MS HD Power

MS-E02SK V2 Mains Block

£570

People reading this will either be in the market for a high-quality mains distribution unit to deliver clean, safe and stable power to their system – or will be incredulous that some people pay significant sums of money for a product that, in its crudest form, can be bought on Amazon almost for pennies.

I used to reside in the latter category. I was sceptical that what I regarded as 'hi-fi jewellery' could make any difference to my system's sound. It's certainly true that there's a lot of 'snake oil' products out there, and they give the good ones a bad name. But I'm absolutely convinced that the MS-E02SK V2 does not reside in that category, for reasons which I shall soon explain…

MS HD Power is a leading Hong Kong-based hi-fi manufacturer with decades of experience making high-quality electrical plugs and sockets – similar in some ways to Russ Andrews and IsoTek in the UK, to name but two. The six-way power distribution that we're reviewing here is the company's latest design with in-built PRRT mains filtering. It's a hefty block built upon a sturdy metallic chassis with spikes for vibration absorption. All the important metal components are cryogenically treated with MSHD's own '78K' procedure, and the strip comes with rhodium-plated terminals, silver-plated internal wiring and silver-rich soldering. An uprated 1.5m long heavy-duty mains cable is included, which is also silver-plated as is the IEC inlet connector.

The company waxes lyrical about its '78K' procedure. The gist of it is that unlike most 196 Celsius, wet cryogenic treatments – which can be mathematically read as 77K – MS HD employs a dry vapour phase method that's said to be beneficial for precise temperature control. This V2 iteration of the MS-E02SK features redesigned filtering technology, along with 72,000 amp surge protection with a rapid-response resettable safety switch – all fully compliant with BSI technical standards.

THE LISTENING

Audiophile opinion is divided when it comes to mains filtering, with some arguing that they are detrimental to sound. Others like myself know only too well how a dirty mains supply can impede the performance of hi-fi equipment. I used to get a horrible electrical click spiking through my system every time my fridge kicked in. Nowadays, I take more care with the electrical supply to my main system, with a dedicated spur feeding an IsoTek distribution block. Recently, I added a Chord Company PowerARAY to reduce radio-frequency interference.

So I've got no excuse for the power going into my Chord Qutest DAC and Naim NAIT XS 3 amplifier, feeding Rogers LS3/5a loudspeakers. This comes via a common or garden 6-way strip, or did until I installed the MS-EO2SK V2. It had a transformative effect on this system's performance. The clarity and focus of the sound was greatly improved, while both timbre and dynamics showed greater contrast. It's not so much that the system sounded bad before, but more that it wasn't able to perform to its ultimate ability. Think of it as being perfectly happy with the view from your window until you clean it, when you then realise you were looking through an opaque and clouded barrier to the vista. Removing the power strip from the system was a miserable experience, as the sense of vibrancy and musical connection I had enjoyed disappeared.

Naysayers will inevitably point out that beyond the wall socket are vast lengths of generic mains cable, so why bother with fancy power leads? It's a false equivalence in a way, as most people would recognise the benefit of filtered water even if it has travelled along miles of water pipe. And that's what this distribution block does, taking the power supply as it enters your home and stripping much of the noise out.

THE VERDICT

Build quality is excellent, with each socket equipped with high spring rate phosphor bronze clips to ensure a secure connection, and at the base of the chassis are four screw-in spikes to absorb unwanted floor-based vibrations. The MS HD Power MS-E02SK is not cheap, but it is a premium product that – in my system – did the job it was built for brilliantly. As such it's well worth seeking out if your power needs pepping up. Highly recommended.

Visit MS HD Power for more information