There are three basic types of plugs that can be fitted on our power cables and those three basic types have different qualities of plug available.
The first are most often called a 'figure-of-8' connector. These are becoming much more common but are used mainly with sources such as CD/DVD players and sometimes with TVs. They are called figure-of-8 because when looked at end on, they look like the number '8'. Figure-8 connectors only have live and neutral 'poles' and can often sound different connected either matched polarity or reversed polatity. We therefore recommend listening, unplugging from the wall socket, turning the connector 'upside-down', plugging back in and listening again - one way will probably sound better to you than the other.
The next type of plug is the standard IEC. This is sometimes called a 'kettle plug' or 15A IEC (110-120v), is fitted to most equipment and is used on our PowerBars, X-Blocks and PowerPurifiers. When looked at end on with the single terminal at the top, the sockets are arranged vertically in the plug. Some components have sockets which look like the standard IEC but omit the single pin at the top. This means that the equipment is 'double insulated' and lacks the earth pin; this standard IEC still fits and is the correct plug to use in this situation.
The final type of connector is the High Current IEC, also know as the 20A (110-120v) . This is much rarer on equipment but is found on some larger power amps such as those from Audio Research. High Current IEC sockets are fitted to our Balanced Mains Units. Our older Ultra Purifiers, SilencerBlocks and MainsBlocks were also fitted with these connectors. When looked at end on with the single pin at the top, the sockets are arranged horizontally in the plug.It's important to make sure you are choosing the correct connector for your equipment as none of them are interchangeable.
What to look for
The power cables on our website are differentiated by their mains plugs and IEC plugs. The images of the cables show the mains plugs and sockets you will receive with a particular cable; their names also indicate which type of IEC or figure-of-8 socket you will receive.
The following plug names are all figure-of-8 types:
Figure-8 - this is a standard, high quality figure-of-8 plug. It is used on PowerKord-8.
W340 EVO - this is a higher-performance, Wattgate figure-of-8 plug, used on YellO Power, PowerKord-108 and PowerKord-308.
W370 RH EVO - this is the top-of-the-range Rhodium-plated Wattgate figure-of-8 plug used on the PowerKord-508.
The following plug names are all standard IEC types. This type of standard IEC socket is fitted to most equipment and is fitted to our PowerBars, X-Blocks and PowerPurifier.
IEC - this is a standard, high quality IEC plug, used only on our YellO Power cable.
W320 EVO - this is a higher performance Wattgate standard IEC plug, used on PowerKord-100 and PowerKord-300.
W350 RH EVO (sometimes called W350 EVO Rhodium) - this is the top-of-the-range Rhodium-plated Wattgate standard IEC plug, used on the PowerKord-500.
The following plug names are all High-Current IEC types. Remember, these are a different shape and will only fit the input IEC socket on our Balanced Mains Units, and on some larger power amps. These plugs will not fit the majority of equipment.
W320 20A (sometimes called W320i HC) - Higher performance, Wattgate High Current IEC plug, fitted as an option to our PowerKord-100 and PowerKord-300.
W350 EVO RH HC - top-of-the-range rhodium-plated Wattgate High Current IEC plug, fitted to the PowerKord-500.
About Plug Quality
The plugs we offer have been chosen for their performance. The standard figure-of-8 and IEC plugs are robust and offer good performance; higher sound quality can be achieved by opting for the Wattgate connectors.
The Wattgate 340 EVO, Wattgate 320 EVO and Wattgate 320i HC plugs are non-plated and offer good value performance.
The Wattgate 370 EVO Rhodium, Wattgate 350 EVO Rhodium and Wattgate 350 EVO Rhodium HC plugs feature a complex, multi-layer plating process. The rhodium-plated EVO plugs fitted to the PowerKord-500 sound the best.
