I've tried a few power cords on various devices, it all depends on the device to whether theres a difference the cords seem to condition the power or block out RFI but it depends on how good the power circuits are in the device to whether the cord makes a difference, my power amp has the most expensive cord consiting of silver plated mk plug , 2m of belden 19364 and IeGo Silver Plated IEC and 2 ferrites and theres no difference between that and the stock cord same for my sub, my TV has a simlar cord silver plated perma plug, 1.5m of belden 19364 and martin kaiser Silver Plated IEC and 2 ferrites, I can see the difference between this and the stock cord theres less noise and the colours are deeper, my edifier s730 also sounds better with a fancy cord. I don't think theres a difference between a £50 shielded cord and a £500 shielded cord also the gauge of the wire makes no difference.
It's Done! Power Cord Shoot-Out-- 22 Power Cords Reviewed!
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tarquineous
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JRG,
At least you did some testing. You need to get away from the Belden power cords to get a significant difference. Notice I say difference, not necessarily better.
I strongly suggest, at not too high of price points, the Mojo Audio 8 gauge ( not because of the gauge), and the JPS Labs Digital AC.
Silver power cords are excellent on video, but not on audio. I don't know why, and neither does anyone else ( at least I haven't heard of anyone knowing why).
Pure silver conductors give a better picture than silver plated conductors. But they are more expensive. If you're into DIY, Use a short all silver power cord to a PLC or high quality power strip.
Best of luck !
At least you did some testing. You need to get away from the Belden power cords to get a significant difference. Notice I say difference, not necessarily better.
I strongly suggest, at not too high of price points, the Mojo Audio 8 gauge ( not because of the gauge), and the JPS Labs Digital AC.
Silver power cords are excellent on video, but not on audio. I don't know why, and neither does anyone else ( at least I haven't heard of anyone knowing why).
Pure silver conductors give a better picture than silver plated conductors. But they are more expensive. If you're into DIY, Use a short all silver power cord to a PLC or high quality power strip.
Best of luck !
I am in the UK , so my choice is limted to whats avaible here http://www.mains-cables-r-us.co.uk/ and here http://markgrantcables.co.uk/ , and i won't spend any more money on power cords the belden 19364 is good enough and the cable for my tv cost less than £30 it's the only cable i own where i feel i got my moneys worth, silver is more conductive than copper and brass yes but i fail to see where it makes a difference to a device that draws only 180watts, my power strip is a high quality strip it's a 6way silver plated block, with 2m of Lapp Olflex Classic CY and silver plated mk plug with 13amp pure silver hifi tuning fuse and large ferrite it doesn't seem to make any difference over the £10 tacima 6way it replaced.
tarquineous
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Expensive fuses really rub me the wrong way. I've tried a silver fuse, and it did sound different, but not better. In a fuse shoot-out I read recently, the ceramic cased ones were favored over glass. The favorite was the Acme, which is a silver plated, relatively ordinary fuse, yet with the ceramic casing. PS Audio and Furutech make a similar fuse at a slightly higher price. But then it gets absurd after those. And the difference is very small, so beware of exotic fuse BS.
Since you are in the UK, there is Audusa, who makes a specialty power cord at a low price. They also import LAT from the US, which has been favored over many high priced cords.
In the US, there is Cobalt Cable, another well reviewed cable line, with low prices.
I've gone through several high priced power cords, and the ones I have kept are very good, but component specific. One may be excellent on a CD player, or tubed headphone amp, for example, and not very good at all on other equipment. Power cords are largely unpredictable. The only consistency I have experienced is with the pure silver on video screens, and solid core copper on tubed components.
Since you are in the UK, there is Audusa, who makes a specialty power cord at a low price. They also import LAT from the US, which has been favored over many high priced cords.
In the US, there is Cobalt Cable, another well reviewed cable line, with low prices.
I've gone through several high priced power cords, and the ones I have kept are very good, but component specific. One may be excellent on a CD player, or tubed headphone amp, for example, and not very good at all on other equipment. Power cords are largely unpredictable. The only consistency I have experienced is with the pure silver on video screens, and solid core copper on tubed components.
