Mains Cables R US Blog

The Conductivity of Metals Used in Hi-Fi.

Nov 202011

Different conductor materials are being used for audio purposes, the superiority of which is often being claimed by the respective supplier/manufacturer – sometimes without words, just by charging a high price. For instance, you can find brass mains plugs in the audio sector, which have been taken out of the production process before being nickel plated, subsequently being marked “genuine only here”, and then being sold for a lot of money. Or plugs from naked copper, which (just like the naked brass plugs) have no oxidation stability. The reasoning of companies supplying such plugs is always based on the conductivity, [...]

Squeezebox Touch, how to make it sound better!

Portable Music Appliances No Responses »

Nov 092011

Squeezebox Touch, how to make it sound better!

As the public at large move away from physical media (CD’s, DVD, Blu-Ray) and towards network storage and ripped and downloaded music on i-pods and PC’s a new knight in shining armour has emerged. The Squeezebox Touch is made by Logitech and has almost certainly helped to revolutionize how we listen to music in the 21st century. It is an interface to play music stored on a computer or storage device and works brilliantly. It may well be responsible for the death of the CD in time. With millions sold and many used by audiophiles who demand the best, Mains Cables R Us have developed ways to take the [...]

Vinyl is not dead, it just needs a new turntable – John Peel

Turntable & Vinyl No Responses »

Nov 092011

Vinyl is not dead, it just needs a new turntable - John Peel

The humble record player has been around since the 1960’s and probably earlier examples still exist. When CD was invented it promised perfect sound forever, that was not the case as many hi-fi enthusiasts discovered vinyl sounds better. The argument goes on but vinyl is now growing again as people become bored with CD and much prefer the analogue replay system. The record never really died, it just slept for a few years as CD took a hold of the market and the shiny silver disc grew into DVD and Blu-Ray. With sales of CD’s declining mainly due to i-pods and [...]

Music on the go with the “Furutech Cruise” Headphone Amplifier.

Portable Music Appliances No Responses »

Oct 312011

Ever since the invention of the Sony Walkman and before, people have listened to music whilst walking or travelling. The concept has been around since the 1970′s and has developed over many years from a bulky and heavy compact cassette player to today’s ultra modern i-phone or android device with either wired or wireless headphones playing 1000′s of songs stored digitally on a glorified memory stick. Whilst the method to store the music files has changed from a cassette to a cd to mp3 one thing has remained the same, the sound quality leaves something to be desired. An mp3 file is [...]

Wall Wart Power Supply’s

Streaming (how and why) No Responses »

Sep 022011

Most of the most modern small hi-fi gadgets like the Squeezebox Touch, Cambridge Dacmagic, Netgear Routers, Beresford Caiman DAC are all powered using direct current (DC) the main reason being one of safety as 12volts DC is not lethal if an accident occurs. There are many others and all have DC power supply’s housed in a small black plug, otherwise known as a wall wart. Inside is a switch mode power supply (SMPS), used because they are easy to produce, are very efficient and cost not a lot. From an audiophile viewpoint however they are the worst culprits for injecting [...]

Turntables, who needs em!

Turntable & Vinyl No Responses »

Jul 232011

As an audiophile for over 30 years and the owner of numerous turntables I have seen the vinyl renaissance take place over the last 4 or 5 years to a point where youngsters are hunting the bargain bins at their local weekend markets for used vinyl to play on their Rega’s or Project’s. Quite refreshing to see but frustrating because the turntables will not be set up properly and the vinyl will almost certainly be in need of a good clean. When properly set up even a modest vinyl spinner will give CD a good run for it’s money, the music sounds fuller and [...]

The Mains Supply

The Mains Supply No Responses »

Jun 212011

How many times have you sat back in your favorite listening chair around midnight or the early hours and noted just how spectacular your hi-fi system sounds? Then have you noticed how the sound deteriorates early evening? What you’re hearing is not just your system, but the mains supply. The bad news is, things are going to get much worse, but there is something you can do to get that ‘Midnight’ sound all of the time. Know Your Enemy! What you’re fighting in your mains system is not just one problem, but a number of problems, all of which affect [...]

Starter Cable

Cable Info No Responses »

Feb 182011

In reply to the many questions I am asked about what is the best mains cable to use for starter systems and up-grades from the shop bought mains cord supplied with the equipment, the answer is Belden 19364. Not just for starter systems either, many big name manufacturers use this cable in their supplied power cords.