Upgrading the Marantz SR7200 Power Cord

The Marantz SR7200 is a very well regarded receiver and serves as the soul of the audio side of my home theater. It orignally retailed for about $850 in 2002 when it was released, and provides 105Wx6 surround sound - quite a bit of power!

Then one day I realized that a flimsy two prong, unshielded, 18 awg power cord was not ideal. Now I'm not one of those audiophiles who would spend $800 on a power cord, but I know that getting a good quality cord would provide some benefit. After some asking around I found out about the Volex line of power cords, more specifically the Volex 17604. Amazingly it's only $5.25 from Carlton-Bates when you buy 2 or more.

The Volex 17604 power cord is a fully shielded, 14 awg, heavy duty cord, and some review it on par with power cords costing $350 or more! For barely over $5 I got five cords and modded one of them into my SR7200.

Since the SR7200 doesn't accept IEC cords I had to cut the female end off of the Volex 17604 and solder it directly into the receiver. Since the receiver wasn't designed to accept a ground, I just used some liquid electrical tape to seal the ground wire. The ground is still connected on the male end of the cord, so the shield will still be able to properly discharge any noise it picks up. As for strain releif, I used the Grado method - zip ties!

After some minor surgery, I now have a much fatter pathway for all that power to flow in to my receiver, and the full shield will protect the power from any pollution being emitted by the various components in my setup. Initial impressions: well worth the $5!

--Sean

The Marantz SR7200 Receiver Front...

...and the stock cord...

...and the new and improved Volex 17604...

...and a side by side comparison.