaign bricks (similar to Silencers etc, but way, way cheaper).

The original Conqueror mains block (bought when in Bristol & had shite mains) reduced noise floor hugely; Conqueror cable on amp added to that; Candour cable on DAcs & CDP is more equivocal; bricks seemed to remove some crud/grain also.

These observations held true when lived in Darlington, with even worse mains, and also at current abode, with better mains and on the Expo 3010 amp with its typically stiff power supply.

Usual provisos of IMO/IME apply.

Boxer

 

ErikFH

Wammer
Wammer
Aug 2, 2005
3,096
5
0
Netherlands
AKA
Erik
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
I use a VdH Mainstream with myamp. Dutch MF importer once recommended Van den Hulfor a power cable, although they distributedEcossecables at that time.

Have a1.5M for sale but its terminated with a euro plug.

Mind the sensiblecomments already mentioned, and see if you can try before you buy.

Good to see you appreciate the amp and that MF gainsstrength on the forum.
cool.gif.9d6c72c555b38e519336a6d9b55ca875.gif


 

Forum statistics

Threads
113,444
Messages
2,451,263
Members
70,783
Latest member
reg66

Latest Articles