Our power cables are available with a number of different connectors - the plug at the opposite end of a power cable from the mains plug - and it's important to make sure you choose the correct one to fit the socket on your CD player, amplifier or mains extension.
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 Wattgate IEC type plugs below are also available as an after-market upgrade for your existing cable - click the name of each model for more information.
The first type of plug is the standard IEC. This is sometimes called a 'kettle plug' or 10A IEC and 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 second type of connector is the High Current IEC. This is much rarer on equipment but is found on some larger power amps.High Current IEC sockets are fitted to our PowerBlocks and 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.
The final type are the plugs commonly called figure-of-8. These are used mainly with sources such as CD players, Blu-ray players, sound bars and sometimes with TVs.They are called figure-of-8 because when looked at end on, they look like the number '8'.
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 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 AU evo (also called W350 evo Gold) - this is a high performance gold-plated WATTGATE standard IEC plug, used on the PowerKord-300 and the SuperKords.
W350 RH evo (also called W350 EVO Rhodium) - this is the top-of-the-range Rhodium-plated WATTGATE standard IEC plug, used on the PowerKord-300, PowerKord-500 and the SuperKords.
The following socket names are all High-Current IEC plugs. Remember, these are a different shape and will only fit the input IEC socket on our PowerBlock and Balanced Mains Units, and on some larger power amps. These plugs will not fit the majority of equipment.
W320 16A (sometimes called W320i HC) - Higher performance, WATTGATE High Current IEC plug, fitted to our PowerKord-100, PowerKord-300.
W350 EVO RH HC - top-of-the-range rhodium-plated WATTGATE High Current IEC plug, fitted to the PowerKord-300, PowerKord-500 and our SuperKords.
The following plug names are all figure-of-8 types. Figure-8 sockets are fitted to some sources, such as CD players and Blu-ray players, to some TVs, and to mini and portable equipment.
Figure-8 - this is a standard, high quality figure-of-8 plug. It is used only on PowerKord-8 PowerKord and on the SuperKord-100.
W340 EVO - this is a higher-performance WATTGATE figure-of-8 plug, used on YellO, 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-308 and PowerKord-508.
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 RH, WATTGATE 350 EVO GOLD, 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 300, PowerKord-500 and the SuperKords sound the best.
