February 5, 2012

  • API Power Link 313, Part 2

    20 years ago, in early 1992, I came home to S.F. for the weekend.  I met some friends, and went to the wharf area.  It was after lunch, but too early for dinner.  Nevertheless, we were hungry.  So we went to T.G.I. Friday's, which was then located near the cable car turnaround, below.

    I remember hearing a "new" version of "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted," this by blue-eyed soul singer, Paul Young.  It was a nice follow-up to his cover of "Oh Girl."  It turned out that "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted" appeared on the Fried Green Tomatoes soundtrack.  Starring Kathy Bates, Fried Green Tomatoes was kind of a cult hit.  I never did see it.

    When I got back to UC Santa Cruz, my friend Andrea, whose boyfriend worked for a movie chain, talked about Fried Green Tomatoes.  And that just made me want to hear Paul Young's "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted" that much more.  So I listened to music, and buried myself in stereo magazines and product literature.  I thought it was neat that components with IEC jacks could potentially be upgraded, by finding the right after-market powercord.

    Fast forward to the mid-90s.  By then, I had an API/Theta/Classe' system, whose components had IEC jacks.  At Ultimate Sound, an API dealer, K101 or KOIT would often be playing.  Both versions of "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted" were in fairly regular rotation.  With that as an inspiration, I ordered API's Power Link 313 powercords.

    If you are used to skimpy attached or throwaway powercords, the Power Link 313's plugs seem beefy.

    The male 3-prong wall plug is from Hubbell.  The female 15-amp IEC is marked "Heil."  I have no idea what or who the hell that is.  But note that, unlike fat-barrel connectors, the Heil can fit into tighter spaces, including behind a flat-panel TV.  Also note that API will make the Power Link 313 in any length you want.  I had several which were 2-feet long.