# Affordable Hospital Grade / Green Dot Power Cords



## jude

I lost a bid on an audiophile power cord I was interested in buying (for around $100.00), and decided that I was going to try to find some less expensive alternatives.

 I found a place that sells UL-, CSA-approved _Hospital-Grade, Green Dot_ AC power cords very inexpensively.

 Today, I special ordered (they were out of stock of the 6-foot length) a 14-gauge power cord for US $10.40. I may wind it through a ferrite loop to eliminate electrical noise from my sump pump and refrigerator (I do that now with my stock cords and it has worked quite well).

 The prices are as follows:

 6-foot length: US$ 10.40
 8-foot length: US$ 11.65
 10-foot length: US$ 11.98

 When you call (1-800-669-8090) make sure to ask for *Katherine at extension 135*. She was very nice, and buying through her helps her out.

 Visit this page for more info:

Quail Electronics

 NOTE: I have no affiliation whatsoever with Quail Electronics (or Katherine), other than as a recent customer.


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## dhwilkin

Interesting, be sure to post a review.


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## davidcotton

I have tried experimenting with putting in a Russ Andrews standerd powerkord in the xpsu from musical fidelity. It made so much difference that I am now having to buy another one for the cd player to replace it doh
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 Still at least it gives me a chance to upgrade to a better spec one


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## jude

Quote:


 _Originally posted by davidcotton _
*I have tried experimenting with putting in a Russ Andrews standerd powerkord in the xpsu from musical fidelity. It made so much difference that I am now having to buy another one for the cd player to replace it doh
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Still at least it gives me a chance to upgrade to a better spec one
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


* 
 

What's a Russ Andrews standerd powerkord? Any web site with more info?


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## davidcotton

The website for Russ Andrews is a bit um out of date is the kindest way of saying it!

 Basically its a powercord for the cd players and amplifiers with a detachable cord. They are also only available for the english market I THINK (not a hundred percent certain on that!) They do three types.

 Yello This is the budget version at £29.99

 Standard £75.00

 High Current £120.00 This is the beefy version (umm beefy!) which I have just ordered today, got a weeks wait for it
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 They basically improve sound by cancelling the rfi from other equipment.

 Hope that helps, good luck with the search on yours whichever you go for!


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## jude

Thanks for the info, David. I will likely use the ferrite loop to help cancel out RFI.

 I'm looking forward to receiving this hospital grade green dot cable, but it may be another few weeks still since they were out of stock of the length I wanted (six feet), but they had a bunch of eight-footers and ten-footers I think.


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## raymondlin

David, £120 for a power cord! I could get a X-pre for that! And does it really make that much difference? I have never believe in power cord making a difference, may be because I have never tried it. But if I was going to spend £120, I would buy a Kimber/Oson power block instead. They are only £80 and I can use it for my Marantz CD player as well.


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## jude

Quote:


 _Originally posted by raymondlin _
*David, £120 for a power cord! I could get a X-pre for that! And does it really make that much difference? I have never believe in power cord making a difference, may be because I have never tried it. But if I was going to spend £120, I would buy a Kimber/Oson power block instead. They are only £80 and I can use it for my Marantz CD player as well. * 
 

I almsot spent over $100.00 for a power cord, and I know that's not much in the audio world. But, heck, I'm going to give this $10 cord a try with a ferrite loop. We'll see....


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## davidcotton

I felt that they did! If you arnt sure then Russ Andrews does do a 30 day money back guarantee so you havnt anything to lose really if you are trying it in the x-psu! With the cd player and amp you have to cut the attached power lead (whilst the power is off duh! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 ) and wire a male iec plug to it, then you attach the powerKord. I also got a 10% off discount which took it down to £108.00!!! This was a special offer for regular (
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 ) customers...


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## Videoshielded

Another budget favorite with the audiophile power cable crowd is the Volex 17604 (2 meter) or 17605 (3 meter). It has a molded plug and molded 15 amp IEC connector (the standard size on equipment with an IEC socket for the power cord). It's made of Belden 19364, which is a great power cord cable. Newark, Allied, and Carton-Bates all sell it on line.

