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Have 2 preamps and a CD player with Mickey Mouse cords and want to upgrade but am really confused as to where to turn.
Have been thinking of making my own.
I would like a little input about what,if any,improvments in sonics with upgrade power cables.
Has anyone made there own? What are some less expensive cords that give good results?
Thanks
C.R.B.
Great info on this subject and I want to thank all of you that gave the input.
I believe I'll start with belden wire and acouple of hospital grade plugs and Wattgate IEC CONNECTOR.Also some store bought 12/3 round lamp cord and do some experimenting.
Designated line seems like a excellent upgrade and hope to get that installed.I was thinking 10 ga. from breaker to outlet and I do have some romex.
And ,again,a good hospital grade outlet.
Thanks so much,
C.R.B.
Power cords are oh so system dependent. The BEST cord on your amp may be mediocre on your preamp or it could be the other way around. You really can get nuts trying all the permutations, and their interactions with the other stuff in your system. I made a couple of power cords with Accrolink cable and Oyeida 046 plugs, and also, Accrolink with Furutech F1 plugs. Although they are both excellent on everything, the amp and CD player REALLY like the Oyeida, where the preamp likes the Furutech. If I change the power cords the other way, the sound is compromised. It is sooooo crazy making... Oh by the way....I found that plugs make a bigger difference than does the cable itself.
In my experience with powercords, i've tried several including makes from Cardas, PS Audio, Audioquest, MIT,Virtual Dynamics and others...
The Audience PowerChord was, in my experience, far more musical and enjoyable....
You may have similar results..
Good questions. I would like to ask a question of the other inmates. Which is more important, good quality connectors (wattgate, oyaide,furutech) or good quality wire? Assuming that you would use at least a 14ga or 12 or even 10ga wire. My limited experience is that upgrading cords DOES improve the sound, but nothing jaw dropping. A lot of the cost of power cords seems to be located in the connectors, so, any opinions as well would be appreciated.
It all makes a difference wire, dielectric, geometry, connectors, shielding. Going to Home Despot and make a cord with some of their THHN wire, then compare it to a cord using the same geometry, connectors, gauge but a high quality conductor and the differences are not subtle.At least that is the way I hear it....
A common experience resulting in a common confusion
Edits: 09/24/09
I thought the THHN powercords i made were pretty good, and just stopped there.
I tried some as speaker cable but it was terrible.
So I have just had different experiences. I am willing though to experiment. What conductors do you guys recommend for a powercord?
It's always worked for me and I have no complaints. The terminations and configuration seem to make more difference IME.
But as an upgrade I will definitely go for Chris Ven Haus' Raw Wire any time, as this sounds significantly better to my ears and isn't wildly expensive. I've used both his unshielded (for analog) and his shielded (for digital) and they both sound good. FYI, this is good quality copper with only Teflon jacketing.
I've used mil spec (10 AWG tinned copper in Teflon jackets) and have had mixed results, but my conclusions here may have been influenced by factors other than the wire itself.
YMMV....
Hey Bart,
Thanks for the info.
I have it in my head that I dont want stranded wire though it would be nice to have a flexible cable.
I know THHN is not the best though I have had good luck with it.
But maybe it is time to branch out a bit...
"...the differences are not subtle."
I fully agree with Cpk's POV. I once experimented with THHN wire for AC power use and found it to sound pretty horrible. Terminating such with premium Audio Grade AC connectors would be a real waste, IMHO (you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear)... my 2 cents
Using THHN and high quality terminations also works well. And neither is as good as high quality wire, properly configured to the application, terminated with high quality connectors.
So you get what you pay for, but at least you can do better than stock in most cases even with off the shelf hardware!
Actually, THHN makes great speaker cable....better than lots of commercially available stuff.
Make one of these for your CD player and you can use less expensive cords on the other components.I was blown away with the sonic improvement. Transparent, neutral and musically pure sonic signature. Best power cord I have ever heard.
I have 4 cords finished in my two channel system and have two more to go.
All cords were conditioned on my Cable Cooker.
Edits: 09/24/09
If you can DIY safely (and this is really no big deal), the two sources of designs that work well for me are: Alan Maher (I like his dual twist) and Chris Ven Haus (any of his Flavors that fit your equipment).
There is no one best design for every application. For example, IME shielded works well in digital, but not in analog componentry.
Terminations make a huge difference, and I'd posit more than the wiring design itself. I've made great PCs with ordinary THHN wire from the hardware store, but with Furutech plugs and IECs and those are really a step above the Wattgates and all the non-audio plugs out there. But better wire makes for a better PC also, such as Ven Haus' cryoed wires.
REad up here and in Tweaks.
I also add parallel R-C AC filtering to my PCs. Adds yet better definition, smoothness, etc.
YES, most definitely, PCs do change the character of your sonics and usually for the better if you match them to the application well. You must do some experimentation. So I'd recommend doing a cheapo version of a Ven Haus Flavor for a start with some P&S plugs and see if you don't like the results of a custom made cord once it's properly burned in. DO NOT forget that burning in PCs is absolutely essential before making any judgements!
Here is the "Asylum Power Cord" in ready-made form at a price that's hard to beat.
You can buy these ready-made as shown (first pictures) or buy the parts -- Furutech connectors and CryoMax III wire -- from the same source and DIY. I've built at least 20 of these PCs for myself and friends and (obviously) like them a lot.
Depending on the power cord and the piece of equipment, I've heard positive effects, negative effects, and no effect whatsoever.
Positive effects usually are along the lines of a quieter background, or a more "lively" presentation from a component that seemed somewhat dull. Negative effects were there too on occasion - I've found certain ferrite-material power cords to make components sound seriously dull and slow.
My suggestion if you are handy is to start out by building the Asylum Power Cord. If you like what it does, but decide you'd like to see if there's more you can do, then dabble in the costlier, more esoteric power cords. If you decide you don't like what it does, or if it seems to you to make no difference, then you've only spent a little bit of money.
I've bought some Gutwire, which are resonably price. What I notice is a blacker background, more detail.
Look to VH Audio. He has all the stuff and the expertise you are looking for.
You cannot really beat the Asylum Power Cord surely? For value for money it cannot be beaten, over there (I live in england) belden 19364 should be a few dollars a metre, marinco less than 10 dollars and schurter iec again a few dollars, at least you will not have spent a lot of money and then been dis-appointed as so often happens with power cords!
The Mains Man
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