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What Power Cords for Rel S510 Subs?

I’m considering a pair of Rel S510s to go with my Diablo 300 and B&W 802 D2’s. I’ve invested quite a bit in cabling: Audioquest Dragon for my amp, Hurricanes for my source equipment, and Nordost Valhalla 2 for my speaker wire. I can clearly hear the difference between a Hurricane and a Dragon cord when powering my amp. The Dragon puts space and air around vocals and instruments with front to back depth.

There is no way I can afford anything better than two 3m Hurricanes for the Rel S510’s but my question is, how much do power cords matter for subs? Sadly for my wallet, I’ve found that higher grade cords do make a considerable difference for all my other components, verified through blind tests. Not as much as speaker cables, but still a big difference.

I also have a Innuos network isolation switch and also an Innuos USB reclocker, to support my Innuos Zenith Mk 3 streamer.

Does power cord quality matter less with subs than with everything else?

For the record I’ve seen other threads on this subject, with what seems to be consensus that power cords don’t matter with subs, but I was hoping others who, like me, appreciate the difference a top tier power cord can make, can comment on whether there truly is no benefit to using one when it comes to subs. Has anyone compared a Hurricane grade (or better) cord with a stock cord, connected to a high end sub?

 

nyev

Showing 2 responses by hshifi

hshifi
572 posts
 

Hello,

I thought the same thing about power cords on subs. I have only listened to different pc on my JL Audio F110 subs. I had nice 14 GA Puritan Classic Plus  cables but on each of the two subs. It did make an improvement over stock. It could be the gauge over the stock 16 ga wire. I bought some Straightwire Black Thunder pc for my  DAC and Preamp. I put them on the Subs to break them in. I noticed an immediate difference in the bass. It was more powerful than before. Also, It was cleaner and faster or more detailed especially keeping up with my front speakers. These are 10 ga equivalent wire from six strands. I think the strands make a difference over solid core. All that mattered to me was it sounded better. Lets say 25% better than before. I did turn the gain down to match the room again. Even after turning them down it sounds like the low bass is enveloped in the room. I cannot tell it’s coming from the subs even at high levels. After that I played around with other things on the subs like putting them on IKEA cutting boards which made things even better for $20 a sub. I left the Straightwire Black Thunder on the subs too good to take off. 

hshifi
572 posts
 

Hello,

I know a lot of people do not have a brick and mortar shop that lends out cables. This is the best way to try cables and equipment out at home. Also, I will tell you it can take a few hours or even a day or two for cables including power cables. I am not saying you do not hear a difference right away because you should. I call it loading up the cable or letting it balance out or settle in. Interconnects and speaker cables need time because of the lower voltage and I believe it needs to become consistent otherwise it’s like an empty water hose or line that needs to get the air out. Power cords make a difference the next day because the caps in the components need to do the same. Charge up and level out. The first time I noticed what a difference a power cable makes is when I replaced my stock PC on my surround receiver with a Nordost Blue Heaven. It really made a difference. Plus, some of these receivers have 9-13 amplifiers. That’s a lot of power not to mention all the other things in the same box. I say go with a 14 ga power cord so your not starving that equipment. Try it. Take your nice power card from one of your other sources like a phono stage or CD player and put it on your surround system. The next day after you charge up all of the moss caps you will understand. I hope this helps. 

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