[electrathecat]

This is a pretty esoteric question: although the Marantz SA-11 comes with a detachable power cable, it only has two prongs in its AC socket rather than three. It seems that all or most aftermarket cables are based on three prongs rather than two. Are there any options for the Marantz other than the stock power cable?

 

[Herandu]

The 3rd pin is for earth. Some amplifiers have an earth pin, others don't. If your mains socket is 2 pin then a 3 pin socket on the amp is not going to make any difference whatsoever. That's because the 3rd pin would not be wired in. If you have a 3 pin type mains socket like in the UK, then your amp with its 2 pins does not need the earth terminal. So less chances of noise and interference traveling along the earth path getting into your amp.

Of course if you want to undo all that good design work the Marantz engineers did just because you saw 3 pins on some amps, and yours only has 2 pins, then I suggest you buy equipment for looks and have all the sockets, switches etc you can find. There are a lot of equipment on the market with those. The simple ones with just a volume control and a couple of inputs selectable by just one rotary switch might not be as good as the ones with all bells and whistles.

 

[bordins]

Just simply replace the IEC socket with a 3-pin one. Acme would be a very good candidate. Check it out:

Acme Panel mount IEC receptacle-10/15 amp style (Series 2)

This is a mandatory replacement for an audiophlie equipment.

 

[electrathecat]

Thanks Bordins. The Acme looks great, but it seems that I'll have to do some soldering, am I correct? The job looks pretty basic, but I'm a novice and am not sure I want to learn on audiophile equipment!

 

[bordins]

Quote:

Originally Posted by electrathecat /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks Bordins. The Acme looks great, but it seems that I'll have to do some soldering, am I correct?

Correct. If you are not confident, another way is to find a DIY friend who lives in your area to give you a hand. I asked my friend to replace it for me. Audiophile makes me know a lot of friends. Just bring the IEC and the CDP.