 If you want to get fancy, Bob Crump suggests cutting the plug off and replacing it with a Pass & Seymour 5266-X plug, also available and Newark.


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## raymondlin

Cutting the power cord? no way! I still have 3 and half years of warranty to run, I'll cut it after Christmas 2004!

 I don't really want to hassle of sending stuff back so I never really buy electronic equipment online or mail order. The only electrical thingI bought online is my MD walkman, but that can be fix by my local Sony shop anyway if needed.

 I got a 10% off email thing too! and I never even bought a thing from them, only got their catalogue to have a browse (some of his views and take on HiFi is complete oposite of most people believe).


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## insanefred

For upgrading power cords, have you thought of going down the DIY route? Have a glance at the www.tnt-audio.com site, and look for the shielded cords (Merlino, I think it's called?) The hardest part is finding shielded cable.
 Another interesting project is the Hydra mains distribution plug, which allows four cables to be run from the one socket with the minimum of low-quality connections. They cost a very reasonable £7 from Maplin too.
 HTH
 Andrew


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## insanefred

And another thing!
 Cutting the original power cord won't work as well as soldering a new one directly into the back of your cdp/amp etc. But soldering is scary...
 Andrew


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## Videoshielded

No, not cutting the plug off the originally-supplied cord. Cut the molded plug off the Volex replacement cord, and install the Pass & Seymour on the Volex cord instead.


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## jude

Man, you DIY'ers are another breed. I can't imagine cutting anything off my stuff!

 Having to twist the collar on a locking RCA is about as close to DIY as I want to get!


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## bootman

DIY is great for speaker and IC cables but I draw the line on power cords!

 All power cards must be UL approved! If not, God forbid there is a fire. Insurance companies will then have reason not to pay!

 Just my 2 cents!


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## bootman

For an afordable "audiophile" cable, why not try the $50 Absolute Power Cord?

 They can be found here:

http://www.gttgroup.com

 I haven't tried them myself but I have read some favorable reviews. Plus, I have a hard time justifing $1000 power cords!
 I would first invest that money in power conditioning first.


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## jude

Reviving an old thread...

 I just received a call from Quail to let me know my hospital grade power cord is shipping. I'll let you all know what I think of it when it gets here. I imagine that, quality-wise, it is probably nicer than the stock one on my Max. Whether or not there are any sonic benefits remains to be heard.

 I think the shipping cost almost as much as the cord, but that still means that the total bill with shipping will still likely be under $20.


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## Tomcat

Hmmm, I don't know, jude. Are you sure hospitalization is the best way to deal with tweaking syndrome?


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## jude

Quote:


 _Originally posted by Tomcat _
*Hmmm, I don't know, jude. Are you sure hospitalization is the best way to deal with tweaking syndrome? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


* 
 

LOL!

 Actually, the cord arrived today. It's a lot nicer than I imagined. It is quite thick compared to the AC cord that came with my Max (which it's replacing). The Max's stock AC cord is 18 AWG, whereas this new cord is 14 AWG.

 Following is a picture of the Absolute Power Cord, which is _not_ what my power cord is. I'm only including this pic because the main plug (the transparent plug in the pic) looks almost identical to the one on my new cord. The aesthetically cool thing is that the IEC plug at the end of my cord is also made of that same semi-transparent material.






 Compared to the Max's stock cord, the main plug on this new one is far fancier. Also, the contacts in the IEC part look like they're going to grip the amp's IEC prongs a lot better than the stock cord's. Unfortunately, my Max is away for some tweaking, so I won't be able to try this cord with it until it comes back.

 Look-and-feel first impressions are so far very good -- especially for ten bucks plus shipping.


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## jude

...the Zcable Lightning power cord which sells for $125.

 Now I'm not saying they're the same, but I can't tell the difference between the power cord by Quail I'm holding in my hands right now and the cord in the photos on Zcable's site of the Lightning (see big photo below) -- to my eyes, they look _exactly_ alike. I'll post pictures of my cable later tonight or some time this weekend.

 For more info on my Quail power cord, scroll up to the top of this thread. My cord cost around $10.00 plus shipping.

