Geoffkait - I have just finished tinkering with my power cords and stumbled on some interesting findings.
My original setup had
- Furutech 15 gauge on the source components - plugged into power bar
- Furutech 15 gauge on the power bar - plugged into the outlet
- Furutech 10 gauge on the amp - plugged into outlet
All pc's had gold plated copper connectors - I also tried rhodium plated copper connectors on the 10 gauge cable
I had read on Agon about making power cords from romex, which I had laying around the house, so I thought I would investigate.
I made up some 10 gauge and 12 gauge cords using a braided style to reduce any RF interference.
Putting the 10 gauge braided romex onto the amp had little impact to the overall sound, compared to the 10 gauge Furutech - probably because the amp has a substantial power supply
Putting the 12 gauge braided romex on the distribution power bar and the source components actually provided a discernible improvement over the
15 gauge furutech - more fine details and precision in the staging
The next step was a total surprise - I replaced the 12 gauge romex on the power bar with the 10 gauge furutech and the difference was startling - the image depth and detail was so much better and the high's and sibilence had a smoothness to them.
My last change was to the Furutech 10 gauge cable - I installed some silver plated copper connectors.
When attached to the power bar this provided even more focus and space and the micro details of the venue now sounded very life-like
Switching the 10 gauge romex back to the amp again revealed that there was little difference from the 10 gauge romex.
My amp has a substantial power supply, however, the power supplies on my source components are no where near as substantial.
So- it appears that although all components benefit from a power cord upgrade
- some components benefit more from a higher quality power cord
- some components may not require such an expensive power cord
As cited time and again in these forums - if possible - try them out before you commit to a purchase.
Granted, going for an expensive power cord should reap benefits, but it might just be unnecessary for every component in your system.
The one thing that was most noticeable was just how much better the silver plated mains connectors performed when compared to both gold and rhodium plated connectors, all tried on the 10 gauge Furutech - although that could also be due to the design, which was slightly different.
I've also read plain copper is an improvement over gold/rhodium plated prodicts
Just something to ponder during he long winter evenings:-)
Unfortunately - this has simply peaked my curiosity - I have a few more power cord related ideas I plan to look into :-)
My original setup had
- Furutech 15 gauge on the source components - plugged into power bar
- Furutech 15 gauge on the power bar - plugged into the outlet
- Furutech 10 gauge on the amp - plugged into outlet
All pc's had gold plated copper connectors - I also tried rhodium plated copper connectors on the 10 gauge cable
I had read on Agon about making power cords from romex, which I had laying around the house, so I thought I would investigate.
I made up some 10 gauge and 12 gauge cords using a braided style to reduce any RF interference.
Putting the 10 gauge braided romex onto the amp had little impact to the overall sound, compared to the 10 gauge Furutech - probably because the amp has a substantial power supply
Putting the 12 gauge braided romex on the distribution power bar and the source components actually provided a discernible improvement over the
15 gauge furutech - more fine details and precision in the staging
The next step was a total surprise - I replaced the 12 gauge romex on the power bar with the 10 gauge furutech and the difference was startling - the image depth and detail was so much better and the high's and sibilence had a smoothness to them.
My last change was to the Furutech 10 gauge cable - I installed some silver plated copper connectors.
When attached to the power bar this provided even more focus and space and the micro details of the venue now sounded very life-like
Switching the 10 gauge romex back to the amp again revealed that there was little difference from the 10 gauge romex.
My amp has a substantial power supply, however, the power supplies on my source components are no where near as substantial.
So- it appears that although all components benefit from a power cord upgrade
- some components benefit more from a higher quality power cord
- some components may not require such an expensive power cord
As cited time and again in these forums - if possible - try them out before you commit to a purchase.
Granted, going for an expensive power cord should reap benefits, but it might just be unnecessary for every component in your system.
The one thing that was most noticeable was just how much better the silver plated mains connectors performed when compared to both gold and rhodium plated connectors, all tried on the 10 gauge Furutech - although that could also be due to the design, which was slightly different.
I've also read plain copper is an improvement over gold/rhodium plated prodicts
Just something to ponder during he long winter evenings:-)
Unfortunately - this has simply peaked my curiosity - I have a few more power cord related ideas I plan to look into :-)