Power Cords: A Skeptic Looking to Dabble...


Even though I am generally a skeptic when it comes to a lot of audiophile related things, I am curious enough to consider dabbling a bit in the coming months.

Here's my current system for reference:

(1) APC H15 Power Conditioner
(2) Pioneer Elite PD-D6-J SACD player
(3) Blue Jeans Cable LC-1 interconnect (6 feet)
(4) Yaqin MC-30L integrated amplifier (EL34 tube)
(5) Blue Jeans Cable Belden 5000 Series 10 AWG 5T00UP (7 feet)
(6) Focal 836v speakers

The SACD player and amplifier are plugged into the power conditioner (used primarily for surge protection) and all equipment is using the stock cords. The power cord on the power conditioner is a beast compared to everything else in the system.

I would be looking for recommendations new or used in the sub-$150 price range.

Is it reasonable to assume that a power cord could make a difference in my system at this price point? If so, which ones should I be considering? Also, please provide any reasoning and experience that you have with any recommendation.
mceljo

Showing 10 responses by williewonka

Mceljo - are you handy? Can you strip wire and screw on iec/mains connectors?

If you can do these relatively simple things you can make your own from bulk cable.

DH Labs makes great power cable....
- Encore for source
- Power Plus for pre/amp

Although my favourite is Furutech.

Silver plated copper Sonar Quest Connectors I have found to be very cost effective and can be purchased on eBay for $30 a pair - I use these on all my cables and they work extremely well.

There are sites on the web that can show you how to wire the connectors

How effective power cables will be depends on many factors, but I have found that ensuring the power cables are good quality will allow other changes to be more easily noticed and is an excellent place to start.

BTW - I have a Pioneer Elite DVD that I upgraded the power cord on using the DH Labs Encore and it made a noticeable difference

Do you have a dedicated power line?
Do you have quality outlets installed?

You'll probably get more noticeable results if you tackle these two things first. At least replace the outlets.

The outlets I use are Pass and Seymour MRI grade outlets - grip like a vice
- see Take Five Audio for these
- there are many other brands that do a great job

Does the power conditioner have a hard wired cable?

Just another option
Mceljo - if DIY is not your bag - take a look at Signal cables - they offer a couple in your snack bracket

Regards
Rlwainright - some folks are just not comfortable with the DIY approach - for example, I will not mess with anything gas related - I get the gas tech to come around. Watching is aways educational - but I wouldn't try it!

But for me with a background in electrical engineering a power cable is a no brainer. I have been known to take shortcuts with electrical connections - after the first electric shock - the rest are just a nuisance :-)

It's all about comfort level.
If I were in your position I would proceed as follows...

First step - replace the outlet
Second step - replace the source power cord
Third step - replace the power amp power cord

Pretty soon you'll be running :-)
Mceljo...
"seems that there should be some science to it"

Without getting too complicated - The science is related to a couple of
main factors...

FIRST- component power supply and it's ability to store enough energy to
handle transient demand

High-end components have a large power supply with lots of headroom to
handle transient demands.

Modestly priced components have power supplies with less headroom.

With these components, what happens when transient demand excceds a
power supplies capability is a fluctuation in internal voltages that result in
distortions in the audio signal.

Being stereo, the distortions in the left and right channels tend to be
different and that causes a lack of focus in the image. There can also be
phase variations that also contribute to a poor image

A good power cord will contribute to those transient demands being better
satisfied resulting in a better image, which in turn improves clarity and
image.

SECOND - The quality of the conductors and connectors used on the power
cord

High quality copper in the cable and the connectors will ensure the best
performance from the power cable, in that they will quickly respond to
transient demand to replenish energy in the power supply from the mains.

Some of the more exotic power cables use conductor geometries to further
enhance their conductivity abilities.

In very general terms the improvements that power cables can make in
modest systems will include a tighter control of bass frequencies and a
more precise placement of instruments in the sound stage

Improvements that power cables can make in high end components can be

much more subtle and generally result in improvements in clarity, texture
and depth of image.

To complicate matters the quality of interconnects and speaker cables play

a huge role in the performance of a system and may not allow the full
potential of a power cable upgrade to be fully appreciated.

Lastly you have to understand the resolution capability of each of your
components and how that factors into the equation and how they may
allow or prevent the full potential of ANY cable upgrade to be fully
appreciated.

Bottom line it's complicated - many people will arrange an "at
home" audition in their system - that's the most fool proof method of
assessment.

Trying to apply "some science" takes many audio engineers a
lifetime in their quest for the ultimate component, interconnect, cable

Be smart - Let your ears be the judge.

As I said at the start, this narrative is a very generalised comment-
"without getting too complicated"

The issues are many and the combinations endless - the budget, a
constraint - generally :-)
Mceljo - for an affordable DIY project try making a power cord from Romex (household wire)

I made up some braided 12 and 10 gauge cable. They performed much better than expected, but they were a little stiff

The braiding rejects RF

They will prove that better power cables improve performance.

Regards
Vegasears - you identify something most people often forget about - UL Certification

Fact is - any DIY project, like power cables, are not UL certified - even if the actual cable is.

