Australian wall power outlets

Fiddle Faddle

Member
Aug 7, 2015
548
2
16
Australia
It seems like we are hard done by here in Australia in terms of higher quality wall mains outlets. For people in the US and UK, they have a variety of high quality outlet choices including ones specifically engineered for the audiophile.

Of course, whilst it is technically possible for me to install a UK outlet and just use a UK mains plug on the power cable, this is completely illegal and invalidates home insurance. An no licenced electrician will install anything that hasn't been certified to Australian standards.

So it seems we are out of luck. I cannot find any "audiophile" wall outlets for Australia anywhere. Anyone else found any or is there at least anything better than the typical outlet included in the modern project home?
 

BruceD

VIP/Donor
Dec 13, 2013
1,509
576
540
It seems like we are hard done by here in Australia in terms of higher quality wall mains outlets. For people in the US and UK, they have a variety of high quality outlet choices including ones specifically engineered for the audiophile.

Of course, whilst it is technically possible for me to install a UK outlet and just use a UK mains plug on the power cable, this is completely illegal and invalidates home insurance. An no licenced electrician will install anything that hasn't been certified to Australian standards.

So it seems we are out of luck. I cannot find any "audiophile" wall outlets for Australia anywhere. Anyone else found any or is there at least anything better than the typical outlet included in the modern project home?

Hi FF, Yes there is not much to choose from --here are probably the only "professional grade" outlets made for the Aust domestic market--no Furutech /etc.

Elsafe Products -- I had friends with Hi End systems in Oz that use these and the Manfred Kaiser Male Aust 3pin Plugs ( made in Germany) might be worth looking at anyway

Good luck

BruceD
 

Attachments

  • Elsafe.jpg
    Elsafe.jpg
    198.8 KB · Views: 383

Fiddle Faddle

Member
Aug 7, 2015
548
2
16
Australia
Hi Bruce,

Thanks very much for the reply. Looking at the Elsafe website it looks like the installation in place of an existing outlet could be quite a hassle as they do not appear to use the standard cavity backing plate mounting mechanism used for power outlets in domestic settings. But I am not surprised as the products seem more aimed at commercial projects or things such as new-build domestic home theatres or integration when the house is actually being built. I am also not 100% certain but I think I have also read from qualified electrician posts on the net that here in Australia power outlets need to have isolation switches in domestic settings. I am not sure I've read that right but I think in the end it is probably better to be safe than sorry and just get something like an HPM 15 amp outlet which has a more robust build quality than the 10 amp standard ones and is twice the price.

It is indeed pretty frustrating since I only started worrying about power a couple of years back and in that couple of years I have come to the conclusion that good audio reproduction starts with good power, followed by good power, then good power and good power after that. Once you have that sorted you are 90% the way there :p

And in the last few weeks when discovering how much difference even a simple fuse can make, I really have to wonder how the heck a standard power installation in a bog standard Australian project home is doing anything other than hurting the potential of it all! I'm not nearly enough of a nutcase to go insisting the whole house get re-wired (what is the point when the whole street is electrically polluted by endless solar arrays pumping harmonic distortion into the mains supply whenever the sun is out) but it does give pause to thought as to what might be possible. As opposed to the stark realities in this audio-visually-internetty backward country that I call home!
 

BMCG

VIP/Donor
Oct 1, 2016
234
41
133
United Kingdom
somewhat surprised that there are no audiophile chinese wall outlets that might read across into OZ ..same form factor ..

but given the parochial nature of Aussie standard settings..(am an Aussie btw..so this is speaking as a dinky di)....i'd doubt they'd get blessed.

recollected that PS Audio offers Aussie receptacles on their conditioners..http://www.psaudio.com/products/p10-power-plant/#tab-rear-panel ....occurs that they may be willing to furnish their receptacles as a discrete/standalone item....couldn't hurt to ask.

also if you want to upgrade your house's power infrastructure....might be worth considering : http://airlinktransformers.com.au/shop/balanced-power-supplies/cbs2000/ or http://www.toruspower.com/aus-australia/ ..

