[BrianS]

for those who believe in powercords, where is the best place to put it? before power conditioner? amp? source? transport?
i have heard both amp, source, and before power conditioner and im leaning towards amp. of course i will experiment once i get some. just want some opinions

thank you

 

[Thaddy]

I always thought the source was the best, since (and this is debatable) it's the most important component.

 

[BrianS]

i'm betting on the amp, i think most people use a nice powercord on their amp because it has a higher current draw maybe. i guess only trying it will determine

 

[PhilS]

I found the most significant improvement from changing the power cord on my amp. Next came the DAC, then the transport. Last was changing the cords leading to and from the power conditioner.

 

[jumping jupiters]

i think the most change comes when attached to the amp...but you might find the best overall sound on another component such as source. i use 2 different power cords and i can't stand one on my amp and i can't live without the other on the amp...go figure?

 

[omedon]

Logic suggest before the power conditioner since it will effect everything downstream.

Don't have experience with this though.

Heading downstream from the power conditioner it would be the source then the amp.

Markl recently did a big powercord roundup and IIRC found that the amount of benefit from a PC often depended heavily on the quality of the Power Supply in the unit. Units with high quality PSU's seemed to benefit less than those with low quality PSU's.

 

[BrianS]

that makes sense. im gonna order some vh cords and see if they help.

 

[Jahn]

i put my best one on my PC, because it's the dirtiest thing on my desk power-wise but is also my source - argh! so i'm hoping to clean it up any way i can! the melos and such can live on Quails for now.

 

[Gabe Logan]

As i understand and someone correct me if i am wrong but sometimes the cords are designed to be either for an amp,dac or smaller/bigger electronics due to the size gauge wire inside.

 

[markl]

Generally, I would say source, but I';ve found it's hard to predict how any one given cord will affect any given make/model of equipment. A cord that does little for a source, may work wonders on your amp, and vice-versa.

 

[ljhodad]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn i put my best one on my PC, because it's the dirtiest thing on my desk power-wise but is also my source - argh! so i'm hoping to clean it up any way i can! the melos and such can live on Quails for now.

Likewise my PC is my source, and in lieu of a better power supply for the PPA, I have posession of a Balanced Power Technologies C-12 with Plug Shields on both ends, so it went between the Belkin SurgeMaster II and the Antec True 550 IEC. I hate to consider a placebo effect, but it sure *seems* that the music quality improved a notch. I'd love to replace the Belkin with a Pure Power Center / L-10 combo, and a Wattgate 381 in the wall, but my Lotto Quick-Picks haven't hit...yet. A Scott Nixon USB Chibi dac is most likely the next realistic upgrade.

 

[Borat]

I bought 3 upgraded power cords to use in my setup. 1 PS Audio Plasma that I use for my DAC, 1 Quail with ferrite for the PC/transport, and 1 Quail without ferrite (looks identical to Iron Lung Jellyfish) for my Emmeline HR-2. I guess my reasoning behind this was to put the best one (PS Audio) on the DAC since that is technically my source, and the ferrite Quail on the PC because I figure that generated the most RFI/EMI noise, and the non-ferrited Quail on the amp since it seemingly doesn't need the ferrite and Ray generally recommends a regular grade computer cord for this amp anyway.

Power experts, did I apply them correctly?

Oh, and I tried plugging in my amp into the Monster HTS1000 vs. directly into the wall. No immediate differences. If there is one, it's so negligible that it's not worth the hassle of constantly plugging and unplugging the amp to avoid surges when not in use. This works out great because I like using the switched portion of the HTS as a power switch for the amp since it doesn't have one.

Of course, all of my evaluations so far have been made using the (good, but not great) Koss KSC35's since I've been waiting an eternity for my AKG K701's. Maybe I should hold out before making any definite conclusions.

 

[BrianS]

i ordered a vh audio flavor 1 and flavor 4 and after burn in i will see what they benefit

 

[Welly Wu]

If you can afford it, then you get a power conditioner plus the same manufacturer's top of the line power cord together. Next, you buy the same power cord and plug it into your source component. Finally, you keep buying the same power cords and hook it up to the headphone amplifier.

 

[mysticaldodo]

I usually put it in the amp and plugged it straight to the wall wart (even though my amp is only a 40 to 70 watt). I find it sounds best but results differ for everyone.