DIY hydra?
- Thread starter Rupert Hawkes
- Start date
martin clark
pinko bodger
Another thumbs-up here, works a treat and it's all I need (or want!)
Rupert Hawkes
pfm Member
So how does it compare to say the Grahams £80 3 way hydra?
Certainly cheaper but does it do the same thang?
Certainly cheaper but does it do the same thang?
Rupert Hawkes
pfm Member
@Bob, thanks for your input, invaluable.
But not, it would appear, so short that you can't find the time to come on this forum to tell us you don't have time to listen to mains cables...
You can find the mains plugs here. They're identical to ones sold elsewhere.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MULTIWAY-4-in...QtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem?hash=item110080118701
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MULTIWAY-4-in...QtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem?hash=item110080118701
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
That's a bit of a closed mind approach!
I can tell you that mains cables do make a difference.
Of course, nobody is going to build up a collection of mains cables and treat thir friends and family to a cable listening session every fortnight, are they?
But there is some value in experimenting a bit.
Personally I've never heard either the multiplug one nor a Grahams Hydra, but would like to compare the latter against my home-brew one (I've twice been let down on buying one from PFM members).
So basically, there is no harm in tweaking, and it's not a waste of time.
mr_spanners
pfm Member
Just bought one of the multiplug hydra 'thingies' off Ebay too. At less than a fiver inc P&P it's got to be worth a go!!!
Rupert Hawkes
pfm Member
I bought the ones WITHOUT the ghastly neons! I hope you did too. I agree at £5 at least it will help tidy the cables. And as I mentioned before, if it's good enough for Grahams it's good enough for me.
No more lying in bed wondering whether that crappo extension socket is holding my Naims back.
No more lying in bed wondering whether that crappo extension socket is holding my Naims back.
My humble take on the subject:
I took a very nice, large, PVC mains distributor that allowed easy access to its guts
http://www.ltt-versand.de/shop/distributor-electric-sockets-pi-1053.html
and replaced its internal wiring. In the original version each socket is simply connected to the next one using short solid core bridges. The worst you can imagine for sound, but the "internal geometry" showed some potential, because everything was easily accessible. I rewired with three star wirings for Phase, Neutral and Earth, using teflon insulated solid core copper wires (2.5 sqmm each) bought for a song at Conrad (conrad.de).
With a bit of care everything fit inside, running the wires along the "walls" of the distributor: the trick is to take the wires for phase and neutral from the mains wire to between the second and third, and third and fourth sockets, respectively, and from that point have the star go in *both* directions to each socket. Now, nowhere you have to run more than 7 wires in parallel! Otherwise the wires do not fit, _OR_ you have to settle for 1.5 sqmm wires.
Furthermore, three 1-to-6 junctions would not fit in the cramped space before the first socket. I have found nice brass junctions that allow for a total of just above 20 sqmm, so I can just have all seven wires go through it and then I screw it as tightly as possible, de facto crimping the wires together.
That was for Schuko connectors, I am sure you can find nice mains distributors for U.K. plugs too. If you find one with plenty of space inside, no wiring gimmicks are required. A bit more work than a hydra, but more flexible in usage, provided your sockets and plugs ensure good contacts.
I used a Lapp Ölflex Classic 110 CY 3G2.5 for the supply. In Germany it is quite the rage, has been praised by Stereo as a very good industrial wire that can rival a lot of esoteric mains wires and in fact it works well. I connected the shield, too, to the ground on both sides -- OTOH, the mains cables to the components do not have the shielding connected to earth on the IEC side. By doing this, the "circuit" is equivalent to a hydra (either this one, or the graham hydra).
I also have another mains distributor, built from this one
http://www.ltt-versand.de/shop/distributor-electric-sockets-pi-1054.html
the internal connections there are by quite massive brass rails. I did not replace them since that would be a bit more difficult and with 8 sockets finding the space would be slightly trickier, unless I settle for much thinner internal cabling (as in some mains distributors that are sold on ebay made from the same distributor).
Differences between the two: the Aluminium distributor sounds a little more euphonic, but in fact it hides some detail. The star-connected, pvc distributor is more dynamic, and there is more detail. Both were clear improvements over the cheapo convenience store power strip, the differences between the two really small. I am in no mood to try a Isotek distributor, or HMS Energia, or other expensive stuff. Investing the same anount of money in the "main" equipment would (IMHO) give bigger improvements... and as I recently spent considerable time and money to build my Fraim-inspired rack, for now I allow myself no further expenses and just relax, and enjoy the music.
cheers
Roberto
I took a very nice, large, PVC mains distributor that allowed easy access to its guts
http://www.ltt-versand.de/shop/distributor-electric-sockets-pi-1053.html
and replaced its internal wiring. In the original version each socket is simply connected to the next one using short solid core bridges. The worst you can imagine for sound, but the "internal geometry" showed some potential, because everything was easily accessible. I rewired with three star wirings for Phase, Neutral and Earth, using teflon insulated solid core copper wires (2.5 sqmm each) bought for a song at Conrad (conrad.de).
With a bit of care everything fit inside, running the wires along the "walls" of the distributor: the trick is to take the wires for phase and neutral from the mains wire to between the second and third, and third and fourth sockets, respectively, and from that point have the star go in *both* directions to each socket. Now, nowhere you have to run more than 7 wires in parallel! Otherwise the wires do not fit, _OR_ you have to settle for 1.5 sqmm wires.
Furthermore, three 1-to-6 junctions would not fit in the cramped space before the first socket. I have found nice brass junctions that allow for a total of just above 20 sqmm, so I can just have all seven wires go through it and then I screw it as tightly as possible, de facto crimping the wires together.
That was for Schuko connectors, I am sure you can find nice mains distributors for U.K. plugs too. If you find one with plenty of space inside, no wiring gimmicks are required. A bit more work than a hydra, but more flexible in usage, provided your sockets and plugs ensure good contacts.
I used a Lapp Ölflex Classic 110 CY 3G2.5 for the supply. In Germany it is quite the rage, has been praised by Stereo as a very good industrial wire that can rival a lot of esoteric mains wires and in fact it works well. I connected the shield, too, to the ground on both sides -- OTOH, the mains cables to the components do not have the shielding connected to earth on the IEC side. By doing this, the "circuit" is equivalent to a hydra (either this one, or the graham hydra).
I also have another mains distributor, built from this one
http://www.ltt-versand.de/shop/distributor-electric-sockets-pi-1054.html
the internal connections there are by quite massive brass rails. I did not replace them since that would be a bit more difficult and with 8 sockets finding the space would be slightly trickier, unless I settle for much thinner internal cabling (as in some mains distributors that are sold on ebay made from the same distributor).
Differences between the two: the Aluminium distributor sounds a little more euphonic, but in fact it hides some detail. The star-connected, pvc distributor is more dynamic, and there is more detail. Both were clear improvements over the cheapo convenience store power strip, the differences between the two really small. I am in no mood to try a Isotek distributor, or HMS Energia, or other expensive stuff. Investing the same anount of money in the "main" equipment would (IMHO) give bigger improvements... and as I recently spent considerable time and money to build my Fraim-inspired rack, for now I allow myself no further expenses and just relax, and enjoy the music.
cheers
Roberto