Power cables of your choice, and why?

I wanted to follow up on my experience with the Furutech FP S032N + FI-50 NCF cable I had built. I had grand plans to carefully examine the sound impact this had on my system and also to try it on my amp, preamp and DAC. It turned out that this cable was a royal pain to install on my amp given the positioning of my rack. After groveling on the floor and getting a muscle cramp or two, I finally got it into place on my amp. After a couple weeks of listening, I think it has made a small but positive change in my system. I am definitely hearing no downsides to my ears. I am happy with it and I spent an amount I was comfortable with on this experiment.

Unfortunately, I have no desire to wrestle with this cable behind my rack and compare it to the previous cable or even try it on different components, so I can't provide much more information than this.

Audio components are powered by dc power from the component’s internal power supply.  Power cords supply AC power from a residential electrical grid to an audio component’s power supply but are not in the signal path.  Therefore, I can only think of a few scenarios where a power cord might affect the sound resulting from an audio component or system, such as:

• If the wire gauge of the cord is not sufficient to provide the necessary current,
• if the cord is inadequately shielded to prevent RFI/EMI noise from entering the component,
• if there are construction issues such as loose connectors or wires, or reversed polarity, or
• if the grounding scheme of the cord and/or the attached components are somehow not compatible.

I have a bunch of different cords here including well-reviewed cords by Furutech, Neotech, Oyaide, and Acrolink.  I also have cords I have constructed myself from old stock Western Electric wire (similar to the original TWL American Series).  I use the cords where it makes sense, such as shielded cords on my front end digital gear and 7awg DYI cords on my 650wpc monoblock amplifiers.  As far as the others, I can’t repeatedly and/or reliably discern any sonic differences between them.  YMMV.

@lanx0003  It has only taken me 3 months to respond to your comment.  Of course, you were correct about Lachlan’s experience with Supra power cables when using the Supra power board vs. his older power board.  I don’t use a Supra power board, but all of my equipment is fed through a 30 year old API Power Wedge II.  So, maybe the Power Wedge is better than I thought.

My point in responding is that I had resisted for the past two years or so upgrading the power cord for my Simaudio Moon 260DT CD transport (no DAC).  I finally ordered a third Supra power cord thinking that I should at least try it since the cost was so minimal.  I really didn’t anticipate being able to notice a difference.  But I’m shocked at the change it made in level of detail.  I’ve only had one listening session, but everything I’ve played sounds like it has been upgraded or remastered.  The improvement for the transport is every bit as great as the improvements to my Krell DAC and Rowland preamp.  

I still have not decided what to do about upgrading my DAC.  For now, I’ll spend time relearning what my old system sounds like, which is now pretty good.  

Best power cord I've heard is the Furutech Project V1. Yes expensive wish I could afford a full loom of them. They just bring energy and fullness to the presentation. 

ozzy

I always enjoy your Cable/Cord adventures. And yes, you bet a Power Cord makes a difference.

Happy Listening!