IEC contacts fits badly in my 400 amps.

[Manoet]

Far as I know all Oyaide "e" series are male Schuko's. The IACS % chart shows the very highest grade of beryllium copper (C17500) to be only 45% as conductive as copper or 55% less conductive than copper. And F'tech is currently designing pure alpha series 100% OFC female conductors that use non-magnetic heavy gauge stainless steel wire springs to press the female conductors against the male blades. Takes all the stress off copper having to flex. Its in all GTX-D outlets and they're incredible! Wouldn't surprise me at all to see many AC terminations like FIEC's from them follow suit with the same spring clamping system in the future.

[Antoine]

Oops, yes you guys are right. I meant the Oyaide C-079 IEC connector. The P-079e is indeed the schuko. Both are on the Lessloss power cables.


From Lessloss.com

Oyaide 079: high quality, high performance
The 079’s contact pins are individually machined out of single pieces of solid bar stock (deoxidized phosphorous bronze), instead of being stamped, crimped, or welded together, as is standard practice in mass manufacturing. This offers the best conductivity. Also, no nickel plating is used between the bronze and 24K gold. Instead, the surface is polished by hand, twice. These two polishing processes, combined with two layers of gold, yield a mirror perfect finish.

Hand polishing is carried out to a perfection which the audiophile will appreciate. Does this seem unnecessary? Nobody would go to this trouble if it weren’t audible, right? We tested it. A little fine sandpaper and a few cringes later, we must confirm Oyaide’s findings. For more information please see the manufacturer’s website: www.Oyaide.com

The 079 is rigid, stable, and mechanically strong. It is heat-resistant up to 200°C. The shell of the connector is made of high density PBT with 30% glass-particle filler introduced into the body holding the electrical contacts. This provides high resonance absorption while maintaining excellent rigidity and stability when used with warm temperature gear (especially important under warmer operational conditions where power plugs lose rigidity and can consequently sound muddy).




Regarding the IEC connectors, it is the pressure of the contact surface area which defines much of the quality. Through experimentation, we found this to be as audible in the ground connection as it is in the two power connections (live and neutral).

Oyaide does not compromise on metal costs. The very generous thickness of metal used gives the IEC plugs a spring action so strong that even hundreds of connections in and out do not compromise their grip.


079 vs. 004 and M1/F1: power plug shootout
First, the differences: the 079 features two layers of gold plating over deoxidized phosphorous bronze contacts. The 004 and the M1/F1 connectors both have the same beryllium copper which is then plated with layers of platinum and palladium. One would expect the plugs with copper to be more conductive, but one must also consider comparing the gold plating to the combination of platinum/palladium, which represents the actual contact. In this case, gold is more conductive. So on paper, neither solution reveals itself as necessarily better. Listening tests are in order.

Sonically, the 004 is nearly identical to the the M1/F1 (platinum/palladium). The only physical difference between the 004 and the M1/F1 is the differing structure and materials of the outer barrels which enclose them; everything else between them is identical. It is therefore clear that their small difference in sound is due to the differences in their barrels.

Now, comparing the 004 (platinum/palladium) against the 079 (gold), the sound is substantially, even unmistakably different, yet their barrels—apart from color—are identical (PBT). Thus, we now know definitively that the primary factor affecting sonic performance is not the shell, but rather the difference between conductive metals and their platings. And, as noted, the 079 (gold) had the more conductive surface metal. But what about the differing core conductive materials? This called for further listening tests.

We conducted our listening tests on many very different audiophile systems, and in many countries. These systems range across nearly the entirety of audiophile culture: from full-range electrostatic loudspeakers, to one-driver Lowther horn systems; from the most exotic CD transports, to high end computer audio playing from RAM on battery power; from hand made ribbon tweeters, to highly efficient horns; from transistor amps, to single-ended tube solutions; from large dedicated rooms, to small rooms and headphones. After conducting our listening tests across these systems, we must conclude that the 079 outperforms both the 004 and the M1/F1. Even putting the 079 metal contacts into the M1/F1 barrel did not result in a more neutral sound, but developed an element of artificial flavor. Further attempts to ground the aluminum barrel, though helpful, only led to unsatisfactory results.


