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Power Cords Snake Oil ??

Having been a long time audiophile living with countless high end compnents I have to wonder about the theory and practicality of high end power cords.

I have yet to hear the difference a power cord makes. Ive owned, synergistic, Shunyata, BMI and cardas. I in no way can detect any sonic signature or change. Give me a pair of interconnects and I imeadiately notice a difference somewhere in the sonic spectrum. Not the PC though. I have accomplished 4 blind tests with my friends. 3 out of the 4 they did not know their cord was replaced. All 4 were using a stock factory supplied cord. Each of the 4 tests were done on different components. Amp, CDP, Preamp & dac.

My electrical backround tells me that provided you supply the component with its required voltage bet 110vac or 220/240vac its happy. Now, change the incoming frequency from 60hz to say 53hz and watch how quickly your soundstage collapses.! This is often the case during the summer months when home air conditioners are in use and the utility company power output is taxed to the max. A really good power conditioner should however take care of the frequency fluctuations. But 110vac is still 110vac regardless of the conductor it passes through as long as its remains 110vac when it reaches the intended circuit. Does your 8k amp or preamp know the difference of the path the voltage took to reach it ? Many an audiophile will use a dedicated 20amp circut for their equipment.That is a good idea as voltage & frequency fluctuations will occur in the home circuit to to other loads on the main breaker panel but again, A power cord simply is the means of transporting the voltage from the wall to the component. IF there is a clean 110vac @ 60hz at the wall socket, no matter what the medium is to go from the socket to the component, it will still be 110vac @60hz.

Could somebody expand on this a bit more. I just dont understand it. ??
128x128jetmek
williewonka
3,067 posts
 
Lacee - don't forget that the differences they may fail to detect also depends on the other cables in their systems which may or may not allow them to hear a difference.

If either the speaker cables or interconnects are not of sufficient quality or gauge, they will not hear any improvement.

I have very good 10 gauge speaker cables and phono interconnects with balanced conductors and directional screens. They make a huge difference to the complete sound and allowed me to hear improvements

But you are correct in that people listen for different things - e.g. I listen to the musical phrasing, not the actual words.
pierre620
1 posts
 
The armonico Power Cord from Fono Acustica is changing the view many people have about power cords in general. I have witness how this PC truly transform the sound of a system for the better regardless of what other cables are being used in a system. I also witness how this PC has changed the minds of many none believers, while I do agree that there are lot snake oil products in the market the armonico PC is worth to try.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
drubin
3,265 posts
 
Hmmm...first post by Pierre620. I suspect a shill.
williewonka
3,067 posts
 
At $7300 - I would hope it would change peoples minds - at least in a positive direction.

There's also the TOTL - Odin Supreme Reference from Nordost @ $7000 (I believe that's the price)

Now back to the real world...

So since my first append above I have added a DH Labs Power Plus PC to my system at a very reasonable $49 for 7 ft of cable+ $40 for connectors.

Replacing the 10 awg furutech cable on my amp made no difference to the sound!
- but then it didn't get any worse :-)
- the furutech cost $250 to build myself

Replacing 15 awg Furutech DIY cable on the power conditioner however did result in a significant improvement across the board...
- improved detail across the complete frequency range
- more spacious 3D stage
- smoother highs
- deeper bass
- more dynamic

all in all - a nice little upgrade :-)

The Furutech seems to have "industrial" written all over it and would be right at home in harsh chemical environments.

The DH labs cable is not of the same build quality as the Furutech, But then it doesn't need to be because it's designed for audio use only and has great quality copper, which is the important thing here.

AND - if you search AG forums there are many references to DH Labs and their very respectable performance levels.

If you are thinking about upgrading PC's - give DH Labs Power Plus a whirl

If you live in a harsh environment - or just want a cable built like a TANK! - try the Furutech

Why did I decide to try DH Labs over other cables like Pangea? - well, their whole design philosophy made a lot of sense and they laid their designs out on the web for everyone to see, just like Furutech and Van Den Hul does.

Seeing it helps me believe it :-)

Companies that just tell me "it will sound better!"
- well that's just asking me to rub on the snake oil :-)
williewonka
3,067 posts
 
OK, so since my last posting I've had a chance to revamp a few parts of my system and the following is what transpired...

I looked at the bottlenecks in my power supply components and in the power supply to the phono stage and the DAC the fuses seemed the weakest link. I replaced them with push button breakers, which allowed the attached sources to really improve their performance.

I also replaced the power conditioner with a DIY power distribution centre that utilized Pass and Seymour outlets and a push button breaker for safety.

I then tried some different power cord combinations and found that the Furutech outperformed the DH Labs Encore cable - not by a lot, but it was discernible.

The DH Labs Power Plus cable is still a top performer, capable of satisfying the most dynamic power demands.

So, my new benchmark power cables are the Furutech.

But if your budget will not stretch to their price point, the DH Labs power cables are very respectable options at a much more affordable cost.

Cost conscious readers should also take a look at the Vanguard line of connectors on eBay, which are gold on copper and very affordable at $23 for a mains plug and an IEC connector.

Enjoy:-)
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