[Orpheus]

CDs don't hold electrical charges. there are companies that sell even fancier CD demagnetizers too. ...so, anyway... i'll leave the rest up to your brain. heh he.

 

[Dreamslacker]

Quote:

Originally posted by blip Edit: Also what's up with this (http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/twe...reatments.html) iconoclast thing... I've never heard of using a de-staticer (or whatever you call it) with CDs...

That's just a piezo-electric spark thingy. We use that to light gas stoves and it can't cost you more than S$10 (US$5.60) even for a good piece. Cheap ones can even be had for less than US$3.00.

I'll leave you to your own conclusion.

 

[CaptBubba]

Gauge Amps
14 15
12 20
10 30
8 40
6 65

US building codes, with 60C insulation. I don't think those wires are even 14ga. I wouldn't feel safe pulling 10A though them, so no more than 1200W.

From my experience, 15amps over 12awg wire is sufficent to heat it up.

That thing may sou nd great, but I'd rather spend my money on a brick wall.

 

[pigmode]

botchki,
You have a nice setup! Hey, I didn't mean to cast negativity on your results by relating my own experience. I thought about getting that power strip but ended up with the Juice Bar.

 

[blip]

Quote:

Originally posted by Orpheus CDs don't hold electrical charges. there are companies that sell even fancier CD demagnetizers too. ...so, anyway... i'll leave the rest up to your brain. heh he.

That's what I was thinking too... No wonder there wasn't a review connected to that item.

 

[botchki]

Oh the skepticism out there! What something has to be enclosed in rubber or weigh 5lb's or look like something we are used to in order to be any good? Open your minds to possibilities or give it a try before you pass judgement on something of which you don't know. I was always taught not to judge a book by it's cover and it usually works for me.

I've used other power conditioners/surge protectors and what I get from this thing is unbelievable and I never would have thought it. As for Mapleshade records and Pierre Grey, they are extremly well thought of in the industry and their products compare more than favorably to high end stuff, probably because they are high end, you just don't have to pay a fortune for it. So don't knock something if you haven't tried it just because it looks different. And as for it being a fire hazard, do you typically place your cables near a fireplace, start a fire around your system or have sparks flying. And I would think a cloth sofa or carpet would be a fire hazard as well. Should we get rid of them?

 

[Irons82]

Quote:

Originally posted by Orpheus ... otherwise there is no dang ground!... and if there's no dang ground, welp...... you better buy some fire insurance for your house fast! (though i dunno if they'll cover such negligence on the part of Mapleshade.)...

Hahaha, you're a funny man

 

[Orpheus]

"Hahaha, you're a funny man"

--you meant that in a fond, and not so sarcastic way right?...

 

[Orpheus]

"So don't knock something if you haven't tried it just because it looks different. And as for it being a fire hazard..."

no, we're serious this time dude. that thing is seriously dangerous. ...i don't mean to make fun of it. it can very possibly hurt you and your family. if you want to put your family at risk because of your audio fetish, then that's your decision. but for those others considering buying this thing, i would definately discuss this unit's construction with an electrical wiring expert before plugging it in.

i know you invested a lot of money in that thing, but you should really think about what's more important...

 

[botchki]

"no, we're serious this time dude. that thing is seriously dangerous. ...i don't mean to make fun of it. it can very possibly hurt you and your family. if you want to put your family at risk because of your audio fetish, then that's your decision. but for those others considering buying this thing, i would definately discuss this unit's construction with an electrical wiring expert before plugging it in."


You're not serious are you, cause that's quite an ignorant statement (no offense). For your information here's a little background on Phillip Sprey. I would think that might kind of qualify him as an "electrical wiring expert," unless you think maybe I should call my local electrician.

"Mr. Sprey carries unusual credentials, not the least of which is his previous career as a principal member of the aircraft design team that created the F-16 and A-10 jet-fighter bombers. Coming out of an engineering background, with advanced training in statistics, he established himself as a Pentagon consultant for this complex work. His love of music, especially jazz, also inspired him to be an amateur recordist years ago, and even though his Pentagon duties cried out "high tech" he preferred to do things in a simpler, more direct and uncomplicated fashion for both the aircraft designing and subsequent recording adventures. A firm belief in the principle of Occam's Razor - the simpler the solution, the better the result - has been a guiding philosophy that has, in my opinion, paid off handsomely for Pierre and his various efforts. "Less is more " is the truly prime force at work at Mapleshade." Taken from an article done on him and Mapleshade by Audiophile Voice.

