| The MS HD Power MS-328 UK Style 13 Amp, fused power plug. |
By WL Low
Let us give MS HD Power MS-328, a BS style 13 Amp, fused power plug a test drive. I”ve long yearned to convert all my BS style power plug to those glitzy gold Furutech ones, but the asking price has always seemed a bit steep to me. Along comes MS HD Power, distributed by CMY Audio & Visual to offer me an alternative for my given budget. The MS-328 plug cost RM$198.00/pc.
At first glance, the MS-328 plug looked rather generic, and very much like a glamorised MK Duraplug, but delve a little deeper and it becomes clear that this is a product of substance and quality, with much audiophile thought gone in to the engineering of it. All the contact points are silver plated, as per the supplied 13 Amp BUSS fuse tips(which is a nice touch). The clamp shell design of the outer casing is split in to two, made from different materials on each side. On the bottom, where the contact points are mounted, a soft moulded plastic is used for what is presumed to provide some damping effect to the plug resonance. The top half of the clamp shell is made of semi transparent plastic, with a big MS logo stamped on it”s surface. An adjustable cable collar clamp allows for very professional looking finish for the terminated power cord.
| The top half of the clamp shell is made from semi transparent plastic material. |
I used one of my big red JPS In-wall power cords for the review project. I removed the formerly terminated Duraplug and marvel at the quality design of the MS-328 inside out. Due to its big cable core clamp design at the contact points, the job of attaching the 10AWG JPS In-wall became effortless, compared to when I terminated the very same cable with the previous Duraplugs.
All it took was a mere 15 minutes to swap over the cable contacts, close the clamp shell cover adjust the cable collar tension for a smooth and professional finishing, wa lah! I was ready to go! I plug in the JPS In-wall to connect between wall and Torus Power RM8A AVR, powering my whole system.
| See the generous spacing and solid looking silver plated contacts. |
| Note the generous sized hole for attaching big fat power cables, and the screw cap to tightened the grip clamp. |
The attached 10AWG cable core undergoing final inspection before being a fix back in to the plastic clamp shell.
Once I turn on my system, from the very first note, I recognised that sound signature of a good silver power contact! The highs were detailed, sweet, highly extended, never splitty at the ends, and super smooth! There was an “halo” of air around the high hats and cymbals of the drum kit being played. The clarity and clean mid range presence is un-rivalled. Once you hear the beauty of a good silver contact, you”ll never go back to copper or brass, and definitely NOT even gold power contacts.
The MS-328 plug brought that already vanishingly low system noise floor to dead silent levels. There was no white hash or and sort of fuzzy back ground noise heard. System dynamics and transient response were kicked up a notch too. It made music that much more “alive” and peppy, as some may have commented that I had finally given the performing musicians a pay rise! The musicians seemed to pour more effort, and soul in to their performance.
I know, I know, we are talking about hifi here and it’s only a BS standard plug, could it have made such an intense difference? I am actually convinced, that I bought the review sample and hope to buy a few more for a complete swap over. It”s just that brilliant!
| The “macho” looking Duraplug terminated before. |
| The much neater and better looking, not to mention better sounding MS HD Power MS-328 power plug. |
If you wanna try it out for your self, why not pay CMY Audio & Visual a visit?
MS HD Power is sold by CMY Audio & Visual, contact John or Dicky at 03-21439406.