 According to their site, Zcable performs some proprietary optimization to the Lightning, and I'm not sure what that is. I've optimized my Quail cord, but my optimization is anything but proprietary (I put ProGold on the contacts). I should be getting my Max back very soon (which is the component I bought this cord for), so I'll let you know if I hear any benefits (or otherwise).

*Photo of Zcable's Lightning power cord from their web site:*





 (The "click for larger image" link on the photo does not work here)


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## acidtripwow

Bootman, funny you should mention that power cord because I just ordered one this week. I should get it next week and I'll let you know what I think.


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## acidtripwow

Anybody else contact Quail? I sent them an email and they faxed me a quote. They said they would send me a sample but did not mention anything about paying for it. They said lead time for this would usually be about 8 weeks. Maybe I'll receive an invoice with it. Hmmm....


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## jude

Quote:


 _Originally posted by acidtripwow _
*Anybody else contact Quail? I sent them an email and they faxed me a quote. They said they would send me a sample but did not mention anything about paying for it. They said lead time for this would usually be about 8 weeks. Maybe I'll receive an invoice with it. Hmmm.... * 
 


 LOL! A sample?! Lucky dog. See, they're quite used to orders in bulk. They're more a supplier than a typical retailer for consumers. When I called and asked for the cord, she kindly asked about the quantity I was interested in. I said "one." She replied, "One.......?" I said, "Um, just _one_. Like only one single cord. I hope that's not a problem." She said something like, "No, absolutely not," and proceeded to take my order info.

 I'm guessing she was expecting me to say "one gross" or "one case" or something like that. Heheh.


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## acidtripwow

Well Quail sent me a sample of 5 cords. I'll probably be hearing back from them soon to see if I want to order a case or something.


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## acidtripwow

I received The Absolute Power cord from GTT Audio and it looks very, very similar to the Quail cord. It is Green Dot hospital grade and is also 14 guage. It has the clear connector on one side with the green dot. I will audition them over the weekend and let everyone know what I think.


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## thomas

I'm wondering, is it safe to use hospital grade cords with normal household grade sockets. I'm working in the biomedical engineering deparment in the hospital, and we never use hospital grade plugs on normal sockets. Most equipment even carry warnings that say the grounding pin (shaped differently from normal household grade plugs) will only make proper contact on hospital grade outlets, if it is used in normal outlets it would create a shock hazard...


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## jude

Quote:


 _Originally posted by thomas _
*I'm wondering, is it safe to use hospital grade cords with normal household grade sockets. I'm working in the biomedical engineering deparment in the hospital, and we never use hospital grade plugs on normal sockets. Most equipment even carry warnings that say the grounding pin (shaped differently from normal household grade plugs) will only make proper contact on hospital grade outlets, if it is used in normal outlets it would create a shock hazard... * 
 


 Thomas, I'd never heard that before. So I decided to check the plug out on my Quail cord, and compared its ground pin to the ground pin on my other cords, and then to the ground pin on my Radio Shack circuit tester (Cat. No. 22-101A). The ground pin on the Quail cord is both wider and longer than the ground pin on all of my other power cords (though it has a U-shaped cross section, where most of the others are solid or tubular). Most notable is that the Quail's ground pin is quite a bit thicker, and a wee bit longer than the ground pin on my Radio Shack circuit tester, so I'm quite certain it's making solid contact.

 Additionally, I have a hospital-grade receptacle in the wall, into which is plugged my Brick Wall surge filter/line conditioner, and then my Max with its Quail cord is plugged into the Brick Wall. And the Brick Wall's receptacles seem to grip as hard (maybe even harder) than my hospital-grade wall receptacles.

 But I do appreciate your message, thomas, and I imagine it does apply sometimes (or there wouldn't be such warnings on the stuff you see at work). I would encourage other people who are using cords with hospital-grade plugs to be mindful of thomas' message.


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## thomas

Yep, hospital grade plugs have a U or V (upside down) shaped ground pin, while normal "consumer" grade ones are a round pin.... 