Torus does do wall mount custom units for outside of North America ...so that could also be an option...just drop them an email...their responsiveness is impressive....they may also be willing to provide wall receptacles

(zero affiliation...just wrestling with similar issues in Blightey...)
 

daytona600

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2012
724
151
955
scotland
make your own
solar panels - inverter - plug in hifi
no need for fancy mains cables & rock solid power with no Emc/Rfi/brown outs etc powered my system & house for a decade
& play music in a power cut

" The sun never sends you a bill !
 

Barry2013

VIP/Donor
Oct 12, 2013
2,305
487
418
Essex UK
You live and learn.
I really had no idea that Australia has different electrical plugs and China as well. I had assumed there were just the three different arrangements - the UK and linked countries,US and Schuko in continental Europe.
Out of curiosity is that the complete set or are there other countries with additional different plugs?
Commiserations Jonathan ad I hope you are able to find a not too expensive solution.
 

microstrip

VIP/Donor
May 30, 2010
20,806
4,698
2,790
Portugal
You live and learn.
I really had no idea that Australia has different electrical plugs and China as well. I had assumed there were just the three different arrangements - the UK and linked countries,US and Schuko in continental Europe.
Out of curiosity is that the complete set or are there other countries with additional different plugs?
Commiserations Jonathan ad I hope you are able to find a not too expensive solution.

There are tens of varieties of electrical plugs and sockets all around the world - just see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power_plugs_and_sockets#Proliferation

It is one of the reasons why manufacturers do not like captive power cords - in many countries you can not sell equipment with bare wires - you have sell it with the proper plug! If there is only an IEC power socket, the local distributor just supplies an additional a power cord.
 

Fiddle Faddle

Member
Aug 7, 2015
548
2
16
Australia
Commiserations Jonathan ad I hope you are able to find a not too expensive solution.

Hi Barry,

There probably isn't much point doing anything much more than getting the best quality mass market, 100% legal, home insurance friendly HPM stuff. I do have an advantage though in that the estate where I live has an (almost) dedicated mini-sub-station. When I say almost, it also serves a slightly larger outer area just west of me as well but in terms of proximity to the source, I am literally only a few hundred metres away as the crow flies (but it is across from a park and down over the crest of a hill so it is well hidden, never makes any noise and is out of sight and out of mind (except when I get off at the bus stop near it!).

Here in Australia, rules regarding the work on mains is incredibly strict - for good reason I would suggest. Absolutely nothing can be done from the wall outlets to the fuse box, or obviously fuse box to anywhere else except by a fully licenced electrician. And the stuff they are allowed to use absolutely has to have full certification specifically for Australia. So far as what goes on between the wall outlet and inside the home, that is different but everything still has to be compliant.

As was mentioned in this thread, numerous manufacturers come to the Australian party between the wall outlet and equipment - PS Audio and Gigawatt are examples and I am extremely grateful that they do. And as was also mentioned, power cable manufacturers will simply supply the cable to distributers and the distributers will fit the complaint plugs. Wireworld is an example and that is how I got my Electra Reference mains cables.

So it isn't totally gloom and doom but when I see those pretty Furutech power receptacles, I get very jealous. A lot more so than I might have even 2 months ago, let alone 2 years ago! That is really the only point in the power chain where Australia falls behind (unless you count the innumerable Chinese-built inverters pumping distortion back into the mains on solar installations, but I guess that is a world-wide phenomenon.
 

Fiddle Faddle

Member
Aug 7, 2015
548
2
16
Australia
There are tens of varieties of electrical plugs and sockets all around the world - just see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power_plugs_and_sockets#Proliferation

It is one of the reasons why manufacturers do not like captive power cords - in many countries you can not sell equipment with bare wires - you have sell it with the proper plug! If there is only an IEC power socket, the local distributor just supplies an additional a power cord.

I remember when I bought my first serious piece of audio equipment. It was 1985 and I went to a Bang and Olufsen store to purchase a Beocord 2000. After paying for it, the salesman brought the box out from the store room, opened the factory seal then proceeded to install an Australian mains plug to the bare-wire ends of the captive lead! (as an aside, selling that deck years later was one of the worst audio mistakes I have ever made). Anyway, I remember the same thing happening when I bought a base-model NAIM integrated amplifier in the early 90s. Same story - the captive lead with the bare wires.
 