 

[Budgie]

I don't doubt P. Sprey's credentials at all, I have read several interviews in magazines with him and don't doubt that he has an idea of what he is doing, but I also know that there is a thing called "The National Electrical Code" which is a set of safety guidelines determined by testing devices and equipment for life and safety hazards. I am certain that power strip was never submitted for testing.
As to it's operation, It may be the best improvement ever to an audio system, and I will not even voice an opinion on that, as I have not heard it, but, It does not meet the N.E.C. requirements for safety, and that is something we are trying to point out to you.
As a licensed professional, I could not even sell that product to a customer without being in violation of state law in Oregon. All we are saying is be careful with it. Do not leave it plugged in when you are not at home. It could start a fire.

I would suggest you give Mapleshade a call and ask them if it the device is U.L. approved and does it meet with the requirements of the National Electrical Code.

 

[Budgie]

I e-mailed Mr Sprey and recieved a very fast response to my inquiry. He indicates that the design was not submitted to UL and instead he elected to perform his own safty testing, and has concluded that his product is safe. He sites both over voltage and over current testing, and a safe track record with the purchasers of the device, aside from some initial problems with solder joints, that he has since corrected. That does aleviate some of my concerns, but I still stand by my prior statments.

 

[CaptBubba]

Quote:

Originally posted by botchki You're not serious are you, cause that's quite an ignorant statement (no offense). For your information here's a little background on Phillip Sprey. I would think that might kind of qualify him as an "electrical wiring expert," unless you think maybe I should call my local electrician.

That's exactly who you should call because building and wiring codes vary from city to city. I don't doubt that the strip sounds great, but I wouldn't buy it. For someone who never moves their system and just wants this for the extra outlets it provides. But for me, who has to move his system at least every seven months or so, I doubt it would be durable enough. I think better sound and better safty would be acheived by wiring a set of hospital-grade wall outlets on a separate circuit.

But hey, audio is all about what sounds and works best to you.

on his credentials: I see no note of electrical experience.

 

[Phreon]

Putting the subjective arguments aside, I think you should seriously take Orpheus's advice and have that power strip looked at by a licenced electrician. There's no ground wire visible and if there *is* one, it's so small as to be useless. The reason power cables have a nice fat insulator is for practical, real world reasons...thick insulation is harder to breach.

Mr. Spey might be the nicest man on earth, but consider these few points and ask yourself if he's being totally forthcoming on his website.


Quote:

Originally posted by botchki As for construction info, they use a "6 outlet strip that uses dielectric identical to the finest audiophile capacitors and uses the thinnest possible thickness of that good sounding dielectric. Equally important, it uses unusually thin internal conductor strips very much in line with our thin conductor philosophy to minimize skin effect." The insulation is a handmade, super-thin polymer sheath for lowest dielectric absorption.

A) That dielectric in "the finest audiophile capacitors" is called Polypropylene; it's the stuff two liter coke bottles and just about every bargain basement, K-Mart power strip on the face of the earth is made out of.

B) The "handmade, super-thin polymer sheath" is most likely made out of another good dielictric; Polyethylene. That's the stuff many common household bags are made of and looks suspiciously similar to the sheath found on new keyboard and mouse cables. Ask Mr. Spey if he actually manufactures the sheath at his shop or if it's shipped in and he "hand cuts" it to lenght.

C) As already mentioned, the unusually thin conductor strips will INCREASE the skin effect, which is so small as to be of no consequence at 120 volts/ 60hz.

D) Having that unusually thin conductor strip in such close proximity to the highly dielectric polypropylene outlet shell could have some very interesting capacitive effects...maybe even increase the capacitance of the unit! That's how you make capacitors; layers of metal (conductor) sandwiched between layers of polypropylene (dielectric)!


I'm not presuming to express one single iota of personal opinion about the sound quality of said power strip. However, given the information presented on the MapleShade web page, I'd keep my guard up against what appears to be a smoke and mirrors job.

I'd hate to see anyone's house go up in flames or a child being injured because of this product.


Phreon

P.S. Noone heere is calling this product a fire hazard because it can be easilly ignited by an outside source. We're saying this because the design of the product will make it's propensity for SELF IGNITION higher than a product with properly grounded and insulated conductors.

 

[MasterBlaster7]

Just so you guys know...there is an option for a fuse inside of the power strip now.