Right Angle Power Cord's

Now, Bob. I have one of these preamps and it is a really excellent design. I believe the reason that they put the power cord there was two-fold:
1) there is not much room on the back-panel for an IEC connector
2) it allows the signal paths to be even shorter by removing the power-supply stuff from the back-panel area

BTW, I doubt if an improved power cord will make much difference. The PS inside is undoubtedly a good design.

I dont know how good it is. I tried some different cords a long time ago and they didnt seem to make a huge difference. Maybe your cord or my new cord would.

And for the signal paths - the reason that they need to be short is because the intermediate stage drivers are not designed to drive capacitance. Only the output drivers are really designed for this. Also, the FR4 circuit board has poor dielectric absorption compared to air and Teflon used in most good cables as dielectric.

I would try my new cord on it, but I have retired my ML pre for the time being, besides, I need a right-angle connector. Cant seem to find one with a good strain-relief. Maybe after I move to central OR.

BTW - just got a solicitation to try a new IEC with gold-plated contacts - from the far east. Have you tried this one yet?