Mains cable fettling (new plugs)

[Bodgit 199]

I'm not one to believe that mains cables make a massive difference, but I do like solid engineering and for these things to be "fit for purpose".

Previously I'd changed the cable on my 3 mains leads (2 mono blocks and Wadia) to the new Belden 19364 – 83803 combined design from MCRU, think it was around £17/m, its now £20/m. Got 2m for 3 cables, but the old plugs (whatever they are) didn't fit tightly, especially the IEC plugs in the amps. So looked for alternatives.

Ended up getting the MS HD copper plugs - UK and IEC. it was in fact quite a bit cheaper to get the No. 22 DIY kit from MCRU than buy individually - UK is £35, IEC is £26.50, the kit including 1m of LAP cable and a silver plated MCRU fuse is only £55. Go figure! Reused the Belden cable, it has a foil screen with a drain wire which was fitted at the UK plug end only (with a bit of green/yellow sleeving over its exposed length ).

These plugs seem very reasonable, well built and a tighter fit. The UK plug is a pain to fit the cable into, especially the live, as the connections are quite low down in the body and the cable is very rigid. Just takes some time, overall very pleased with these and at around £70 a lead its not too ridiculously expensive for kit that cost 100x that.

Can't say I've noticed any difference in SQ, but then didn't expect to! They're just more secure with better contact.

Lead with old plugs - not sure what those orange UK plugs are, they're not very robust

With the new plugs fitted:

And this is the Belden cable - note the foil screen and drain lead.

[Mark Holder 8]

I put together all of my power leads. First time i used Belsen cable, then i upgraded to Furtech!

[Bodgit 199]

I did ponder the Furutech tech stuff but the price was over £150 per lead I think, couldn’t justify that kind of price x 3