Venom 3 PC VS Stock PC for Plasma TV

[Indy]

I have had a 60 inch Panasonic plasma TV for over a year. It comes with a standard black power cord with a moulded male plug. The IEC end is different though. It has a clamp and locks into the IEC on the TV. The Panasonic manual warns to not use any other power cord (heat and fire risk). I did try an upgraded PC when I first got it. It was a cable by another cable maker with a large round Marinco IEC plug. It fit somewhat loosely in the TV because the Marinco IEC plug was to big and the plug was not fully inserted into the TV. I got a warning message on the screen about heat!

I immediately replaced the cable with the stock one. Now a year later, I have read about people using the Venom 3 on their plasma TV with good results. The Venom has a small IEC plug that would fit completely into the small IEC opening on the TV. Since the connection would be solid, I believe there would be no risk of overheating?

So I have 3 questions:

1. Would the Venom 3 be safe if it fits completely onto the TV?

2. The stock cable has a ferrite ring on it. Is this just a cheap way to shield from EMI/RFI on an unshielded cable? Will a properly shielded cable like the Venom 3 compensate for the lack of ferrite beed?

3. The Venom 3 has a ground pin on the 3 pin connector. I remember when the cable was new it had a message that said the ground pin wasn't connected (this is from memory 2 years ago, I might be wrong about this). Does anyone know if the Venom would ground the TV? Any problems if it is not grounded?

With this many questions, and some apprehension, some of you will probably say to just keep the stock cord on the plasma! That makes sense. But, if I had never asked any questions and overcome some doubts, I would still be using all stock cords plugged into a duplex multiplier (the kind they sell for 4.99$ and allows you to plug 4 things into a duplex)…

Also, I have noticed that something as simple as upgrading the stock wall receptacle improved picture quality on this TV and the one before it. So, it seems reasonable that a better PC would do the same. I also have 2 good power cords collecting dust and not in use...

 

[rbbert]

I removed the "collar" on the TV which the stock power cord fits into (it just unscrews and comes off) allowing the use of any aftermarket cord. At present I am using an older Audioquest cord which happens to have a ferrite ring, so I can't address that part of your question. As to the rest, there is no overheating issue, and I'm really not sure about any improvement in picture quality; I can usually convince myself there is, though.

 

[Indy]

I removed the "collar" on the TV which the stock power cord fits into (it just unscrews and comes off) allowing the use of any aftermarket cord. At present I am using an older Audioquest cord which happens to have a ferrite ring, so I can't address that part of your question. As to the rest, there is no overheating issue, and I'm really not sure about any improvement in picture quality; I can usually convince myself there is, though.

Thanks, that's a big help! After writing my first post, I went behind the TV and noticed the collar held by two screws. I thought about removing it. I didn't because I thought that it was also fastening the IEC inlet to the TV as well. Do you have to put the screws back in? Or is the IEC inlet fastened with other screws?

Either way, I'll give it a try this week.

 

[CGabriel]

3. The Venom 3 has a ground pin on the 3 pin connector. I remember when the cable was new it had a message that said the ground pin wasn't connected (this is from memory 2 years ago, I might be wrong about this). Does anyone know if the Venom would ground the TV? Any problems if it is not grounded?

The VENOM-3 is a shielded power cord. The shield is only connected to the ground pin at the AC plug. This prevents ground currents through the shield. It has nothing to do with the ground wire which is connected end to end. The tag is a ridiculous requirement from UL.

 

[JackD201]

If you want to see a quick and obvious improvement, try a Defender on the same duplex. Even I was shocked. Talk about bang for the buck.

 

[scouter]

If you want to see a quick and obvious improvement, try a Defender on the same duplex. Even I was shocked. Talk about bang for the buck.

I have no doubt that the Defender does work well in that situation- I have 2 in different places in my system. I'm considering putting one in the receptacle that my Pioneer Elite 60 is plugged in. My question - what exactly is it doing to make such a difference?

 

[Indy]

The VENOM-3 is a shielded power cord. The shield is only connected to the ground pin at the AC plug. This prevents ground currents through the shield. It has nothing to do with the ground wire which is connected end to end. The tag is a ridiculous requirement from UL.

Thanks for clearing that up! I agree, it is a useless requirement.

 

[Indy]

If you want to see a quick and obvious improvement, try a Defender on the same duplex. Even I was shocked. Talk about bang for the buck.

I already have a Defender. Yes, it is very good!