Hosh
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Guys, you should seriously try out this audiophile power cord - BrunsAudio AC Powercord - Enigma (German DIY). The price - less then half of the high end ones. The sound - like a 10++ ones. I just gave away my Furutech in exchange for this cable cos' it blew my mind away with absolute listening pleasure
FormosaWest
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Power cables.. i get it, but then again i don't, My brain tells me the nicest looking and feeling cables must sound the best,... But my mood does more to that effect than cables themselves as ive already decided what i like or don't without any audition. That goes for the stock cables.. They look plain, therefore sound plain when i think of it. Looking at nice cables i think, "those must sound good" but.. Electricity and sound shouldnt be affected by fancy cable housing or exuberent numbers of .9. If someone could find the best sounding cable alive and then Dress it up as ugly as possible, tape it up in random spots and slobber it in paint and stick it on a shelf with a 100.00 price tag i doubt ill think it sounds good no matter how long i listened to it. Even if it was a grand.. No difference. But id think of it differently.
Perception of sound is the only thing swapping reasonable well made and selected power cables is likely to do.
i see these things costing more than decent components. My better judgement tells me its best to put the money into things that have greater impact, like music or components, or listening chair, or acoustic room treatment. ..its easy to get caught up in the components rather than the music.
I often find myself googling power cords because i like the bling... But when i remind myself that thats all it is, and consider buying music instead, and just listen and enjoy.. The temptation passes for a day or so. Stock cables packaged with high end equipment is just fine... And its certified. Last thing you'd want is an electrical event and a voided warranty (of say a surge unit) or insurance policy..
Thats my thought on it anyways. As long as the cable stays cool, drapes ok and has no risk of shorting I'm happy. I use shielded balanced interconnects just for good measure and thats it to protect from power noise.
Power-cables should be low on the priority of importance for system tweaking i think. If my girl friend knew i thought about buying 100.00 power cables for each component or more shed wonder why i didn't use that on a vacation, mortgage or a ring. Lol.
Perception of sound is the only thing swapping reasonable well made and selected power cables is likely to do.
i see these things costing more than decent components. My better judgement tells me its best to put the money into things that have greater impact, like music or components, or listening chair, or acoustic room treatment. ..its easy to get caught up in the components rather than the music.
I often find myself googling power cords because i like the bling... But when i remind myself that thats all it is, and consider buying music instead, and just listen and enjoy.. The temptation passes for a day or so. Stock cables packaged with high end equipment is just fine... And its certified. Last thing you'd want is an electrical event and a voided warranty (of say a surge unit) or insurance policy..
Thats my thought on it anyways. As long as the cable stays cool, drapes ok and has no risk of shorting I'm happy. I use shielded balanced interconnects just for good measure and thats it to protect from power noise.
Power-cables should be low on the priority of importance for system tweaking i think. If my girl friend knew i thought about buying 100.00 power cables for each component or more shed wonder why i didn't use that on a vacation, mortgage or a ring. Lol.
goodolcheez
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Quote:
That logic doesn't work. My recently bought Shunyata Research Venom 3 power cord is plugged to source (HTPC). It's inside the wine cabinet so I can't see the cable. After a couple of days I have forgotten what cable I have in it. All I do is listen to music, better word, sound. In some songs I am getting mid-high frequency detail pop from the background. They come up clear, sometimes strong (more so than the instruments played in the foreground). Music shines at higher frequencies, it's crisper up top. These aren't something I was getting with the stock power cord before. Bad news is that I lost bass power. The impact of the bass has decreased, another way to put, it lost contrast. Not sure if it needs more burn-in as the cord has been used for 2 days. High's are good, but the low punch lacks. In my case, the bass is more powerful and weighty with the stock power cord....
I need a better power cord son. Even more bad news is that my White Night Power distributor might be lost, as I've been waiting for the shipment for 6 weeks now. Patrick and I are getting ready for backup plan....
ol'cheez
That logic doesn't work. My recently bought Shunyata Research Venom 3 power cord is plugged to source (HTPC). It's inside the wine cabinet so I can't see the cable. After a couple of days I have forgotten what cable I have in it. All I do is listen to music, better word, sound. In some songs I am getting mid-high frequency detail pop from the background. They come up clear, sometimes strong (more so than the instruments played in the foreground). Music shines at higher frequencies, it's crisper up top. These aren't something I was getting with the stock power cord before. Bad news is that I lost bass power. The impact of the bass has decreased, another way to put, it lost contrast. Not sure if it needs more burn-in as the cord has been used for 2 days. High's are good, but the low punch lacks. In my case, the bass is more powerful and weighty with the stock power cord....
I need a better power cord son. Even more bad news is that my White Night Power distributor might be lost, as I've been waiting for the shipment for 6 weeks now. Patrick and I are getting ready for backup plan....
ol'cheez
FormosaWest
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I know exactly what you mean ol'cheez. I feel like I can hear differences in power cords, but I cant help but doubt myself. My trained scientific logically minded brain wants peer reviewed double blind random controlled head to head and tells me to smarten up and be happy, but my eccentric musically minded brain says - just go for it and swap the cables for something 'nicer.'
