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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:

    • 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)
whyrichard
kevemaher's avatar
kevemaher
424 posts
 

There's a very interesting article in the now-deceased magazine called "The Audio Critic". It addresses cable differences, digital vs vinyl, and tubes vs transistors. Hot button topics for sure!

You can search for the Audio Critic with any search engine. The article is in Issue #20, page pdf 13. 

This magazine was created to provide articles that are more technical than those available at the time (mid-90s). Today we now have a forum that purports to do the same. The Audio Critic also shared their insights. The article above is one of these.

max_sansui's avatar
max_sansui
14 posts
 

A lot of subjective comments.  Nothing personal, but as a mechanical engineer,  I would like to see factors of the cords that influence SQ the most.  From here, we can gather performance data from the components and compare.  Issues such as "dirty" power are valid and should be included in the survey.

ghdprentice's avatar
ghdprentice
9,496 posts
 

I would recommend talking with electrical design engineers that work for Transparent, Straight Wire, Cardas. Those are the folks that collect data and track the relationship between sound and construction. As users, we just evaluate in our own systems and purchase. You don’t look at underlying principles when you buy a sports car. You check out a few specs, but these only tells a tiny story. You drive it... that’s what is important. 

westcoastaudiophile
819 posts
 

@ghdprentice +1 “..electrical design engineers that work for Transparent, Straight Wire, Cardas. Those are the folks that collect data and track the relationship between sound and construction."

Haven’t seen any scientific publications from them.. In order to publish, it will require to disclose blind test results, or/and some measurements, which is taboo!! Just send perks to few influencers, and send sales / marking folks to audio show! LOL 

whyrichard OP
89 posts
 

I just realized that the Nagra Streamer has this type of plug... 

What do you all recommend for an "affordable" power cord upgrade with this type of plug? 

 

Thanks,

R

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