 On household recepticals, most only have a single contact with the ground pin, and it contacts the bottom of the ground pin... With a houshold plug, that's fine, but with hospital grade plugs, that area corresponds with the open part of the V... (hospital grade recepticals have 2 contacts which touch the sides of the V)

 So if the socket and the plug don't match, there might not be proper contact with the ground pin. (the electronics will still work fine (audiphile companies would probably start marketing it as a "custom designed ground loop breaker") but if the circuit starts malfunctioning, you could be in for a serious shock...

 Of course, you could always upgrade your recepticals to hospital grade, they seem much better quality than normal stuff...


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## acidtripwow

Well, I didn't get shocked, yet! After trying both the Quail cord and the GTT cord they sounded very similar to me. The one thing I did notice was that the Quail cord sounded deeper in the bass region. This was only a short comparison between the two so I'll do some more comparison over the next few days. The test was done playing my new Miles Davis CD "Kind of Blue" on my Toshiba SD-4205 DVD/CD player, using my MicroZotl amp with original 12AT7 tubes and upgraded 1956 RCA 6SN7GTB tubes, MIT Terminator 330 Series One interconnects and my Grado HP 2 headphones.


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## mariowar

Hey Jude, have you checked your e mail lately? I emailed you from here (Head-Fi.org), and I never got a reply.... thanks


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## jude

Quote:


 _Originally posted by mariowar _
*Hey Jude, have you checked your e mail lately? I emailed you from here (Head-Fi.org), and I never got a reply.... thanks * 
 

Was it the one titled [size=small]_*Read this, and pass it on.... it works*_[/size]? Or the one with the attachment that I'm supposed to "give advice" about? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 Just kidding...I just looked for it, but couldn't find it in my in-box. Will you kindly send it again?


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## dhwilkin

jude, we're all waiting for a review of your power cord...


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## mariowar

Hey Jude, I just emailed you, again....... thanks


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## chych

Hmm, time to revive an old thread 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 So Jude, did you ever get around to compare that power cord with the stock cord?


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## jude

chych,

 Admittedly, with work being quite busy lately and all, I haven't done the power cable swap. I will at some point, as I'm curious myself. I've been busy enough that my post count over here has been lower than usual too.


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## jude

Quote:


 _Originally posted by thomas _
*Yep, hospital grade plugs have a U or V (upside down) shaped ground pin, while normal "consumer" grade ones are a round pin.... 

 On household recepticals, most only have a single contact with the ground pin, and it contacts the bottom of the ground pin... * 
 


 I checked the receptacles on my Brick Wall, and they all have side contacts for the ground (looks like a bottom contact too). Then I checked my cheapie (came-with-my-house) receptacles, and they all appear to have side contacts (and bottom ones too). Though I don't doubt that some only have bottom contacts for the ground pin.


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## thomas

I had some discussions with the biomedical technologist their, and they said that the warnings were on all the equipment mainly for liability issues, since they hospital grade recepticles are less likely to fail in life/death situations... So i'm not sure if there really is a danger if you use the hospital grade stuff on ordinary plugs, even though most seem to have a different design...


 But i'd just like to point out, hospital grade stuff isn't designed to be better conductors/more noise proof, they're just super durable to withstand the wrath of pissed-off nurses...


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## Sovkiller

Hi Jude:
 YGEM, please I would like to know your comments about that!!!


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## kelly

I'm still very interested in where you guys think these things rank. I have 3 DIY Ven Haus power cables thanks to a capable Head-Fi DIYer. Other than that, everything in my house uses cheap IECs and Monster interconnects. My next major planned "upgrade" is to replace every single interconnect and every standard IEC in my home with something better. The front runner for the interconnects are the Outlaws and so far these Quail power cables seem like the right solution.

 (Note: Some day, when my system is further along I'll buy better interconnects and power cables for the sensitive items like the CD player and power amp, but right now I'd like to get everything "above crap," including even the PC, PC monitor, etc.)


