I’ll that not only the power cables make a difference. The connectors do too.
I DIY’d a few Furutech power cords and initially I used cheaper Furutech connectors. Then I upgraded to their top of the line NCF ones and what s difference that made!
So in the end it all matters. I can list the power cables I tried over the years if you’re interested. I’m also interested to hear about your experience with different power cords. What have you tried and with what equipment. If you care to share.
Diving into Power... Cable recs for my system and ears....?
Hello All,
I have been enjoying a full system upgrade over the past year... the interconnects and digital cables were an eye opener! Now I am bringing my attention to power...
I am currently running my components off a power strip that is 10' long... supposedly designed for audio. All my major components are plugged into this. This power strip is plugged into a wall outlet, which is shared with some lights etc. Also plugged into this power strip is my wifi router.
I have a few questions:
-What is the most important in regards to impact to overall sound if I were to upgrade the power cords? My guess its: 1: Amp.... 2: DAC... 3: Streamer... is that right? Or is it the opposite?
-Should I have an electrician setup a dedicated outlet to my electrical box, and run my main components off that? Is this worth it? or is there another setup between my electrical box and my components? Or if there is no detectible buzz, should I simply not bother?
-If I should begin looking into power cords as the first upgrade here, what cord would you recommend if I yearn for the following: Extreme startling presence and separation... magic midrange, highs blissful, voice acoustic jazz violin, piano... essentially startling presence as if the instrument is right there...
I have been enjoying Anticables, and they have a well rated cable in the $300 range which supposedly is as good or better than $1000 cables... but I am open to recommendations...!
Thank you all!
Richard
Currently my system (also outlined in my virtual system profile) is as follows:
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- SPEAKERS: Pure Audio Project Duet 15 Horn (Mundorf Silver Gold Oil Cap upgrade and customized crossover w/high pass filter and sweeter meds), Anticable 4.2 Flex Internal wire)
- STREAMER: Nagra Streamer (Cardas Clear Coaxial)
- DAC: HoloAudio Spring 2 Level 3 Kitsune edition (Silversmith Fidelium RCA Interconnects)
- AMP: PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium HP Integrated (RAY TUBES EL34 Reserve power tubes, RADIOTECHNIQUE NOS 12AU7 Gain tubes w/Mullard NOS and Brimar NOS tubes (Anticables 4.2 Flex to speaker)
- PHONO: Music Hall MMF-9 and McIntosh MP 100 Preamp (Audio-Technica AT160ML MM Cartridge, Anticable 7.3 and Silversmith fidelium Interconnects)
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- 183 posts total
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The other aspect that gets overlooked by the naysayers is the quality of electric someone is receiving to their devices. I happen to have very clean power, so I’m not sure how much difference a power cord makes for me. In areas that have dirty power coming in, that person may see big improvements if the new cord shields or filters or does its thing. Truthfully, I’m always on the fence with this myself. I saw improvement when replacing some speaker wire once. That may be the speakers connection quality was better using the clip on system rather than the posts. I tried a power conditioner from a top brand, sounded like garbage. Perhaps it all depends on a variety of factors. |
Of course. I finally narrowed my speakers wanted list down to one (Infinity IRS Beta). After I get a set in my home and dial them (I reckon most Betas out there need significant work) it will be time to audition amp suitors, so to speak; and after a match is made, I may find that my vintage Krell is still the best pre for the job, or maybe not. Once a winning pre is dialed in, my core system will be complete, giving me the end sound I desire. Until then, stock / generic cords of sufficient gauge will do, providing a known baseline if nothing else. To be honest, I’ll probably run dedicated mains to my room before I start looking at power cords. Then, I may start off the DIY way as @viridian suggested. I did buy a Pangea power cord (it was $25), and I treated my Mark Levinson No. 37 CD transport to it. I cannot say that I looked for sound quality differences, and none have made themselves obvious.
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- 183 posts total