It just doesnt make sense to me that I should hear differences in power cables... Am I actually hearing a difference or is it just that I like the system better when nicer, heavier cables are attached and therefore perceive the music as being smoother. This is what i cant sort out.. and the temptation to spend money on power cables jostles around with my priorites! Im hesitant to go the DIY route with power cables exclusively for the reason of safety certification - which i dont want to mess around with, though i feel more than confident i could make a decent set quite easily from quality bulk cable and connectors.
What gives!? Im I imagining the differences, or are they real?
You guys must know exactly what I mean, which is why I'm posting here. You've all gone through this situation many times i'm sure, and I'm barely looking 30y/o so i lack experience. Any advice? upgrade the stock cables and satisfy the urge or try and forget about it and buy a few more albums...
Thoughts on the Pangea Audio or PS Audio power cables?
I dont want to go nuts on this, but i think a nice handsome set of power cords might dress up the system some.. but then again, its all tucked away in the back anyways...
It just doesnt make sense to me that I should hear differences in power cables... Am I actually hearing a difference or is it just that I like the system better when nicer, heavier cables are attached and therefore perceive the music as being smoother. This is what i cant sort out.. and the temptation to spend money on power cables jostles around with my priorites! Im hesitant to go the DIY route with power cables exclusively for the reason of safety certification - which i dont want to mess around with, though i feel more than confident i could make a decent set quite easily from quality bulk cable and connectors.
What gives!? Im I imagining the differences, or are they real?
You guys must know exactly what I mean, which is why I'm posting here. You've all gone through this situation many times i'm sure, and I'm barely looking 30y/o so i lack experience. Any advice? upgrade the stock cables and satisfy the urge or try and forget about it and buy a few more albums...
Thoughts on the Pangea Audio or PS Audio power cables?
I dont want to go nuts on this, but i think a nice handsome set of power cords might dress up the system some.. but then again, its all tucked away in the back anyways...
neurofone
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It's the Stephen Colbert Truthiness vs truth debate. Your gut tells you there's a difference (that's truthiness), but your scientifically reasoned left brain tells you it's not likely to be possible. Until there's a double blind study performed on a group of "audiophiles", all these posts of people saying they hear a difference are simply claims of truthiness, and not verified truth. If it sounds better to them, good for them, but it's sad to see such general unawareness of perception biases. Expectations and biases play a larger role in perception than most people realize. Not just in audio, but in everything. There was just an article recently in Lifehacker about this: [size=small]http://lifehacker.com/5990737/why-we-cant-tell-good-wine-from-bad?tag=wine[/size]
And if I understand correctly, this power cord review was done in the complete open without even masking the visual appearance of the cords or switching them blindly by a 3rd party. Everyone is simply trusting this reviewer's ears and assuming no expectations are entering his brain when he changes a cord. It really doesn't make sense to me.
And if I understand correctly, this power cord review was done in the complete open without even masking the visual appearance of the cords or switching them blindly by a 3rd party. Everyone is simply trusting this reviewer's ears and assuming no expectations are entering his brain when he changes a cord. It really doesn't make sense to me.
ACDOAN
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I am looking for a couple power cords for my Adam A3x which will be here in a couple days.
The first thing the local dealer will recommend the Shunyata. I am in no way to knock down the any brand name . I do believe power cords do make a difference but it is not necessay an improvement as some one already said.
Back in the younger days, I tried the PS Audio power cords ( do not remember the series) on my Krell CDP and my Krell 400 xi integrated. At first, I was floored by the details, transparency of the PS Audio power cords but after a few days, the sound turned dark and heavy, so I went back to the stock power cords and was happy again.
I did post my experience with the PS Audio power cords on the Audiogon forum and there were couple audiophiles had the same experience.
Why ? I did not have the answer and so were them. Anyone care to enlighten me?
The first thing the local dealer will recommend the Shunyata. I am in no way to knock down the any brand name . I do believe power cords do make a difference but it is not necessay an improvement as some one already said.
Back in the younger days, I tried the PS Audio power cords ( do not remember the series) on my Krell CDP and my Krell 400 xi integrated. At first, I was floored by the details, transparency of the PS Audio power cords but after a few days, the sound turned dark and heavy, so I went back to the stock power cords and was happy again.
I did post my experience with the PS Audio power cords on the Audiogon forum and there were couple audiophiles had the same experience.