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## Sovkiller

Hi Jude or whomever had use the Quail power cord: 
 I have a question for you guys, since maybe some of you had use the Quail green dot that I'm planning to use on my MGHead, but searching on the Quail website I found also a shielded version of the cable 14/3, even when not hospital grade, is the same AWG and configuration that the green dot, what makes you select the green dot instead of the shielded, even when shielding may block RFI interference? Or is not enough with the shielding they offer, why then the green dot and the ferrite, is there anything special in selecting one or the other, please could any of you explain me a little bit about that, which are the differences between them? BTW how you get in touch with them? I tried two or three times by email but seems that nobody answers there, not even Katherine, is there any other person whom I have to contact to for just one cable or two, or maybe a sample, I know they use to sell large quantities, but I just need one or two.


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## TimSchirmer

good to see some decent budget stuff getting some recognition these days.

 Here is a thread I posted about quail power cords a while back:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...threadid=14048

 Should be helpfull. I compared it to one of the kimber cords (can't remember which model)

 I can't justify spending over 100$ on power cords, unless my components costed over 2500$ each. Frankly, i'd rather get a 10$ power cord that offers almost just as much improvement, and spend the other 90$ pampering my phono cartridge.


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## Sovkiller

TIM......................YGPM.


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## yage

In my mind, the shielding is there to keep stray RF from reaching components *outside* the cord, not to necessarily protect the power cord itself. But in any case, a well designed power supply should already filter out unwanted AC line noise... 

 Checking the Marinco website (the maker of some widely used hospital grade and industrial plugs), the green dot gets you the following:

 Abrupt plug removal (parallel to wall) test 
 Ground pin retention tests 
 Fault current tests 
 Terminal strength test 
 Face impact test 
 Ground contact temperature test 
 Ground resistance test 
 Assembly security test 
 Mold stress relief test 
 Crush test 
 Cord grip strain relief tests 
 Static cord pull test 
 Rotary cord pull test 

 That being said, if you still want 'green dot' certification and shielding, why not go DIY? Someone previously mentioned the Chris VenHaus design - the Belden cable used (83802) is a 12 AWG two-conductor cable with a foil and braided shield capable of delivering 25A and handling 300 V RMS. Wind a grounding wire around the outer jacket, stick a pair of Marinco plugs at the ends and you've got yourself a great power cord (I have one powering my Heart CD6000 right now). The only drawback is that it'll cost more than $10...

 Links:

http://www.marinco.com/hospital.htm
http://www.venhaus1.com/diymains.html
http://ecom.belden.com/static/ZZBLDN...A.HTM?P0=83802


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## eric343

Hey, Jude... now that you've had them for, what, a year is it?, any "first impressions"?

 (I know you take your time when doing reviews. But this is a bit excessive 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




)


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## puppyslugg

Hi Jude,

 Exactly which model# did you order?


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## SumB

Quote:


 Wind a grounding wire around the outer jacket, stick a pair of Marinco plugs at the ends and you've got yourself a great power cord (I have one powering my Heart CD6000 right now). The only drawback is that it'll cost more than $10... 
 

I thought the CD6000 has a captive power cord? Does the revised Heart come with an IEC socket?


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## aeberbach

Please Jude, review the cord! The suspense is killing me... They're cheap enough so I could just try them myself but I don't see anything called 14/3 at quail.com.


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## yage

Quote:


 I thought the CD6000 has a captive power cord? Does the revised Heart come with an IEC socket? 
 

Nope, it still comes with the captive cord. I unscrewed it from the little clamps at the back of the machine and stuffed in the new cord. The Belden 83802 is damn stiff and just barely fits into the terminals. I really need to find a good strain relief fitting for it now...


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## Sovkiller

Hey Jude (yes it looks that the beatles song) what about the review of this Quail cable? Sorry Jude and I hate to say that, but it seems that everybody got cables from these people for free, except you, sorry, they send me two free samples last week, and you may say: "what you want this review for, if you already got your cable?, but unfortunatelly I do not have any other reference to compare, just the stock cable, the difference was very subtle if any, maybe as it burn in, the improvements will be more noticeable, of course I still have to improve another stuff, but as this was a very cheap tweak I begin on the wrong end and it was the first...Let us know what do you think about it, we are waiting this review.....


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## aeberbach

Just got a catalog in the mail, 

http://www.allelectronics.com/

 is selling hospital grade cords for $3.25, 6' length. Just search for "hospital".


