Thanks for the update @whyrichard
glad it made a positive difference
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:
Thanks for the update @whyrichard glad it made a positive difference |
whyrichard Whole heartedly agree with what many have said here, here is my experience in my own system and setting up a bunch of friend's systems: (1) Install at least 2 dedicated lines, one for your amplifier and one for signal components. This should cost around $450 give or take depending on the length of the runs. Provided HUGE returns on the cost (2) On those 2 dedicated lines, install a high quality receptacle; here are some excellent ones: Furutech GTX-D(G) gold plated $180, Furutech GTX-D(R) rhodium plated $210, Oyaide R-1 $180 (NOT the SWO series), and for much less money Acme Audio Labs silver plated,Cryo'd, CFC coated $75 or $85 depending on model. I personally don't prefer the Rhodium plated Furutech (too bright in my systems), but a lot of people love that receptacle....and the Acme Audio Labs is just ridiculously good for $80 give or take for a silver plated plug. In my new audio room, I am installing 3 dedicated lines; two with the Furutech GTX-D(G), one with the Oyaide R-1, and the non-dedicated with the Acme. (3) Find power conditioner/supply of your choice, but only for signal components; do not plug your amp into the conditioner (4) Plug your amp directly into one of the new dedicated lines with updated receptacles (5) I use and can highly recommend the Anti-Cables Level 3, they are amazing for the price. Zavfino and RAMM Audio make brilliant cables that are OCC copper, and affordable. I have even better cables that I have built boutique Japanese copper, but just the bulk cable and plugs cost twice what the others cost. |
@kevemaher Ethan is a friend I've known him forever, and I've done some mastering for him so that he could hear what was possible beyond what he did for himself
his monitoring is pathetic, and his results are in no way conclusive of anything
if you're ever in Los Angeles, I encourage you to come by my studio and I will swap out one power cord and in 30 seconds you will hear it plain as day. I can also swap out 2 feet of XLR cabling in the middle of my chain from one very expensive cable to another very expensive cable and you will hear those differences plan as day
you have to have the resolution and the ears and if you don't you don't, but it doesn't mean it's not real If you go to the Shunyata research site, you'll see that he actually discovered things which required a new form of measurement those of us who are professionals, who do this every day in the best monitoring environment, we can simply hear it, and if you were here, you would also hear it |
@brianlucey Thank you for your offer, but alas, I live in N. Cal. Tests you're proposing can be biased by many things. I'm sure I will hear a difference with different cables. But that doesn't mean that feeling will last. I've fooled myself this way numerous times. REW scans with different power cords may be instructive. I've ventured into some of the aftermarket manufacturer's websites and have not been impressed with their reasoning. I'll stick with the power cords I now have. I don't see a need to venture out of my side of this argument. Let's just leave it alone, as I stated in the my post above. |
@kevemaher yes, by all means if you're happy with what you have then don't change a thing… There's nothing worse than people who think they need more than they have and then throw money at a problem that they can't define
however, I assure you that when you listen every day, like I do to the most subtle things in the audio world, you discover that there are physical properties about materials, which are consistent overtime… Part of the trick of listening skill is to learn how to eliminate our own state of mind as a variable… This takes time, but it can definitely be done
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