If you’ve got time then please do take a few more - I’d love to see it.
Looking at todays Forum Factory visit photo’s, I was pleased to see the Naim Dem Room power block is made with 3x unswitched double MK Logic Plus sockets. Looks like they recognise quality over BS. … just like myself..
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Yes that’s why I posted it. It looks just like @Skeptikal s and yours.
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“Looks like” is about all.
Naim’s sockets are MK Logic but not Skeptikal’s, but they do look like good quality.
His photos show he has wired them in “daisy chain”, the downside of which is the amp load from one unit can affect the others, hence the discussions on preferred socket order.
I suspect Naim also have theirs wired the same simply because there is no space inside the box for junction block(s).
As I indicated in my previous post, mine is wired in radial.
How do you connect inside the sockets to give you the radial wiring? Which junction blocks / connectors do you use?
What about space in the box with a blanking plate rather than sockets? Could there be space for junction blocks?
Yes, the j-blocks are inside the box with the blanking plate.
I could use the traditional plastic strip type blocks as used by some power strip vendors, but this means cramming x4 wires into x1 terminal pole (x12 wires into x3 terminal poles, and is potentially unsafe with 4mm/2 input and 3x 2.5mm/2 output wires.
I use splitters rather than junction strips, they’re 80 amp rated with double screw connections for each individual wire.
Yes they are much larger and take up more room than the plastic strip type, but they really do make a far far better connection.
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Henley blocks work for me. Plenty of room to take multiple/large cables.
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My sockets are all .
MK Logic Plus 13A 2 Gang Unswitched Socket White
MKK0781 13 Amp 2 Gang Double Unswitched Socket - White.
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Hi @Skeptikal ….. you might have MK sockets, and if so that’s my mistake, …. but for sure you don’t have 2 Gang, this means double (x 2) outlets, yours are 1 Gang.
My first block had double gang MK LOGIC PLUS double unswitched but my New one has three single 1 gang MK LOGIC PLUS single unswitched sockets.
Yes I was referring to your latest single socketed block pictured in this thread. I did not see the slight chamfer along the top edge of a MK Logic and the rear side looked different from my spare sockets so assumed they were not Logics. My Spare MK’s are previously used made in UK versions so it must that yours shown in the pics are new and made in Malaysia.
I believe that the Rapid Fix spring loaded contacts make a much better contact area, and over their life they maintain a continuously constant contact with solid core wire as they cannot suffer with loose screws (that they don’t have)
I’m not sure how they behave with multicore flex, I guess they will be better or must be used with ferrules.
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There’s a third method and that would be to wire them like a small ring-main. Apparently this is how the Musicworks blocks are wired, which I find slightly interesting as I never really got on with the Musicworks block that I had!
As for the audio industries offerings; I’ve tried both the expensive S6/M6 Chord blocks but thought they affected both the timing and dynamics slightly, then a couple of weeks ago I had a Puritan 108 block on loan. However, I didn’t realise it came with the C19 16amp kettle plug, so couldn’t really use my Powerline on it. I did try the Puritan mains lead that came with the block but this proved to be quite poor compared to the sound I get with my current Wireworld Matrix 2 and Powerline combination, so the Puritan went back.
As simple as it looks to build a mains block I think there’s a lot of things in play here. The layout for one, what layout is the best? The materials used, the gauge of wire, the type of wire, the connections, dealing with vibration and potential interference. All of this makes a difference to how it sounds. For now I’m very happy with my Wireworld but if I get bored I may have a go at some DIY!
Hi Geko, yes a lot of mixed opinions around mains stuff. Personally having been around the hifi, stage/group and elec/electrons industry for many years, I’m no nearer as to what’s best.
I’ve used daisy chain, ring and radial and have settled on radial, closely followed by ring.
Wire copper/plating types IMO are less important but my jury is out on dielectric. I have rubber similar to the Naim Powerline and Supra LoRad shielded PVC.
Naim units run at very low amps and I still don’t understand why a 2.5mm wire can sound better than a perfectly adequate 0.75mm. My power block is fed by 4mm and each of the 3 radials in the block is stripped out Supra LoRad 2.5mm.
Cables to each of the units are a mix of Supra LoRad 2.5mm and 1.5mm.
Whatever, I’m done, probably until a planned house move in a year or two
Agreed, I find it quite fascinating that even small inconsequential things seem to have surprisingly big effect. Why does the stock Naim power lead sound ‘musically’ better, to my ears, than 90% of the other stuff out there (although Powerlines do seem to be the exception)? Then there’s the puzzling questions like why couldn’t I get my old CDX2.2 to sound any good with a Powerline? It’s the one and only piece of Naim kit I had that didn’t respond well to a Powerline! It always sounded better with the stock lead for some reason.
I’ve had a more recent odd ball effect when I started using a secondary Cisco switch with my EE8 and tried a stock Naim power lead but the rather cheap and nasty kettle plug that came with the Cisco sounds loads better?
I also have a dedicated radial supply to the system using 6mm2 cable to three MK twin unswitched sockets but I find a simple Wireworld trailing socket sounds better and musically more cohesive? It’s not the star earthing as I’ve star earthed the MK wall sockets, so why is it I wonder?
Star earthing with Naim and all other audio brands is all about source & preamp signal level ground paths, nothing related to 230vAC power.
‘Star’ is called radial in UK power distribution, but reconfiguring the earth (safety earth) only into radial will do nothing for SQ as it only connects the unit casings to earth (ground)
My experience with Wireworld has not been positive, but let’s just leave it at that.
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Yes I agree completely. The differences between various commercially available blocks really highlights this.
I’m very curious about your comments on the Chord S6/M6 blocks. Could you possibly expand on these please? I’m interested because we have an M6 on the main system, an S6 on the TV/Blu ray player (sound through the system) and an S6 on the router/ONT box (a legacy from the Melco days). As part of our abandoned plan to change back to Naim a few weeks ago I temporarily took out the M6 and plugged the system into the wall via a really cheap and nasty 3 way adapter. It sounded much worse in every respect except that I got the curious impression that it timed slightly better and more naturally. It was as though the M6 was slightly ‘sitting’ on the sound somehow and constricting it. But overall it’s much better with than without. Bass is deeper, more solid and the sound is bigger, more immediate and more authoritative.
Still I’m left wondering. Maybe it’s the Chord Epic mains cable on the block and not the block itself. We have Powerlines from block to equipment. I’m thinking maybe I should try a Powerline on the M6 (we have a spare one currently on our TV !), which would obviously require an IEC C13 to C19 adapter. Or buy a Lite, chop off the moulded IEC and fit a C19. I’m fascinated again by your comments on the cables. I take this all very seriously because I know very well the big differences to performance that it can make.
