Well, what can I say, you tried, power cords did nothing for you. I am surprised, but it is what it is. We all hear (or don’t) differently. It appears you appreciate the cables in general. I used to own XLO (Signature and Reference) many years ago. Oldie but goodie for sure. Enjoy the music and good audio, whatever path you choose to get there does not matter
Power cord choice?
Hoping to change (or upgrade) my current PC in use with my ARC CD3 Mk2. Currently I'm using a Locus Designs Polestar and setting a limit $600 max. I'd like to find a cord that can get more micro details from the ARC yet, I'd like to retain the smoothness but, try to open the sound stage and get a little more bottom in doing so. I listen to Alt rock (Sir Sly, The Killers, Gargage), rock, blues using Classe CAP 151 integrated and Apogee Slant 6s. I know this is subjective but, I'm also doing my best to work with my budget constraints and I'm not going to change if the improvement would just be slightly incremental. I'd like suggestions to consider, please.
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You could keep the Polestar and simply upgrade the plugs. I checked another post from you and it looks like those power cords use the Oyaide 029. Going to the 046 or 004 should increase detail and improve the soundstaging. I think the 004 is the more dynamic of the plugs though it is also the more likely to become aggressive sounding in the wrong system. Still, either should be a rather obvious improvement and fairly cost effective. Another great plug option coinciding with your indicated preferences would be the IeGO 8095. I've tried several other IeGO plugs and the 8095 is in another league altogether. |
bigtwin, I’ve experimented with Audioquest and Pangea power cables of various flavors on my Bryston B60R Integrated Amp and it doesn’t care what I feed it with. When I think of the cheap service panel, circuit breakers and Romex cable to the outlets, it’s unreasonable to think that 5-6 feet of expensive power cables is going to make a significant difference. Bryston and Pass have long-maintained that there is NO benefit in replacing the stock power cables with "boutique" ones. Perhaps the robust design of the power supplies in Bryston and Pass equipment explains their indifference. |
You guys keep posting about the “last 5-6’ of expensive power cords” at the end of miles of Romex. That’s a huge misconception, and wrong. Perhaps confirmation bias? You know, that works both ways. https://www.gcaudio.com/tips-tricks/why-power-cables-make-a-difference/ Misconception #1: AC Power is like water coming from a large power tank, flowing through several 10s of feet of power hose into a component. This implies that the component is at the end of this system. "Some power cords use capacitors, inductors, or ferrites in an attempt to control the electromagnetic fields around the audio component. The success of such an approach is completely dependent upon the specific design and the reactance of the power supply of the component to which the power cable is attached.” |
@turnbowm My Furman power conditioner, weighing in at 100 pounds, has a huge storage of power to meet any demand from my amp. It contains all the circuity to filter, balance and isolate every outlet to prevent ground loops. (I hope I'm using all the right terminology). Not sure what the PC brings to the table. As asked before, does any manufacturer of PCs claim their product "cleans" the power source? If not, is the best PC in the world not simply passing through all the problems inherent the average home power supply? |
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