Any point in upgrading stock cables for a LPS?

Yes, the quality of the power cable on an LPS can make a notable difference. When I had the EtherRegen switch, it wasn’t until I put an LPS with a very good power cable that it made it worth it. I would try on the LPS of the streamer first as it is the most delicate of the two. For streamers and their power supplies, you will hear a good amount of improvement if the power cable’s capabilities have advanced shielding and noise reduction properties. 

Yes, definitely.

My best cables are for Dac, streamer (linear power supply) and amp, in that order.

Then good cables for DDC, network switch (lps), router + 2nd network switch (dual lps), and power conditioner.

Okay cables for Uptone USB Regen, and modem (lps).

Absolutely, yes.

On my 5v LHY LPS for my Node 2. The sound signature of various brands of cords is discernable. I can easily hear the difference between two cords that are the same cord (the no longer available Cable Pro Vitality) but, each of the two has different ends (Iego Gold vs. Oyaide 004). The cord with the 004 ends is clearly better in this case.

Once you adopt the idea that everything matters in your audio system, from the wall receptacle all the way to your speaker footers, then the idea that power cords can be and often are very component and even system dependent needs to be embraced.

A shielded power cable of sufficient gauge for the amperage involved should be suitable. But, if you have extra "audiophile approved" cables laying around then, why not?  Better yet, if you have both then try each and listen for differences.  Once you have it nailed, have a friend or spouse switch them without your knowledge and let us know what you hear.

I say no based on experience with the Sonore OpticalRendu and the 'audiophile' power supply and audiophile cable they sell for a lot more money (not power cord) I compared this audiophile variant vs 2 other standard OpticalRendu's. I was not able to do a perfect A+B comparison since I did not have 2 identical DACs.

After this experience I am not spending extra on these type of power supply cables.

Yes.

I always say that in audio everything matters, and that’s especially true when it comes to streaming so I’m not surprised people have found benefits in upgrading their PC to and LPS.  But man, we’re really getting into the nitty gritty here. 

@mwh777 I also have a BS Node (N130). The LHY LPS improvement was not subtle.

I'm an "everything matters to a point" guy, so skeptical about spending money on LPS PCs - after all the LPS is supposed to provide clean, linear power right? 

Having said that, I can test this with a broken in PC that I already own, and I will start with the LHY LPS later today and report back. 

@mwh777 Again, keeping an open mind can lead to sonic benefits.

I compared the supplied cable with a well broken in Raven Audio Sonequil PC. 

I used Norah Jones Come Away With Me and Chick Corea Trilogy 2 as test material.

The vocals on on Don't Know Why, when she hits those powerful high notes, were much smoother - no doubt this means less distortion. 

I listened to 6 other tracks on both albums and overall better clarity.

Best free tweak ever!

Happy I asked the question and thanks all for the feedback.    

@macg19 - anything that needs to be plugged into the main supply will benefit from a good power cable

I’ve heard benefits from my $350 mini system to a $70k system

My own "Audio system" is around $20k (MSRP) and it sounds amazing

Here’s my site that explains some of the issues arund cables

• My Audio Alchemy (image99.net)

For branded products take a look at

• Audio Envy for great bang for the buck
• Zavfino for better performance

Regards - Steve

@williewonka The LHY LPS for the NODE N130 was the only component still using a stock/cheap PC.

I have several Zavfino products:

• Speaker cables
• PC for the DAC
• Interconnects for DAC and PS
• USB Cable 

@williewonka Checked out your website - tons of info and some really nice photography.

@macg19 - from what I can see the Node N130 has a mains 2 pin power socket

1. did the LHY LPS noticeably improve performance?
2. I have the Node 2i and I have replaced the stock power cable with an excellent DIY cable of my own design - it significantly improved its performance

You could try one of your existing Zavfino PC’s on the Node N130 by buying a 3pin to 2pin adapter like this one

• Amazon.com: PNGKNYOCN C14 to C7 Power Adapter,10A 250V AC IEC 320 C14 Male to C7 Female Power Adapter，Standard AC Power Cord Plug(2Pack) : Electronics
• I took this approach - first trying one of my 3in PC’s on my Node 2i before buiding it’s own power specific 2 pin cable

FYI - the power cables on both my Node 2i and my Simaudio Moon phono stage use solid silver wire for the Live conductor to maximize their details and dynamic performance.

• whereas the power cables for my amp and power distibution box all use OCC copper conductors

Regards - Steve

@macg19 - thanks, hope you can make use of the info

If  you have some spare time - take a look at

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/duelund-conversion-to-diy-helix-geometry-cabling

• to see what others have contributed to the Helix Cable design - it's a bit long. but some good info also

The photography - thankfully, I'm not as passionate about the phtography as I am cables - that might get me thrown out of the house 😉

Why are mens hobbies so damn expensive - needle point next🤣

Cheers - Steve

@williewonka Ha!

About the LHY LPS: Yes, SQ improvement was not subtle. The upgrade requires replacing the internal powerboard as well as adding an outboard LPS so there is no need for adapters. 

I replaced the cheap PC to the LPS with a good quality PC I had on hand and that helped too which surprised me.

PS: FWIW All in My Digital source cost about $3700 including NOS Mullard’s, isolation base, vibration control, cables and LPS.

It sounds pretty good and very satisfying when compared to my much more expensive analogue source.

anything that needs to be plugged into the main supply will benefit from a good power cable

+100

Unless you don’t believe in power cords or DACs or amps or streamers or speakers …. Whatever. In which case nothing matters

Yes, not only the AC but also the DC cord can give a marked improvement in sound quality. Vibration control on power supplies also yeilds nice results.

WRT @yoby’s post above - if you construct DC power cables using solid OCC copper or OCC Silver (even better) you should notice an improvement in dynamic performance, compared to the more standard OFC copper wire generally used.

Even though we are talking about a DC cable, the current drawn by a component reflects the demands placed on the component by the audio signal.

• from the perspective of current draw, the current actually has a :"ripple" type of waveform that reflects the audio signal, but it’s definately not alternating
• if the cable cannot satisfy the demand, then the voltage also experiences minute drops at the same frequency as the audio signal
• so it can have certain "properties" to AC power.

DC powered source components draw less power than Amplification, so using solid OCC silver for both +VE and -VE leads is much more affordable and well worth doing.

If I had to build one...

• I would use 2 x 20 or even 2 x 22 gauge for each conductor and tightly twist (i.e. 6-8 twists per inch) them together - that’s effectively 17 gauge.
  • one pair in a clockwise direction and
  • the other pair in an anti-clockwise direction
• insert each twisted pair wire into a Teflon tube and seal the ends with heat shrink (this prevents oxidation)
• twist the two conductors together in a relaxed twist
  • i.e. one twist every 3" - 4"
• insert into expandable nylon tube for aesthetics
• attach the required connectors

Please note I have not tried this particular approach for DC power cables, but I have made several AC power cables using a similar, but more complicated approach and they provide stunning performance.

• AC Power Cables

Regards - Steve

As @blisshifi said the streamer seems to benefit the most from an LPS upgrade so do that first.

Also, not every LPS works so well for every application, for example network hardware seems to prefer 'fast' LPS power supplies, not ones with large capacitor banks that instead work well with DAC's and streamers.