Power Cable DIY - Please advise


Hi,

Im planning on building a pair of DIY power cables, I have shortlisted a few cables and connectors, please feel free to recommend which one to purchase.

Furutech FP TCS31
Acoustic Revive Powermax 10000
Acrolink ???
NeoTech NEP 3200

connectors... Furutech FI 28/E38 or FI50 gold or rhodium??

Thanks in Advance
narcissus
Your best options could vary depending on which equipment you plan to power.
In general, front end equipment such as servers, players, and DACs do not need a large a gauge as large power amplifiers.  However, some would argue that anything over about 14awg is overkill anyway.  The bulk cables by Furutech and Nanotec are supposed to be quite good and I have successfully used various Furutech bulk power cables including the  FP-3TS20 for front-end gear and FP-Alpha (unshielded) for power amplifiers.  I have heard from somebody I trust for audio impressions that Furutech's new nano-liquid treated power cables sound very good. 

My most recent DIY efforts have included using Western Electric vintage wire, which I find to sound good for both speaker cables and power cables.  My large SS Class A amplifiers and SS preamp sound good with 7 awg power cables made from four runs of WE10ga wire that are twisted and connected in a star-quad configuration with two 10awg wires per pole.  I use a tinned copper braid shield connected only at the source end, and then two more WE10ga wires spirialed outside of the braid shield and connected to ground at each end.  The cords are terminated with Furutech FP-11 Cu connectors.  I have no doubt this is overkill and that a simple twisted pair of the WE10ga wire (it comes in twisted pairs) plus ground would work just fine for virtually any amplifier.

I'm awaiting my IeGo 8055 pure copper (non-plated) IEC and Schuko plugs early next week, and am excited to see whether they'll sonically improve over a my Home Depot-style plugs (with brass connectors). The IeGo plugs are to be used with Viablue's X-40 bulk power cable (11 AWG), which arrived yesterday, and I'm actually trying it out right now with the current plugs to my Belles SA-30 power amp . My earlier power cable used here is twisted 15 AWG solid-core installation wire, and the Viablue bulk cable makes for an interesting sonic change. Even though they're now brand new and burn-in will likely have some say on their further development, for which reason I should perhaps be cautious with descriptions on their sound as is, the first impressions pointed to a "flatter" and more ripped/clear bass respons, meaning the earlier power cords by comparison showed some "tummy" in the upper bass region, making deeper male vocals and lower piano notes sound somewhat wooly/fat and undefined. In a sense this tendency continues up through the midrange, which through the Viablue's is now more focused, and yet relaxed and freely presented - indeed quite impressive. The high frequencies seem differently illuminated, and appear more resolved and open. Combined this makes for a more insightful and revealing presentation. Another sonic feature with the Viablue cables I noticed rather quickly is that they sound less congested, and seem to have a very firm grip on the sound; complex and highly energetic music like Jon Hopkins' The Vessel now sounds more effortless, coherent and stable/in-place, as if the sonic sphere in front of you is smoother in shape and more of-a-whole - a thrilling experience, to say the least.

Downsides with the implementation of the Viablue's? Difficult to say. Very first impressions had the sound somewhat monochromatic and slightly "stiff," and at present they don't quite seem to loosen up fully - perhaps this will change over time as they have more hours (and the IeGo plugs) on them. Importantly they don't in any way sound lean, edged or tipped-up. Where my old installation wires were subjectively a bit warmer/comfier but also more fuzzy around the edges and flatter sounding (i.e.: 2D-like), the Viablue's are less smeared, more balanced and more insightful, and with a sense of depth in the soundstage (where it occurs) that is beguiling. So, while the Viablue's could be said to be tighter sounding, they're actually fuller (i.e.: again, less congested) and more relaxed in their presentation. I could want for a slightly more colorful and a wee bit less dry sound as is, but later next week the IeGo pure cupper plugs will be added, and combined with more burn-in we'll see where this leads. 
I want to build a really high-end DIY power cable for my two large monos (Electrocompaniet AW600). I have the Furutech DPS4.1 with Furutech FI-50/52 NCF (R) plugs to feed my mains filter. Wall socket is Furutech FT-SWS NCF (Rhodium). Feeding the whole chain like this gave a really tremendous push towards resolution. Especially big orchestra and especially choir pieces are now much better than before. Regarding Rhodium there is a lot discussion regarding sounding too bright or sharpness in sound. I got a really great advice from a dealer. He suggests to always start with Rhodium from the power source, i.e. first the wall socket, then the cable from the socket to the filter/multiple socket, then the cables for other components. I did that and it actually worked well this way. I even changed the sockets in my mains filter to Furutech NCF Rhodium (Lab12 Gordian, IEC male inlet, Schuko female outlets), which again improved the sound in the same direction.

@auxinput
"All my power cable is hand made. I use 20awg solid-core OCC copper conductors with Teflon coating (the Neotech chassis wire) for my power cords. Each power cord has eighteen 20awg conductors -- 6 conductors per leg (hot/neutral/ground). I braid all the conductors -- each braid has a hot/neutral/ground, so that makes 6 braids for a power cable, making it a 12awg power cable in total."

For the power amps, the DPS4.1 is a little too expensive for me (I need 3m). One of my favorites would be the Neotech FP-3200, but then I read about your DIY mains cable using braided Neotech 20AWG solid core, which sounds very exciting.

Would you mind to tell a little more about it (or do you sell them commercially)? How tight did you braid the hot/neutral/ground triplets? How did you put together the 6 braids to form the whole cable (braid again, twist)? The Neotech 3200 is built around a core (fiber filled PVC), did you do similarly? A photo would be awesome. How much wire do you need to get 1m of final braided cable? How would you compare the sound of your cable with the Neotech FP-3200?Sorry for the many questions. I really would like to build this cable, because I think this would fit my amps perfectly. Electrocompaniet suggests to use unshielded power cable for them. In terms of plugs, I would use Rhodium plated, either the Neotech ones or the Furutech FI-28/38. Again, the FI50/52 are too costly.
The Furutech DPS4.1 is supposed to be a really good sounding power chord.  I have other Furutech power cords here that I use and like but have not heard the DPS4.1.  One consideration is that for power amplifiers I typically like the largest gauge chord I can use and have tried as large as 7awg on my power-hungry amplifiers. 
The Furutech DPS4.1 is an 11awg sized cord and the materials and construction are different from the Neotech NEP3200 (you indicated "FP" but I believe you meant "NEP").  The Neotech cord is larger (9awg) and is one of the few cords that are actually made from individually insulated solid core wire.  Solid core wire is typically not recommended for power cords due to the higher risk of failure (compared to stranded wire) when the cord is subjected to repeated bending.  However, the Neotech cord gets around that by using multiple, smaller, individually insulated wires.  It is also highly rated by listeners and would probably be my choice for power amplifiers compared to the DPS4.1.
Regarding DIY power cords, I prefer to terminate premanufactured cable vs. using hook-up wire to make cords.  I have done it both ways and for safety and uniformity (i.e., evenly spaced geometry) I like using the premanufactured cable.
Regarding Rhodium connectors, you basically need to listen and decide what you like.  Furutech connectors are typically awesome and as good or better than what you get on most manufactured cables.  The thing about Furutech connectors is that the base metal is typically copper so the plating IME makes more of a subtle sonic flavoring than a wholesale change.

Furutech DPS4.1
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/power-cable-diy-please-advise/posts/Furutech%20DPS4.1

Neotech NEP3200
http://wp.neotechcable.com/pcc-up-occ-copper-cable/