Why ? I did not have the answer and so were them. Anyone care to enlighten me?
goodolcheez
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Shunyata Research Venom 3 cable gave me good open treble note with an added detail in the upper registers. But it lacked bass and impact. It really hurt the overall dynamics. I had to let that go.... Don't get me wrong, the treble sounded nice and pretty addicting. You may want to try out the Zitron model... it may give you bass, lol.
I now have White Night Power 2M and 5M cables. Best cables I have ever had.
I now have White Night Power 2M and 5M cables. Best cables I have ever had.
Why audio power cables make no difference (from Kurt of Blue Jeans Cable)-
http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/power-cables
http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/power-cables
neurofone
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Great article Phototristan! I've been a Blue Jeans fan after their open letter reply to the Monster lawyers 
DragonOwen
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Quote:
I tried Cobra and Python ZTron power cord on my rig thanks to my friend, he also gave me for listening Kubala-Sosna Elation power cord and Kubala-Sosna Emotion XLR interconnects... so after some listening of this cables in random configuration I decided that I just need Shunyata ZTron power cord on my HP amp (WooAudio WES) it gave me some great overall upgrade in sound over my Neotech NEP-3200 that I was usibg on my WES... Cobra was great, but the Space with Python, it's amazing resolution and natural timbres was too much for me to ignore, so I decide to choose between Python and Anaconda... Eventually I decided to buy Anaconda to close the question of power cord to my HP amp (also my motivation was that Anaconda is mainly for amps, it's 7AWG while Python is 9AWG, as I understand on source Python will be = Anaconda in terms of sound...)...
Just got Anaconda yesterday, so can't actually comment on sound yet, but according to my initial impressions Anaconda worth it's money for me, it's have benefits of both Cobra (dynamic, impact, emotionality) and Python (fantastic space and localization of sound sources, amazing resolution, natural timbres) when I'm using it with amp... but it's only initial impressions, it may change in time, also I don't have Cobra and Python right now, so comparission is based on my memory, so my comments on this term is not very reliable...
If someone interested, I post some photos of my Anaconda ZTron here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/641640/new-audio-gear-pictures/75#post_9727584
BTW there is a need for a lot of good bass (Anaconda have less bass, at least for now, maybe something will change after some burning in...) and you like juicy saturated timres than Neotech NEP-3200 is a way to go, but IMO it's good only for a amp, for a source components NEP-3200 have too much troubles with space and it doesn't have great resolution (I think that power cord for a source must have great resolution and space)...
P.S. Sorry for my poor English...
I tried Cobra and Python ZTron power cord on my rig thanks to my friend, he also gave me for listening Kubala-Sosna Elation power cord and Kubala-Sosna Emotion XLR interconnects... so after some listening of this cables in random configuration I decided that I just need Shunyata ZTron power cord on my HP amp (WooAudio WES) it gave me some great overall upgrade in sound over my Neotech NEP-3200 that I was usibg on my WES... Cobra was great, but the Space with Python, it's amazing resolution and natural timbres was too much for me to ignore, so I decide to choose between Python and Anaconda... Eventually I decided to buy Anaconda to close the question of power cord to my HP amp (also my motivation was that Anaconda is mainly for amps, it's 7AWG while Python is 9AWG, as I understand on source Python will be = Anaconda in terms of sound...)...
Just got Anaconda yesterday, so can't actually comment on sound yet, but according to my initial impressions Anaconda worth it's money for me, it's have benefits of both Cobra (dynamic, impact, emotionality) and Python (fantastic space and localization of sound sources, amazing resolution, natural timbres) when I'm using it with amp... but it's only initial impressions, it may change in time, also I don't have Cobra and Python right now, so comparission is based on my memory, so my comments on this term is not very reliable...
If someone interested, I post some photos of my Anaconda ZTron here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/641640/new-audio-gear-pictures/75#post_9727584
BTW there is a need for a lot of good bass (Anaconda have less bass, at least for now, maybe something will change after some burning in...) and you like juicy saturated timres than Neotech NEP-3200 is a way to go, but IMO it's good only for a amp, for a source components NEP-3200 have too much troubles with space and it doesn't have great resolution (I think that power cord for a source must have great resolution and space)...
P.S. Sorry for my poor English...
Griploc
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Could you review the Stefan AudioArt Endorphin Ribbon Power Cable? I'm curious to see how it stands up to the other cables you had reviewed. Apparently it surpassed PC's thousands of dollars past it's price. My whole system is rigged with SAA Endorphin cabling but I don't know how the others sound compared to it.
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