The weirdness of it all


Power cables and power conditioning seem the next focus components.  While I struggle, as I'm sure many do paying premium for a chunk of wire, it seems that when done well, that chunk of wire is now an influential component in the chain allowing everything to shine.

I've slowly been upgrading all PCs with Furutech 4.1 with appropriate connectors and it has been nothing short of revelatory moving the needle of performance for the whole system.  I can liken it to completely refining a fuel injection system which in turn allows everything to work better producing better performance.

I've capped my insanity with the Furutech and do not see myself moving beyond that.  While certainly real capital, not hide the women and children capital like some products left unnamed.

celtic66

The cable's effect not only differs for each kind of cable, but also its length & connectors, and the amp & speakers used.  I'll keep this simple, since even that is above my pay grade, and only consider resistance, although changes in inductance & capacitance are also in play.

From the amp pov, the cable adds to the resistance it's driving.  That usually results in a (slight!) reduction in the amp's output - but some circumstances could result in an increase.  From the speaker side, the cable resistance adds to the source impedance, lowering damping & resulting in the amp having less control of the speaker (this is why tube amps generally have looser bass than ss - they tend to have a higher output impedance).

Sorry, it's hard not to say "impedance" when talking about audio - that's the result of the complex interaction of inductance (L), capacitance (C), & resistance (R)  in the circuit and of course is frequency-dependent.  So what I said above is true, but additionally complicated by the cable's L & C, and different at every frequency.  The choice of amp & speakers also affects this interaction to varying degrees at every frequency.

Conclusion: If you like how your system sounds, good on you, mate!  If not, cabling can make a difference, but the results are not as measurable or predictable as upgrading your electronics.

The importance of power cables can't be overstated. There is no reason why they should be limited to audio equipment. I love the fact that my Samsung S95B OLED has an IEC power socket, so I can use a decent power cable. Like audio equipment, the improvement is fantastic. Just as audio equipment benefits from isolation feet, so does the TV. The IsoAcoustics ISO-Stage 1 Combo Isolation Board works well and more importantly supports the weight and is stable.

BTW, this isn't sarcasm, but something I wholeheartedly recommend if you want your visual experience to be top-notch.

@petaluman If the audible impacts of cables are due to LCR interactions, the math describing those changes is well known and not very difficult. And as a result, easy to document. But it's a double-edged sword, the inability to document such conditions removes them from consideration. Stereophile for one runs a frequency response of amps into a simulated speaker load with frightening results.  

Interesting...

If the only 'major' setback on the 'perfection' of the signal being moved about the components and delivered to the speakers via the 'new' cable concepts is the speakers themselves.

Now.....

Given that speakers, being the most discussed/argued over/preferred/not preferred/subject to the space placed within (which is a whole other issue), and subject to us...and our noted *ah* 'differences*....

The only item left for a major overhaul IS us.

We Are Obsolete.

 

*L*  See you in the dustbin....:)

@bugredmachine 

What did you make of the NRG Custom Cables - the "5"? 

These are not widely spoken of, but they were a welcome addition to my modest system, plus they are reasonably priced, and Nawaz is a joy to do business with

I have this feeding my integrated, and the smaller version feeding my DAC.

Regards