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## Sovkiller

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! these are 18/3 SJT, even thinner than the regular 16/3 regular computer cables, the Quail we are talking about is 14/3 SJT (that means 3 X 14 AWG copper conductors) a lot bigger and thicker, at the end better....


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## Orpheus

can someone post the link for the shielded power chords?

 i emailed quail, and they said that they do not usually carry shielded power chords, and that they have to be special ordered in large quantities (i'm not sure how "large" a order has to be.)

 however, if you can show me where to buy them, i'd really appreciative. i need to buy a bunch of shielded cables (maybe 20-30+) for the studio.... i wasn't able to route the power chords separate from the audio cables, so i'm starting to have quite a bit of interference problems.

 ....know of anywhere else that sells good shielded power chords for cheap?

 thanks,
 dean


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## Sovkiller

Well according to the Quail website this is the link:

http://www.quail.com/NACords/index.html#5043s

 check under shielded, so they carry them, I also have the Quail printed catalog and correspond to the series from 7420 to 6000 and series from 5043 to 7422, pages 5 and 6, just look under American Power Cords section, maybe right now they don't have them in stock, but yes they made them...I hope this will help you


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## Orpheus

you're right. strange. not sure why the lady said they don't carry them. anyway, i'll give them a call later.

 thanks,
 dean


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## aeberbach

I wonder why you think that 18/3 cable is not as good as 14/3, is it the results of listening? Just what will you be powering that will even begins to approach the limits of 18 gauge copper? If we're worried about interference those 18 gauge gray shielded computer cables from China might be the best.

 What is it that makes a cable better, is it the "hospital grade" connectors or the cable used? If it's just the cable thickness why not buy a 25 amp extension cable, extra connectors, and make a few up. 

 I have some parts and I'm going to be making cables with hospital plugs, Wattgate IECs and 12 gauge copper. Probably not shielded since the reel of copper braid is $159... and I don't even know why really. It's partly because I have this psaudio PS300 power regenerator and want to neaten up the rack with correct length power cables but I don't think 12 gauge is really required. But they may as well look like expensive audiophile cables when 12 gauge costs only cents more per foot.


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## Sovkiller

The hospital grade is more a "mechanical category" than a sonic one, of course they are better made, and better finished, and at the end better cables, but not designed for audio purposes, the shielding is more to avoid the interference, but in the opposite way, from the power cord to outside, that may affect the functioning of the rest of the other power cables or other kind, like interconnects etc..., but I think that the gauge of the cable is directly proportional to the current that is able to pass through a conductor, and the way it is conducted, and this is the main problem: ".....give enough clean power in a better way to any equipment and it will take what it needs.....", someone says in one thread before, and as yage said before:
 "Checking the Marinco website (the maker of some widely used hospital grade and industrial plugs), the green dot gets you the following: 

 Abrupt plug removal (parallel to wall) test 
 Ground pin retention tests 
 Fault current tests 
 Terminal strength test 
 Face impact test 
 Ground contact temperature test 
 Ground resistance test 
 Assembly security test 
 Mold stress relief test 
 Crush test 
 Cord grip strain relief tests 
 Static cord pull test 
 Rotary cord pull test ......."

 none of this points has nothing to do with audio or sonic quality as you may see (maybe the ground ones).....but that is what I think and in MHO, maybe I'm wrong, if so, please someone correct me, I'm always happy to learn, I think this is the main purpose of these forums.

 You can made a DIY better cable, in fact, of course, with good parts, but it will cost you a lot more, only a marinco plug will cost you the double or more, and WARNING!!! at the end it will not be UL or CSA appproved so if you have any incident home, related with it or not, is a good excuse for the insurance co. to wash its hands (this is a joke, but is true also).


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## aeberbach

Are you sure hospital grade power cords are shielded?

 In all the searching I did I did not find anything to indicate that they are. I was primarily looking for this, as I can't do much about the location of my equipment (small apartment) and it is a little too close to an air conditioner.