Sonic differences between 079 (gold) and 004/M1/F1 (platinum/palladium)
After listening for only 2 minutes, most any audiophile will at first greatly prefer the 004 to the 079. A brilliant and sweetly extended high frequency sound is immediately appealing and seems at first to reveal more nuance. Bass seems very robust too, but all of this turns out to be an illusion by manipulation of harmonic content. It turns out to be a "hi-fi" effect that does not satisfy over time.

The following is a "poetic" way to describe the subjective sound imparted by the two different plugs. It is not a measured quantitative finding, but a clear depiction of the subjective resulting sound difference between the two. In reality we’re dealing with different fine shades of distortion which are truly beyond measurable quantities. So it is for the sake of simplicity, to offer you a feel for what we’ve gathered through our experience, that we present this drawing.




What we’re trying to express here is that overall, the 079 gives the subjective impression of being the more natural of the two. There is nothing artificial for the ear to "hold on to" or to perceive directly as a constant element. The gold-plated 079 seems to emulate the natural function of the ear more closely, and so it sounds more natural and genuine to the listener over time. Any slight roll-off effect one might initially suspect to perceive turns out to have been an illusion produced by comparing to the harsher, etched, unnaturally embossed high-frequency sound of the 004. This isn’t to be confused with any failure to reveal high frequency content; we’re speaking only of the content’s color.

The 004 initially creates a more 'sparkling' impression; however, approaching 20 or 30 minutes into the listening session, we realize more and more the true sonic signature of this plug. A persistent element in the sound begins to grow on you, then to disrupt the listening experience. This is made even more plain when there are 4-6 such cables powering the system. There seems to be a sort of "dip" followed by an unnatural excitation of the topmost harmonics. This beautifully (perhaps overly) detailed sound then quickly becomes tiring and fatiguing to the ear. Over the long run, it is definitely not as natural to the ear as the 079. And it is exactly the long run that we audiophiles are most interested in. Over the long run, if a solution makes it impossible to enjoy music in a natural relaxed state of compelling listening, it isn’t desirable even if the initial impression was one of more detail. The sonic detail revealed by any component should be tolerable over the long run in order that it thus prove itself to have been natural all along.

Had these comparisons been carried out on only one or few systems, there may have been a plausible explanation elsewhere, such as in some other system fault which was simply being revealed by the 004; however, we emphasize that some 20 radically different systems were used to gather this experience. These tests were carried out on systems ranging from Panasonic boom boxes all the way up to systems costing over half a million Euros. We were scrupulous in our analysis. Over 25 talented listeners took part, among which were audio professionals, musicians, life-long audiophiles, and equipment designers passionate in their art. We certainly did not rush to this conclusion.

Given the functional superiority of our Skin-filtering technology, we sought only the most natural sounding, and not necessarily the most expensive, connector to accompany it. We’re sure you’ll be happy with our choice of the Oyaide 079. It provides a natural depiction of the recorded material. Enjoyment over time is more important than hearing a few minutes of exaggerated detail. Who wants that, only to suffer a headache the rest of the time and have his or her attention drawn to the connector rather than the music? With the 079, you can sit down for a pleasant evening of listening and focus on the music, liberated from all these electronic compatibility issues.

[Axel]

FWIW I used one of these on a home brew cable with Black Rhodium Super Jazz:
Martin Kaiser 794 IEC Connector - Gold Plated Contacts
I had trouble getting the connector IN, but once I did it gripped like a good 'un!

[octaviars]

Got time today to test fit my new Furutech FI-15E and it fits really well BUT the cover lifts a little so it is not totally perfect but I think I can grind of a little on the plastic cover so the fit is better.

[octaviars]

Today I fixed the powercables with the Furutech FI-15E and after cuting of 0,5mm on the top of the contacts the cover fits almost 100% and most importantly they fit really well in the IEC, much better than my old Martin Kaisers so now this problem is gone.