Most cables, like Furutech, DHLabs, Nelson etc.. are subject to rigorous testing and scrutiny beyond that imposed by various agencies - i.e. except those fake cables that are appearing for sale on the internet.

Buyer beware!

Even store-bought power cables may carry the UL certified sticker, but even that may be counterfeit these days.

I once purchased a nicely constructed and packaged power cable from one store and when I tested is it was incorrectly wired.

From that point on I decided the UL certification sticker does not quarantee quality and to make my own

When it comes to power - ya never can be too careful.
Mceljo - what I was trying to highlight is that installing a quality power cable in a modestly priced system would reap a certain set of benefits

But taking the same action with components capable of higher resolving power would result in a set of benefits that would differ from the first instance.

In all cases the power cable is addressing the transient requirements that could not be handled by the power supply alone.

Here's some of the important tweaks I have made.
- it all started with the purchase of a power conditioner - I immediately noticed an improvement in bass detail - mainly due to the outlets having better clamping of the plugs

- I next installed a better power cable on the amp - again I noticed more bass detail and the imaging improved

- after upgrading all of the power cables I had a nice image left to right, but it lacked depth

- I replaced my interconnects with silver cables and the image finally got some depth

- I then installed a dedicated line and ditched the power conditioner and the depth improved even more - but I thought I could improve on the micro details

- I then replaced all of the power cable connectors with silver plated copper connectors - the micro details, like venue acoustics, became much more apparent and the image again got more depth to it

- and last - I replaced the banana connectors on my speaker cables with silver plated quality copper - right now I have a very good 3D image that is very focussed with lots of detail - on my modestly priced system.

BTW - those are just the major tweaks - there are many more

My problem now is I think I have extracted every ounce of performance out of my existing components - the new phono stage arrives next week :-)

What I have found with power cables...
1. - 12 gauge extension cord from Home Depot - better than stock cords
2. - braided romex cables - surprisingly good and much better than stock cables for bass control and image - very cost effective

3. - DH Labs - better than the romex - improved details and bass control for a reasonable outlay

4. - Furutech - provides the most improvement particularly with micro details like venue acoustics, instrument timber and better control of the higher frequencies, but the cost is starting to climb

5. - Silver plated copper mains connectors - really added focus to the positioning of artist and instruments in the sound stage and yet more venue details.

So - now you have a wealth of information from the various members in this thread with some excellent recommendations

What you have to do now is decide what your budget is and what direction you want to take (DIY or buy or forget about it) - your choice

Try some out before committing - it's worth it

Hope this helped
Mceljo - one last tidbit

I tried 13, 12, and 10 gaude cables on my amp and although the details were pretty much the same, the bass response and dynamics improved as the thicker gauge cable was installed.

Would an 8 gauge improve performance any more? Probably, but I think the law of diminishing returns kicks in and the gains may not justify the expense - gotta draw the line somewhere :-)

What gauge to select really depends on the power supply of the amp and it's ability to address transient demands. It also depends the the design of the amp. Tube is very different from solid state and even the different tube designs differ immensely in their power requirements and transient handling abilities.

This is a key reason why so many people promote auditioning cables in your system.

In my case, I also found that the 10 gauge did not offer any improvements for any of my sources.

Someone mentioned how can the last six feet of cable make a difference. That is the one mystery I have not yet been able to figure out, but having tried a 10 gauge braided Romex cable and found the 10 gauge Furutech to perform better, I can only assume it has something to do with cable design.

FYI my dedicated line is a 20 amp 10 gauge romex with a Pass and
Seymour outlet running off a 200 amp service.

Good luck with your cables
Mceljo - high-end components are able to reveal details that more modestly priced components are unable to.

Therefore, other posters are correct in their assertion that being able to hear the effect of "cable changes" is easier with hi-end gear - if you are listening for those details.

On a system that is unable to resolve this level of detail - you would have to listen for some other indicator of improvement.

However, even today's modestly priced systems are capable of revealing so much more detail if they are allowed to perform to their full potential - and this is where getting the right cables come into play

E.g. I have a Cambridge Audio 651p phono stage - cost $225
- it came with a wal-wart power supply
- it performed as good as it could - with that supply
- some people might upgrade to improve performance
- I built a power supply with quality cables and much better transformer
- the performance is now equivelent phono stages several times it price point and it reveals details never before heard.

However, it wasn't only the power supply & cables that allowed me to hear the improvements - it was everrthing else in the signal path
- interconnects, amp, speaker cables, connectors...

Even changing the RCA's on the interconnects allowed the micro details now being conveyed buy the phono stage to be heard.

So power cables are just one part of the puzzle

If you were to change a power cable and you didn't hear a change - it might not be the power cable - it might be the interconnect, or the speaker cable or one of the other components in the signal path

My first higher quality cable I installed was my speaker cable - at the time I didn't realize just how good it was - since that time I have replaced every component and every other cable in my system and each time the speaker cable has revealed the improvements of each of those changes

My cables and connectors have revealed details I did not know my system was capable of and I consider them the single best investment in my system - without them it would sound like - a stereo :-)

It's the hobby that just keeps on taking :-)