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## Orpheus

aeberbach, no... the standard hospital grade cables Quail sells are not shielded. this is because as Sovkiller said, shielding is only meant to keep in interference... this is because the current in power cables are so much more than in audio cables, and any interference from audio cables is relatively insignificant. however, i suppose it might be an issue if your power cable was almost touching the AC cable. but as you learned in physics, electromagnetic fields lose strength logarithmically... by a factor of distance-squared. so... if your component power cable is farther than a few feet, whatever noise you hear should not be coming from the AC cable. however, i'd keep all your stuff as far away from that AC as possible... there's other issues at work.

 sovkiller, you are completely correct.,.. though i'm not sure what you were talking about in that last bit about "'.....give enough clean power in a better way to any equipment and it will take what it needs.....' but otherwise i completely agree--shielding is meant to keep in interference, and hospital grades are for mechanical, and other non-electrical reasons (but also note that lower gauge cables allow you to run longer cable lengths... so ig you only use 10amps, you might still need a 15amp cable if you're going really long) but think about it this way... there are people that will argue one RCA plug sounds better than another. so the same people will also say that hospital grade plugs sound different than your average power plug.

 dean


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## kelly

orpheus
 Are you saying that a shielded power cable should sound worse than an unshielded power cable or are you saying there is no difference?


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## Orpheus

there is no audible difference in normal situations.

 of course... it is possible that there could be times when shielding might improve sound... like aeberbach's might be a little close to a power-monger, his AC. but in a normal stereo setup, there wouldn't be any strong enough field to hurt your power cable.

 however... shielding might still be a good idea for you, because even though we don't have to worry about contanimation getting INTO your power cable... there could be interference ESCAPING your cable into your audio lines. and that's why i want to convert all my AC cables to shielded types....

 but be careful how the cables are shielded. many companies claim that their cables are shielded... but they don't do a complete job. for a cable to be properly shielded, one end has to be grounded... usually the end that is connected to your wall socket. (or cpower conditioner). many companies don't bother grounding the shield, so what you get is actually a internal reflection of interference, rather than the shield grabbing the interference and dumping it to the ground like it should.

 i hope this helps.

 dean


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## Jeff Guidry

Rising from the dead...

 Just a reminder that Jude never posted his impressions of the Quail powercord. Many head-fier's have died while holding their breath for this one...


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## blip

Ahhhh.... man! When I read the title I got interested and read through the whole thing but I still don't know how good they were..... Did anyone end up using them?


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## eric343

I have two... let me put it this way; one is currently connected to the variac in my shop for testing the KGSS, and the other is hanging in same shop. They make no audible difference IMHO.


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## Jeff Guidry

They make no difference as compared to...what?


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## blip

Quote:


 _Originally posted by eric343 _
*I have two... let me put it this way; one is currently connected to the variac in my shop for testing the KGSS, and the other is hanging in same shop. They make no audible difference IMHO. * 
 

Thanks.

 Ah well.


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## Abuhannibal

After reading this thread I had contacted the folks at Quail about a month ago - got several e-mails with w/quotes and some calls from them. The prices seem to have dropped and just now I got a call from their rep saying that they got in some 14-gauge cords and might have some 12's. I'll post the info here when I get it.

 I've gotta say, i don't yet know whether these cords are any good or not, but these people are so persistent in chasing after a small order that it's almost impossible not to want to give them a chance. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 For $6 or so a pop, it's awfully low risk, too. 

 Like I said, I'll post the new quotes as soon as I have them!

 -- Bob


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## eric343

Quail has cool coasters, too... They included one in my order.


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## Sovkiller

Where is that impressions or review???? hummm......gone with the wind, or is that they beat the most expensive ones in secret...LOL


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## Abuhannibal

OK... I have a quote from Michael Smith at Quail, 925-373-6700, for 14 gauge 6 foot cords, part no. 0313.072B, at a price of $7.40 each in quantities of 1-49. He did not mention any minimum order.

 If anyone wants the PDF file with pictures of the cords let me know, but these are the cords previously discussed in this thread.

 I might spring for a few for experimental purposes and will let everyone know the results if I do.

