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Power cord replacements for MC30’s. To the local hardware store or to the audiophile cable sites?

angelaudio

angelaudio

Super Member
Good evening fellow AK’ers.

I need to replace the power cords on my MC30’s and again I’m scratching my head wondering whether to just get some by-the-foot cable cord from the local hardware store or go for something higher-end that is geared toward hi-if audio.

I did a little research online but could not find anything conclusive. I would appreciate it if someone could point me in the right direction. Thank you all in advance:beerchug:
 
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My Opinion...

Wire warehouse supply or Home Despot or Menards...
I did my Techincs SA 800 with a really nice cord I had on hand I kept from some thing I cut the cord off of long ago...and
I needed to do it because the cord gotten chafed by the previous owner..
When driven hard with the original cord which was smaller the lights on the front panel would dim during heavy Bass tracks ..
Now it no longer does that, and the heat sinks on the amplifier do not get as warm after heavy use.

Whatever you get just make sure it's pure oxygen free real copper
 
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angelaudio said:
Nice! So two-prong right?
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I went back and looked at my ebay purchasing history. It is still for sale. Yes, non-polarized (both prongs the same). It is a nice molded plug end. If you bought wire by the foot you would have to kluge a screw on plug (usually big and clunky).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Coleman-Cable-09327-6-16-2-Wire-Gauge-Black-Replacement-Iron-Cord/282971798028?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l46252

Also, it is a flat cable so I was able to reuse the plastic chassis strain relief. All the other cords I found non-polarized had a round cord consisting of two insulated wires inside a black sheath. They would not work with the existing chassis hole and strain relief of my C33.

IMG_0684.JPG
 
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Would something like this be ok to use? It’s a switch for a 40w lamp but what I like about having the switch on the power cord is the convenience of being able to control the power without disconnecting the cord from the wall.
BDCCC7C0-B068-47A8-A44C-137C653FB0EB.jpeg
 
damacman said:
Like @Harvestor said, be sure it's Copper and not Copper Clad Aluminum (CCA). If the link @jlovda refers above is Copper wire, then that's a nice deal right there. My personally, I'd pass on that switch thing - you should see how those are wired internally.
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Thanks for the advice @damacman. I'm just being lazy and want something easy to reach, but I guess a power strip would be fine too.
 
Replacement power cords available from Audio Classics for $11 ea. There were two different styles used on the MC30 - one round and one flat.
 
Menards has a "heater rated" wire that is polarized, flexible, rated for 15 amps and less than $10.00 in their electrical supply section.

It is like what would be plugged into a old school electric skillet so I just cut off the appliance end.
 
If the original cord was non-polarized, wouldn't you replace it with the same type? The OP would have to check if he has a flat or round cord. The hole in the chassis may be different.
 
Non polarized is what Audio Classics used on my MC30s since this was OEM. They had different style cords and were replaced accordingly. Apparantly the amplifiers were both purchased new by the same owner at separate times when he transitioned from mono to stereo (also adding a C8S preamplifier).
 
While the electrical code has been upgraded many times since the MC30s were designed, and while it is well know that making mods to meet all the modern standards can cause many side issues, not at the least following polarity, that is, insuring the hot side of the plug goes to the right side of the transformer just makes sense.

Whether the cords were round or flat, proper strain relief should be observed with the correct cord locking insert that will fit the chassis.

For my tube amps I use a delayed sequencing power strip that turns on the amps well after the tube preamp is in its warm up stage.
 
On power strips:
I use a "smart" power strip, when the load plugged into the "smart socket" is turned on it turns on the switched outlets, my MC tube amps are always in the switched outlets. Works great. The delay-on system Chris uses also works.

Regarding polarized / non-polarized plugs/cords:
The up-side is that you can use the hot side to the fuse, neutral direct to the transformer.
The down-side is that you can't plug it into same-era gear with switched outlets (such as Mc preamps) as the polarized plug will not fit. Also, if you have a ground/shield noise issue and want to reverse the plug to see if it alleviates the problem, that will only work if the other piece of equipment has a non-polar plug since this one will not anymore.

I like polarized plugs.
 
I bought cords from Home Depot with 3 prong plugs molded to the cords and flying leads on the other ends. I grounded the chasses on my MC-30s and they work just fine. It's not regulation restoration grade, but it is safe. Also, if you have MC-30's, note that the power transformers have taps on the primary for different line voltage levels. Check to be sure yours are set for 120V rather than one of the lower voltage taps.
 
egellings said:
I bought cords from Home Depot with 3 prong plugs molded to the cords and flying leads on the other ends. I grounded the chasses on my MC-30s and they work just fine. It's not regulation restoration grade, but it is safe. Also, if you have MC-30's, note that the power transformers have taps on the primary for different line voltage levels. Check to be sure yours are set for 120V rather than one of the lower voltage taps.
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I have the a-116b’s so it’s 125v or 115v. Did grounding eliminate any noise issues?
 
I did not have a noise problem on my MC-30s with 2 wire cords and had none after installing 3-wire cords. My line voltage measured 119Vrms, so I selected the higher tap on the power transformer to make life easier on everything. For me, it was simply a safety issue, since all other equipment in my setup uses 3-wire cords. They sound just fine!
 
SaturationPt said:
Regarding polarized / non-polarized plugs/cords:
The up-side is that you can use the hot side to the fuse, neutral direct to the transformer.
The down-side is that you can't plug it into same-era gear with switched outlets (such as Mc preamps) as the polarized plug will not fit. Also, if you have a ground/shield noise issue and want to reverse the plug to see if it alleviates the problem, that will only work if the other piece of equipment has a non-polar plug since this one will not anymore.

I like polarized plugs.
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So you prefer the polarized because you don’t plug into non polarized outlets anyway? I don’t plug my amps into the I switched outlets on my preamp so I’m guessing polarized would be the better choice? I’m having some issues with very quiet static noise that is alleviated whenever I touch the gain or hum control. Could this be related to the power cord? Would having a grounded cord help?
 
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