"Upgrading" your power cord

[Brumby]

In another thread on the forum, a member was having difficulties efficiently fitting a mains socket to a number of project boxes - so I thought I'd see if there were any Youtube videos that might offer some ideas.

I came across this one and couldn't stop watching to see what he would do next...

[ataradov]

I feel a sudden need to attach something silver to my AM/FM radio. Just imagine all the benefits.

Here is a video proof that there is no limit to stupidity.

[BrianHG]

Please kill me now!
Why is he doing this if the old plug is fine?

[Brumby]

What did you think of his home-made 4-wire plait mains hook-up cables using "10% silver plated copper" ... to "reject radio frequency information"?

[Mechatrommer]

Why is he doing this if the old plug is fine?

because he doesn't like to carry that thing around with dangling wire sweeping about. + unearthed plug is pretty much by now... illegal (in civilized countries at least)

[ataradov]

because he doesn't like to carry that thing around with dangling wire sweeping about. + unearthed plug is pretty much by now... illegal (in civilized countries at least)

He is doing this because he is an idiot that believes that silver plated mains wires will improve the sound of his crappy cassette deck.

It is a double insulated device, it is still very legal to make them and plenty are getting made.

[Ian.M]

What a moron.  Leaving aside the AudioPhool aspects of it, wouldn't any sane person turn the unit upside down and maybe even tape a bag over the inside of the area of the panel to be worked on to minimise the risk of swarf getting to the circuit boards and mechanism?   

On the AudioPhool side of things, where do you stop?   There are copper tracks on the board you could peel off and replace with silver foil, but what about the copper wire in the transformer primary winding?  Then there is all that nasty copper wire in the wall running back to a breaker panel that may well have brass contacts, and maybe transitioning to aluminum meter tails and feed from the pole transformer, then befire that, the probability of overhead HV wires, made of aluminum strands over a high tensile steel core, certainly *not* nicely woven together to reject EMI.

It really is a case of gilding (or in this case silver-plating) a turd.

[Mechatrommer]

because he doesn't like to carry that thing around with dangling wire sweeping about. + unearthed plug is pretty much by now... illegal (in civilized countries at least)

He is doing this because he is an idiot that believes that silver plated mains wires will improve the sound of his crappy cassette deck.

well at least he knows how to solder. let the phoolery aside (that can trigger infinite stupidity discussion) one new thing i learn (i didnt watch entirely not worth my time) is we have to get live and neutral wire correctly placed in the plug otherwise

[BravoV]

50 pounds for that one socket ? 

[Mechatrommer]

he deserved that...

[Brumby]

50 pounds for that one socket ? 

That's if you were to have bought it locally.

He got his from China for about 9  £8-80.  You, know ... the good stuff with four 9's copper and rhodium plated.   

[BrianHG]

What a moron.  Leaving aside the AudioPhool aspects of it, wouldn't any sane person turn the unit upside down and maybe even tape a bag over the inside of the area of the panel to be worked on to minimise the risk of swarf getting to the circuit boards and mechanism?   

On the AudioPhool side of things, where do you stop?   There are copper tracks on the board you could peel off and replace with silver foil, but what about the copper wire in the transformer primary winding?  Then there is all that nasty copper wire in the wall running back to a breaker panel that may well have brass contacts, and maybe transitioning to aluminum meter tails and feed from the pole transformer, then befire that, the probability of overhead HV wires, made of aluminum strands over a high tensile steel core, certainly *not* nicely woven together to reject EMI.

It really is a case of gilding (or in this case silver-plating) a turd.

If your going for that audiophool aspect, what about the additional contacts made by using such an additional plug, with terminal screwed on wires, instead of the original directly soldered wire where you had at least 3x2, 6 total change in conductors/metal types mechanically bonded together by mechanical spring force and screw terminals.

Something somewhere in there has got to introduce more problems over time compared to the simple original all insulated copper wire soldered at the tabs of the AC transformer.

[Ian.M]

Yep, he's only making it worse.  Anyone rational would realise that replacing the last two yards of ordinary copper wire with hand-braided silver plated OFC wire, isn't going to produce a measurable or even noticeable improvement, even if it was lovingly massaged with the secretions of rare pixies, cryogenically treated and blessed by the Pope.  Its the other tens or hundreds of miles back to the power plant that is impossible to 'upgrade' to AudioPhool standards that matters the most, unless the device's existing power lead is so crappy it is a fire hazard.

However, the whole AudioPhool industry is built on the premise that the punters are *totally* incapable of critical thinking . . . .

[DimitriP]

but what about the copper wire in the transformer primary winding?  Then there is all that nasty copper wire in the wall running back to a breaker panel that may well have brass contacts, and maybe transitioning to aluminum meter tails and feed from the pole transformer, then befire that, the probability of overhead HV wires, made of aluminum strands over a high tensile steel core, certainly *not* nicely woven together to reject EMI.

The plasic wallplate keeps all this stuff inside the wall silly !!

[newbrain]

Not to pile up on the poor guy, but...

Before:


And after the "professional job"  :

[Brumby]

Considering what else he did to the back panel, I could almost forgive him for that.

However, forgiving him for any part of what he did (and publishing a video about it) just doesn't have a comfortable feel about it.

[jasonbrent]

I regret seeing this post. Now i have to watch more of his videos.

[Brumby]

I resisted .... but if you find some more gems, we have the place for them...   

[Gregg]

His Youtube moniker is Tweakerman
What is he smoking? 

[Brumby]

His Youtube moniker is Tweakerman

I was wondering how long it would take before someone commented on that.

I cracked up the first time I heard him say it.

[MarkF]

Did I see that right?
While tinning the first end of the red wire, he put the solder in his mouth to unroll more.
Can we say?  Too much lead in his diet!

[Cyberdragon]

Did I see that right?
While tinning the first end of the red wire, he put the solder in his mouth to unroll more.
Can we say?  Too much lead in his diet!

You won't get lead poisoning unless you actually eat it. Minor contact is insignificant.

Of course...for all we know...he could eat solder!

[rsjsouza]

...as if an AIWA equipment was anywhere near any degree of refinement to need silver-whatever-type-of-audio-phool-crap in its design... 

Did I see that right?
While tinning the first end of the red wire, he put the solder in his mouth to unroll more.
Can we say?  Too much lead in his diet!

If that is a problem, I am a walking lead soldier... I lost count of how many times my "third hand" was my mouth holding the solder... 

[newbrain]

I made a quick tour of his videos.
It is amusing the first few minutes, but it quickly gets painful and repetitive.

His fixation with Teflon tape, silver clad wire and unshielded interconnects is saddening.

If that is a problem, I am a walking lead soldier...

Great! Maybe, being more conductive, you can now directly receive Radio Frequency Information!

And, no: it's not a slip of the tongue, as it's repeated in other videos.
As is the interesting explanation about relative permittivity*:

https://youtu.be/vLTpJL2_qPM?t=88

https://youtu.be/9cliT6P-xUc?t=40

Having no EE or even high school physics knowledge is of course not a fault.
Spouting this kind of nonsense is, when Wikipedia and many online course are one click away.

*As a silver lining (10%), I did learn one thing: "dielectric constant" is now deprecated by the IEEE, at least according to WP.

[wraper]

Why is he doing this if the old plug is fine?

because he doesn't like to carry that thing around with dangling wire sweeping about. + unearthed plug is pretty much by now... illegal (in civilized countries at least)

Why denon receiver I bought last year is not grounded then? Actually it intentionally uses C18 socket (C14 without ground pin).

The C17/C18 coupler is often used in audio applications where a floating ground is maintained to eliminate hum caused by ground loops.