 -- Bob


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## Sovkiller

Any results yet guys? So far I got a couple I have not experineced any difference other than a better plug, better and a lot more stiff cable, harder to run in a setup, as it is always bothering with its stiffness and size all around, right now I got the new Perreaux, as soon as it completes the burning process, I will do an A/B with a regular computer cord to see if there is any noticeable difference on that amp at least, (but I have to admit that I do not believe in power cords at all, unless there is a big problem with shielding or magnetic fields around of a considerable magnitud)....any other member that had tried it, jude, Abuhannibal, eric343.....???


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## tortie

Yes I know. This is an ooooooold thread, but since im currently in the market for cheap powercords and this thread seems to have risen from the dead more than a few times, I figured WTH!

 Other results & impressions from members that have tried this quail cord?


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## Edwood

Yeah, I am interested in the shielded cords. Did you manage to get some, Orpheus?

 -Ed


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## Snake

I got some shielded from Allied Electronics, 14g fully shielded, per a prior thread here. For those who care, and follow my posts, one system of mine has the Hum From Hell syndrome (my system is actually 2 seperate systems, overlaid). The shielded AC cords seemed to lower my noise floor; overall the system seems quieter. Otherwise I couldn't hear a tremendous substantial difference, maybe a bit 'smoother' overall, but I had a 14g in there already for one of the connections. For the cost of these commerical, well-made shielded AC cables I'd say go for it and give it a try.


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## Edwood

The humming could be a ground loop. Try using a cheater plug (has three prong socket, and goes to two prong only.)

 If that eliminates the hum, and you are worried about electrical safety, then get an isolating surge suppressor like the Brickwall. 

 -Ed


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## Snake

Thanks 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 I was worried about the 'sound' of the cheater plug being poor, so I instead ripped the ground pin out of the greatest-affected component's cable. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Yeah, seems extreme, but worked perfectly and didn't compromise the AC signal coming in (well, with the exception of losing the ground!).

 FWIW the Volex cable I got was *really* well made - getting that pin ripped out was a small b@!tch! It was soldered in to the cable, not just crimped, and well seated into that molded plug as well. I practically had to bend the ground pin into knots in order to flex it enough to unseat and pull it out, and then I had to cut the ground wire seperately - it didn't pull out of the pin, it came with it for the trip!


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## Edwood

Gah! Dear god, man! did you try a cheater plug before the radical surgery? Well, I guess that's why the PS Audio xStream PC's have a removeable ground pin now.

 -Ed


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## Snake

Quote:


 _Originally posted by Edwood _
*Gah! Dear god, man! did you try a cheater plug before the radical surgery? * 
 









 ! I'm smiling and laughing for you sound like one of my friends. Much fun 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 No, I didn't try the cheater plug. Figured if I'm gonna dive off the bridge, I may as well do it without the bungie cord. 
  Quote:


 *
 Well, I guess that's why the PS Audio xStream PC's have a removeable ground pin now. *
*


I tried looking for a 2 wire, 3 pin IEC, fully shielded, 14g AC cord but that seemed like a pipe dream. So, it was the pliers solution, baby! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Having that removable ground pin sounds like a great, and very intelligent, idea. Thumbs up to them. Can you reinsert it if necessary, or is it a one-way deal?*


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## Edwood

It actually screws into place and unscrews to remove. So yes, it's replaceable. Pretty neat.

 -Ed


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## Mr.PD

Do you guys think that those PS Audio power cables are worth the money they charge for them? Or, would I be better off with some cheaper outfit?


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## Welly Wu

don't own it anymore


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## tortie

Thanks for your impressions Welly 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Im thinking about that PS audio power card myself.


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## 00940

Hey Edwood, don't you owe us the review of the crazy scobidoo power cord ?


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## Edwood

LOL, haha. You remember that?

 OK, I'll bring it to the SoCal Meet tomorrow and see what everyone else has to say. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I'll have to say, that the PS Audio xStreams are pretty special because they make their own Plugs and IEC connectors. Amazing stuff. Really stiff and heavy, though. A real pain to work with. Make sure you have extra length than you think. They don't bend easily. 

 -Ed


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## Canman

I have the Xstream prelude, which is the cheaper version. Starts at $100 for 1 meter and I think its a great cable. I would be hesitant to spend more on a power cable. 

 I also have the Quail cable and I don't think it sounds any different from an average 14 gauge cable.


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