Difference between non and factory terminated


If someone gave you a good factory terminated power cable, and someone else gave you the same cable, but they terminated it at both ends themselves (let's suppose they done a reasonable job), could you hear the difference? How much, if any, difference does factory termination make?
octuple

Showing 6 responses by octuple

If a cable is cutting in and out - now that's a problem no one can live with. I haven't had the experience of a high end cable doing that, and I might be wrong, but I would imagine that those who've had that experience are in the minority. As far as testing goes, if the ears can't hear the difference, then the numbers shouldn't make any difference. The variables of this are quite low - wires and solder. I'm tending to lean towards the fact that there are negligible differences, if any. Any comments?
Tvad - What if the IEC connector and wall plug were of a comparable or better quality than the original, but not the the same as the original? In this case, the non-factory terminated cable couldn't be worse than the factory terminated one, could it? (barring a sloppy termination job). Would it sound different? Would it sound better?
Didactically - You're not the first one to say that, and you won't be the last. I got a Black Mamba v2 last year (Used may I add. May I?), and while detailed and rich, I think it's the one piece that's lagging in terms of dollar vs. sound ratio, so I get your point. My friend bought a famous power cord a while back that was hand terminated with better connectors than the original, and tested it against a Cardas Twinlink. It was better - much better. It was also more expensive than the Twinlink, even though cheaper than the original of that brand name. I imagined how the original factory terminated cable would have done against the Twinlink. I'll bet it wouldn't have been any better than the hand terminated one. Still we have fussy people out there with their eyes on the cables, more than their ears on the music.
I think there's no doubt that isolation devices and cables make a difference in most cases - sometimes not a lot of difference and sometimes a lot of difference. But is that change always for the better, or is it a change for the sake of change? It would seem that the more money involved, the more the chance that it will be a change for the sake of change.

"Mwilson" - What you said earlier about the resale value of a home terminated cable not having a good resale value...you're right for sure. The thing is, the longer you use it, the less that factor will come into play.
Evita - Now that we've managed to drag you into our jail cell, do you have any thoughts on the original question posed? There seems to be a vague agreement amongst us that there's neglible difference between factory terminated and non-factory terminated cables, although we're all looking at it from different angles..... and it seems that Maury Povich, like Dr. Phil says, cannot change what he cannot acknowledge. Maybe that's why his show is still on the air.