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Since I posted about having dissected a Virtual Dynamics Basic Power Cord that MooGoesTheCow gave me, I've been receiving many messages asking me what I found.
As I stated earlier, this post isn't intended as any sort of exposé, but it was very interesting. Though Virtual Dynamics only charges $34.95 for this cable, their web site does state that it "is designed to replace typical stock cord and to compete with the value of the most popular $500 power cords from the traditional electronic design theories," and so any opinions I express about its construction and performance are with this statement in mind.
To summarize my experience with power cords very quickly: a few have had noticeable, positive sonic effects on my rig. The effects, however, have been much more subtle than I’ve experienced with interconnects. I’m not suggesting that you’ll all find the same thing to be true, only what I’ve found in my experiences. I’ll go more in depth on the subject in my upcoming power cord review (I’m going to group several into one “article”). Hey! No smart-alecky comments -- I realize I’m late with my reviews.
Before cutting the Virtual Dynamics Basic Power, I used it in my rig, powering my HeadRoom Max headphone amplifier. I figured if it worked some miracles, I'd keep it plugged into the Max and be done with it. I replaced my Acoustic Zen Tsunami with the Virtual Dynamics Basic Power. The Tsunami is one of the power cables that has made a mild, positive sonic contribution to my rig. Long story short, to my ears and in my rig, the Virtual Dynamics Basic Power was a step back from the Acoustic Zen Tsunami -- similar to the very-mild-if-any effects the inexpensive (~$10.00) hospital grade power cord had on my rig (relative to the comes-with-the-amp stock cord).
So with MooGoesTheCow’s blessing (read: encouragement), the Virtual Dynamics Basic Power Cord underwent some irreversible surgery. Why were Moo and I so curious about cutting this particular cable open? Well (1) it’s not too expensive ($34.95); (2) its manufacturer says it’s designed “to compete with the value of the most popular $500 power cords from the traditional electronic design theories;” (3) for a cable with 18-gauge conductors, it is extremely heavy (heavier than some cables I’ve used with 6-AWG conductors); and (4) for a cable with 18-gauge conductors, it is very thick and not too flexible.
Anyway, following is a summary of what I found, along with any opinions that I have about these findings. NOTE: I am not an electrical engineer; nor do I have, or claim to have, any expertise in electrical engineering or cable design.
Almost the entire length of the Virtual Dynamics Basic Power is covered with what appears to be an attractive white nylon outer covering. Cutting past this revealed what looks to me like a standard utility hose. Click here to see a photo.
Now this is where the procedure got interesting: after cutting away a section of the nylon outer covering, I decided that it would be an interesting time to get a cross section of the cable to see what makes the cable so heavy and rigid. Remember, the cable is very heavy. I was performing this cutting on a cutting board on a dining table, and one end of this very heavy cord was hanging off the edge of the table (this is an important detail). Before you read on, make sure to have a clear image in your head of this heavy power cord, with one end dangling off the table, about to be chopped through, with the dangling end not being held onto by me, as I was going to let it drop to the ground. Okay…. So I start cutting through the cable, just aft of the IEC plug, with one of my sharpest knives, and once all the way through, the heavy dangling end falls to the ground, whipping the now-cut end through the air, and spraying (thanks to the whipping motion) a shower of granular, metallic stuff *all over* the place –- all over the table, all over the floor, all over me. Click here for an up-close shot of some of the granular, metallic stuff. The grain size is similar to granulated table salt, only with a great variety of grain shapes (as opposed to table salt’s rather uniform cube-shaped grains). I figured out that this granular, metallic stuff is ferromagnetic, which made magnet-assisted cleanup of the stuff possible -- still, cleanup took quite some time.
So, simply put, the hose-like part of the cable gives the cable its basic structure and girth; and pretty much the entire length of this six-foot hose of cable is stuffed with the granular, metallic stuff. This granular, metallic stuff is what makes the cable so rigid and heavy.
Emptying more of the granular, metallic stuff out into a trash can, I exposed the three twisted 18-gauge conductors. Each of the three conductors appears to me to be standard, stranded 18-gauge conductor. Insulation appears to me to be standard PVC. The three conductors are twisted, and this twisted bundle is wrapped in what looks to me like a spiraled paper outer covering. So this twisted conductor trio is the core of the cable. The granular, metallic stuff surrounds this core; the hose-like body surrounds that; and the nylon outer sheathing covers the hose-like body.
Examining the cross section at the cut-off end of the cable (the IEC end) shows what looks to me like a glue of some sort used to plug each end of the hose-like body, keeping the granular, metallic stuff out of the IEC and NEMA plugs on either side of the cable, and from falling out of the cable. Click here for a picture of this cross section (notice the bits of granular, metallic stuff left over, the position of the twisted conductor trio in this cross section, and what appears to be glue plugging this end of the cable).
Following are a few photos of the cut-off IEC end of the cable in various stages of being peeled away:
Regarding the granular, metallic stuff: I'm not sure if this granular, metallic stuff is intended purely as mechanical damping, or if it is supposed to also serve as some sort of full-length ferrite. Really, I have no idea what its purpose really is, but I do know that it’s what gives this cable its very heavy weight. I’m not sure what this granular, metallic stuff is made of, but its ferromagnetism drops at least a hint of its possible content, and/or its partial content.
Am I impressed with the build quality of this cable? Not really. Though I’ve not cut open a $500 power cable, I have cut open some $500 and $900 interconnects, a $150 headphone cable, and a couple of $250 digital cables, and found what appeared to me to be more complex internal designs and fancier materials (like Teflon and Teflon/air dielectrics, and fancy shielding, for example), not to mention what seemed to me like more uniform construction and symmetry, as well what looked to me like better cable body fit and finish from sheath to core. If I ever get the time, I’ll try to take some photos of some of these other cables I’ve cut open (in another thread, I did post some photos of a dissected section of Cardas Neutral Reference interconnect). Even a $10 Quail hospital grade power cord exhibits what looks to me like more uniform, symmetrical construction.
Again, I’m no electrical engineer. This post is of my experiences and my opinions only. The Virtual Dynamics Basic Power cord might be just what you’re looking for, and might do better things for you and your rig. It just didn’t work for me as I had hoped, so I cut it open and found that its construction didn’t do much to impress me either.
Maybe one day I’ll try one of the higher end Virtual Dynamics power cords and see if I get better results with one of those.
As I stated earlier, this post isn't intended as any sort of exposé, but it was very interesting. Though Virtual Dynamics only charges $34.95 for this cable, their web site does state that it "is designed to replace typical stock cord and to compete with the value of the most popular $500 power cords from the traditional electronic design theories," and so any opinions I express about its construction and performance are with this statement in mind.
To summarize my experience with power cords very quickly: a few have had noticeable, positive sonic effects on my rig. The effects, however, have been much more subtle than I’ve experienced with interconnects. I’m not suggesting that you’ll all find the same thing to be true, only what I’ve found in my experiences. I’ll go more in depth on the subject in my upcoming power cord review (I’m going to group several into one “article”). Hey! No smart-alecky comments -- I realize I’m late with my reviews.
Before cutting the Virtual Dynamics Basic Power, I used it in my rig, powering my HeadRoom Max headphone amplifier. I figured if it worked some miracles, I'd keep it plugged into the Max and be done with it. I replaced my Acoustic Zen Tsunami with the Virtual Dynamics Basic Power. The Tsunami is one of the power cables that has made a mild, positive sonic contribution to my rig. Long story short, to my ears and in my rig, the Virtual Dynamics Basic Power was a step back from the Acoustic Zen Tsunami -- similar to the very-mild-if-any effects the inexpensive (~$10.00) hospital grade power cord had on my rig (relative to the comes-with-the-amp stock cord).
So with MooGoesTheCow’s blessing (read: encouragement), the Virtual Dynamics Basic Power Cord underwent some irreversible surgery. Why were Moo and I so curious about cutting this particular cable open? Well (1) it’s not too expensive ($34.95); (2) its manufacturer says it’s designed “to compete with the value of the most popular $500 power cords from the traditional electronic design theories;” (3) for a cable with 18-gauge conductors, it is extremely heavy (heavier than some cables I’ve used with 6-AWG conductors); and (4) for a cable with 18-gauge conductors, it is very thick and not too flexible.
Anyway, following is a summary of what I found, along with any opinions that I have about these findings. NOTE: I am not an electrical engineer; nor do I have, or claim to have, any expertise in electrical engineering or cable design.
Almost the entire length of the Virtual Dynamics Basic Power is covered with what appears to be an attractive white nylon outer covering. Cutting past this revealed what looks to me like a standard utility hose. Click here to see a photo.
Now this is where the procedure got interesting: after cutting away a section of the nylon outer covering, I decided that it would be an interesting time to get a cross section of the cable to see what makes the cable so heavy and rigid. Remember, the cable is very heavy. I was performing this cutting on a cutting board on a dining table, and one end of this very heavy cord was hanging off the edge of the table (this is an important detail). Before you read on, make sure to have a clear image in your head of this heavy power cord, with one end dangling off the table, about to be chopped through, with the dangling end not being held onto by me, as I was going to let it drop to the ground. Okay…. So I start cutting through the cable, just aft of the IEC plug, with one of my sharpest knives, and once all the way through, the heavy dangling end falls to the ground, whipping the now-cut end through the air, and spraying (thanks to the whipping motion) a shower of granular, metallic stuff *all over* the place –- all over the table, all over the floor, all over me. Click here for an up-close shot of some of the granular, metallic stuff. The grain size is similar to granulated table salt, only with a great variety of grain shapes (as opposed to table salt’s rather uniform cube-shaped grains). I figured out that this granular, metallic stuff is ferromagnetic, which made magnet-assisted cleanup of the stuff possible -- still, cleanup took quite some time.
So, simply put, the hose-like part of the cable gives the cable its basic structure and girth; and pretty much the entire length of this six-foot hose of cable is stuffed with the granular, metallic stuff. This granular, metallic stuff is what makes the cable so rigid and heavy.
Emptying more of the granular, metallic stuff out into a trash can, I exposed the three twisted 18-gauge conductors. Each of the three conductors appears to me to be standard, stranded 18-gauge conductor. Insulation appears to me to be standard PVC. The three conductors are twisted, and this twisted bundle is wrapped in what looks to me like a spiraled paper outer covering. So this twisted conductor trio is the core of the cable. The granular, metallic stuff surrounds this core; the hose-like body surrounds that; and the nylon outer sheathing covers the hose-like body.
Examining the cross section at the cut-off end of the cable (the IEC end) shows what looks to me like a glue of some sort used to plug each end of the hose-like body, keeping the granular, metallic stuff out of the IEC and NEMA plugs on either side of the cable, and from falling out of the cable. Click here for a picture of this cross section (notice the bits of granular, metallic stuff left over, the position of the twisted conductor trio in this cross section, and what appears to be glue plugging this end of the cable).
Following are a few photos of the cut-off IEC end of the cable in various stages of being peeled away:
- This is the cut-off IEC end of the cable with the nylon sheathing cut away, revealing the hose-like covering, and a piece of electrical tape covering a small whole (I’m guessing this whole was used to inject the glue-like stopper material at each end of the cable).
This is pretty much the same as the above photo, but with the electrical tape peeled away, exposing the aforementioned hole.
This is a photo of the IEC end with everything peeled away but the twisted trio of conductors.
Regarding the granular, metallic stuff: I'm not sure if this granular, metallic stuff is intended purely as mechanical damping, or if it is supposed to also serve as some sort of full-length ferrite. Really, I have no idea what its purpose really is, but I do know that it’s what gives this cable its very heavy weight. I’m not sure what this granular, metallic stuff is made of, but its ferromagnetism drops at least a hint of its possible content, and/or its partial content.
Am I impressed with the build quality of this cable? Not really. Though I’ve not cut open a $500 power cable, I have cut open some $500 and $900 interconnects, a $150 headphone cable, and a couple of $250 digital cables, and found what appeared to me to be more complex internal designs and fancier materials (like Teflon and Teflon/air dielectrics, and fancy shielding, for example), not to mention what seemed to me like more uniform construction and symmetry, as well what looked to me like better cable body fit and finish from sheath to core. If I ever get the time, I’ll try to take some photos of some of these other cables I’ve cut open (in another thread, I did post some photos of a dissected section of Cardas Neutral Reference interconnect). Even a $10 Quail hospital grade power cord exhibits what looks to me like more uniform, symmetrical construction.
Again, I’m no electrical engineer. This post is of my experiences and my opinions only. The Virtual Dynamics Basic Power cord might be just what you’re looking for, and might do better things for you and your rig. It just didn’t work for me as I had hoped, so I cut it open and found that its construction didn’t do much to impress me either.
Maybe one day I’ll try one of the higher end Virtual Dynamics power cords and see if I get better results with one of those.