Fiddle Faddle

Member
Aug 7, 2015
548
2
16
Australia
make your own
solar panels - inverter - plug in hifi
no need for fancy mains cables & rock solid power with no Emc/Rfi/brown outs etc powered my system & house for a decade
& play music in a power cut

" The sun never sends you a bill !

I did actually look into this very seriously back in 2014. It was also partly to save power costs as at the time we had a "carbon tax" - a tax loading on our power consumption since revoked (but maybe coming back). When I looked into the technology, however, I found that in terms of pure power, these would actually be worse than a good mains supply. The reason being that the distortion the inverters create is actually worse than the inherent distortion in a good quality mains supply. There were some papers written by a NSW based University on that very subject - the pollution of our power supply from the mass-uptake of solar inverters. I don't have the reference handy any more, but the paper came to the conclusion that these installations were harming power quality and causing issues with sensitive equipment even for homes without the installations (because the installations pump power back into the grid). The paper was more taking a swipe at the cheaper stuff that had proliferated when the Government provided incentives to have them installed - such as paying users a certain amount for whatever power their inverters pumped back into the grid. But I remember even when looking into the very expensive stuff, it did not perform any better than what I would have got straight from the mains.
 

Fiddle Faddle

Member
Aug 7, 2015
548
2
16
Australia
somewhat surprised that there are no audiophile chinese wall outlets that might read across into OZ ..same form factor ..

but given the parochial nature of Aussie standard settings..(am an Aussie btw..so this is speaking as a dinky di)....i'd doubt they'd get blessed.

recollected that PS Audio offers Aussie receptacles on their conditioners..http://www.psaudio.com/products/p10-power-plant/#tab-rear-panel ....occurs that they may be willing to furnish their receptacles as a discrete/standalone item....couldn't hurt to ask.

also if you want to upgrade your house's power infrastructure....might be worth considering : http://airlinktransformers.com.au/shop/balanced-power-supplies/cbs2000/ or http://www.toruspower.com/aus-australia/ ..

Torus does do wall mount custom units for outside of North America ...so that could also be an option...just drop them an email...their responsiveness is impressive....they may also be willing to provide wall receptacles

(zero affiliation...just wrestling with similar issues in Blightey...)


Thanks. I think when all is said and done, the next logical step is power conditioning as that will in theory provide the same quality of sound at 11.00 am that I get at 2.00 am. That said, even with all the improvements just in power boards, mains cables and just one fuse (with another one coming in a few days), I think I've already come a long way. Power issues certainly are not anything like what they used to be, but like anyone who is immersed in this hobby and lusts after that elusive feeling of really, truly "being there in the room with the performers", we are always chasing that last few percent. It would all be a bit dull if we didn't. It is like my computer chess hobby. Between 1980 and the mid 90s it was really exciting because we "weren't there". But these days it is boring because the engines play far better than any human and no human can make claim to even understanding the games these programs now play - one reason I like playing with the 30 year old toys - the "challenge" is still there and they are very fallible!
 

BMCG

VIP/Donor
Oct 1, 2016
234
41
133
United Kingdom
Thanks. I think when all is said and done, the next logical step is power conditioning as that will in theory provide the same quality of sound at 11.00 am that I get at 2.00 am. That said, even with all the improvements just in power boards, mains cables and just one fuse (with another one coming in a few days), I think I've already come a long way. Power issues certainly are not anything like what they used to be, but like anyone who is immersed in this hobby and lusts after that elusive feeling of really, truly "being there in the room with the performers", we are always chasing that last few percent. It would all be a bit dull if we didn't. It is like my computer chess hobby. Between 1980 and the mid 90s it was really exciting because we "weren't there". But these days it is boring because the engines play far better than any human and no human can make claim to even understanding the games these programs now play - one reason I like playing with the 30 year old toys - the "challenge" is still there and they are very fallible!

Reminds of the Novag: http://www.chesscomputeruk.com/html/novag_robot_adversary.html

The moving arm sooo fascinated me in my youth :)
 

Googaliser

VIP/Donor
Mar 31, 2019
60
80
240
It seems like we are hard done by here in Australia in terms of higher quality wall mains outlets. For people in the US and UK, they have a variety of high quality outlet choices including ones specifically engineered for the audiophile.

