how much does power cable influence the sound?
Dec 5, 2008 at 8:44 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 43
plonter

plonter

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Hi my question is like says the topic: how much does a power cable reflects the sound of the amp...is it big difference?
maybr i would consider to upgrade my stock cable.
thx.
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 9:12 PM Post #2 of 43
i am looking forward to the replies on this!!!!!!!!
i would guess that if you have a "clean" supply after that you wouldnt really notice any further improvement.
but i know very little, this is just my opinion.
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 9:13 PM Post #3 of 43
6.324%

Honestly though, it depends on the quality of the incoming power, the PSU of the gear and the quality of the stock cable. I would be more concerned with finding the amp, source, headphones, etc. you like before investing in cables of any kind.
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 9:59 PM Post #5 of 43
Quote:

Originally Posted by plonter /img/forum/go_quote.gif
how much does a power cable reflects the sound of the amp...is it big difference?



This is easy... no. Now defining "big"... that's hard.

Keep in mind this answer is coming from someone who has purchased $50+ power cables for all of his gear.
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 11:15 PM Post #8 of 43
Somewhere between panda's and fallen angel's response.

Would I buy another expensive power cord? NOPE. Would I replace stock power cords? YEP.

I would put money into a better source, dac, amp and headphones and then finally into your power cords. Yes, they really do have an effect on the sound. How much? You tell me.
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 11:24 PM Post #9 of 43
It's like change your RCA cables for another brand / quality.

They usually still and hard to bend. Will be difficult to do a clean installation.

I hear the same sound improvement in all my gear 2 differents amp, 1 high end cd player, 2 differents dac, and my computer running soundcard.

They worth the asked price ... even if they expansive.

If you put a 1600$ powercord on 300$ dac .. will be better but probably a 1600$ dac + 300$ powercord will be a wiser choice. :xf_cool:
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 11:28 PM Post #10 of 43
You're better off investing in gear that has a better power supply. Look for large caps and chokes are a very good thing. Solid state rectification is OK, but I prefer tubes. I also prefer regulated supplies.

All those things make noticeable, measureable differences. You can hook up test equipment and see it make a difference.

People claim that power cords make a difference. But I haven't seen a difference on test equipment and I haven't heard a difference.
 
Dec 6, 2008 at 12:09 AM Post #11 of 43
Considering the amount of cables the power travels through to get from the power company to your amp, I don't see how changing the last 1.5 meters is going to make any difference other than psychological.

However, to test it, why not get borrow a high quality power cord from somewhere and arrange for some other person (preferably someone who knows nothing about the cables or which one is supposed to be better) to swap them at random (i.e. not just alternating between them but sometimes giving you the same cable twice or more in a row). Have them record the cable used while you record your listening observations. Of course, arrange everything so that you can't possibly see which cable is in use or infer it from the actions or sounds required to change it (e.g. leave the room and close the door, arrange for the equipment to be hidden under a table or a cloth when you enter). If you can't consistently hear a difference in this test, then you don't need to worry about the cable anymore! =)

(Note that you might want to do this test for other cables as well. After all, the “high end” stuff is expensive and so it only makes sense to test the difference in a way that doesn't depend on your expectations or the manufacturer's sales pitch. You can then make the decision to buy or not to buy with more confidence and gain peace of mind by knowing that you can hear what goes in your system.)
 
Dec 6, 2008 at 12:18 AM Post #12 of 43
Quote:

Originally Posted by Arkku /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Considering the amount of cables the power travels through to get from the power company to your amp, I don't see how changing the last 1.5 meters is going to make any difference other than psychological.

However, to test it, why not get borrow a high quality power cord from somewhere and arrange for some other person (preferably someone who knows nothing about the cables or which one is supposed to be better) to swap them at random (i.e. not just alternating between them but sometimes giving you the same cable twice or more in a row). Have them record the cable used while you record your listening observations. Of course, arrange everything so that you can't possibly see which cable is in use or infer it from the actions or sounds required to change it (e.g. leave the room and close the door, arrange for the equipment to be hidden under a table or a cloth when you enter). If you can't consistently hear a difference in this test, then you don't need to worry about the cable anymore! =)

(Note that you might want to do this test for other cables as well. After all, the “high end” stuff is expensive and so it only makes sense to test the difference in a way that doesn't depend on your expectations or the manufacturer's sales pitch. You can then make the decision to buy or not to buy with more confidence and gain peace of mind by knowing that you can hear what goes in your system.)


U make a lot of sense.
 
Dec 6, 2008 at 12:46 AM Post #13 of 43
it makes no difference whatsoever.

a well built power supply and power conditioning ...those are other matters, however.


let the ones with more money than sense buy the mega expensive power cables and spend your money where it really matters..on more music.
 
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