Of course, whilst it is technically possible for me to install a UK outlet and just use a UK mains plug on the power cable, this is completely illegal and invalidates home insurance. An no licenced electrician will install anything that hasn't been certified to Australian standards.

So it seems we are out of luck. I cannot find any "audiophile" wall outlets for Australia anywhere. Anyone else found any or is there at least anything better than the typical outlet included in the modern project home?

G'day Mate - sorry to resurrect an old thread but I am facing this exact same issue in Oz. About to have a dedicated line installed but cannot find any decent audiophile grade outlets. 2 years-on - did you find a good solution ?
 

Bodhi

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2014
1,051
361
155
I recall reading somewhere that the New Zealand standard wpo's are of a higher quality than Aussie wpo's due to their more rigid regulations, though I haven't seen one to compare. It's just a fact that the best sounding wpo's are audiophile offerings from Furutech, Synergtistic Research etc. Australia's market it seems is too small to justify the cost of developing audiophile wpo's. Though Furutech do offer the outstanding NCF male connectors in 3-pin AU spec. Also, i've been told the US connectors apparently sound better than the 3-pin AU connectors due to their inherent design.

This business sells some high quality AU-spec wpo's rated up to 25a. They also sell a range of matching metallic cover plates. That said, when I build a dedicated listening room one day I plan on having dedicated 20a lines installed using higher grade, compliant conduit. Hopefully by then Furutech or another manufacturer will offer an AU-spec audiophile wpo. If not, then I have a plan b.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Googaliser

Googaliser

VIP/Donor
Mar 31, 2019
60
80
240
I wonder if your plan b is the same as mine ;-)
Thank you for the link... they do look solid...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bodhi

John57

Well-Known Member
Sep 29, 2015
237
39
260
Melbourne, Australia
John, what are you aiming to achieve in your AV room?
G’day Bodhi
The highest sound quality possible.
For both my HT and Stereo systems. I’ve run fully shielded commercial grade AS approved cable from the sub board to the room. I’m creating separate circuits for this room.
 

Attachments

  • 4B33A8AD-EDB0-4335-870E-8D140035982E.jpeg
    4B33A8AD-EDB0-4335-870E-8D140035982E.jpeg
    79.9 KB · Views: 23
  • 0E6260A0-46EA-4BC4-A57D-40412783C516.jpeg
    0E6260A0-46EA-4BC4-A57D-40412783C516.jpeg
    187.1 KB · Views: 23
  • Like
Reactions: Stump

Bodhi

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2014
1,051
361
155
John, you're certainly going about your build in the right way. A dedicated 20a circuit with higher grade conduit is a good starting point. There are several options for audiophile-grade in-wall cable from moderate/affordable such as Akiko Audio's Installation cable and German 20a Fuse cartridges to more premium/expensive options like Gigawatt's In-wall cable and circuit breakers.

Also, does your house run on stable battery power? My friend uses the excellent Australian Selectronic power management inverters and Simpliphi mil-spec non-toxic battery storage and achieves quiet, stable power comparable to a high end balanced isolation transformer or regen such as a Stromtank. From there, he just uses pc's re-terminated with Furutech AU-spec connectors into a Gigawatt power strip and voila! Cheaper mass-market Inverters are horrid and dirty up the sound.

Apropos the above, my favorite balanced iso transformer is probably Equi-tech. Though Torus Power are also very good & better value. And as far as regens go, the PS Audio P20 is good value, but unncessary if you're running off optimally managed battery storage. Dito for balanced iso transformers.

As far as audiophile-grade wpo's go, that is a conundrum. No company that I know of makes compliant audiophile-grade wpo's, though you could use a high quality 25a twin wpo such as this, then re-terminate the critical pc from wall to power strip with an AU-spec power connector as I described above.

Finally don't forget about proper single-pointed grounding for your system. That will have have a bigger impact on the sound compared to the power running from the wall to your components. I personally like Entreq grounding products which are good value & work well. Phew! Hope that helps!
 
Last edited:

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing