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For an upgrade to most power cables, I see prices ranging from WHOA! to OUCH!
Any suggestions as to the 'budget' end of the spectrum? Any good DIY formulations out there?
The only, or maybe MAIN contender I see is the Pangea line. But they make a bewildering array of even just the 14ga. Any, or MUCH sonic benefit in going up the line? Shouldn't almost any of these cables improve on what is shipped with Sub-Stratospheric priced amps?
Does BELDEN make any wire I could use for a DIY?
Too much is never enough
Follow Ups:
Just found a LOCAL source for Belden 19364 @ <3$ foot.
I'll order up and than make another order for connectors and some of that Tech Flex.
Too much is never enough
I've used Mr. Crump's SLVR PCs (bought used) for years and they've Crumped other PCs I've tried
often enough that they will remain as much a part of my current and future systems as electricity.
Used to hear/read a lot about the DIY Asylum PC here but never tried it due to my lack of...ability.
Where's it stand (or rest) in the current scheme of things?
Link below to the recipe.
"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" -Michael McClure
I made a bunch of these back in the day, and for me they were the first PCs to clearly warrant the effort -- i.e, sounded distinctly better than the stock cords. It wasn't all that hard to beat their SQ, though, especially as improved connectors (Furutech, Oyaide) came along.
(not in practice as I'd end up burning something down), but the OP is interested in a DIY project and most responders are responding with factory PCs which made me think of the Asylum PC I read about so much years ago and was VERY popular at the time.Apparently the DIY aspect of the hobby (with easily available TOP QUALITY parts) has progressed to the point where the Asylum PC has been made irrelevant - it's essentially served its purpose as a stepping stone on the path to better cabling?
IMO - this happening in less than 15 years (in a relatively slow moving hobby) shows how much of an effect quality cabling has on our hobby, MUCH more so than the onslaught of high end, expensive factory terminated cables.
"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination"-Michael McClure
Edits: 02/25/15
HC PC. Good price, good quality, good sound.
"It's all fun and games until someone doesn't pick up on the sarcasm"
IME, a bulk power cable that belongs on the short list of budget DIY power cords for use with a power amplifier should include VH Audio's Star Quad power cable (9 AWG Flavor 4) terminated with warm sounding gold AC connectors of your choice. YMMV
I also can recommend the Flavor 4. I built one with only 1 design change is that instead of air hose I used dual wall mil spec polyolefin adhesive heat shrink between the star quad and ground. I followed every other step and terminated with Furutech FI-28 gold ends.
I have played with quite a few pc's in the past including Audience Powerchord, Eichmann, etc. This has been by far the best on my amp and am thinking of adding one on my SACD player next. I know they say a long break in, but I knew right out of the gate cold that this was a keeper and hasn't gone anywhere.
Not an easy build if you haven't done a pc before, but if you are experienced or have patience it can be done. You can also buy a Flavor 4 built from VH Audio.
Let us know what you decide.
I bought and used this power cord as one of the first aftermarket cords, and before I thought I could do better by DIY with various other brands and combinations of plugs and wires. None of what I could make sounded as good as the Flavor 4, noting this was mostly with solid state (Rotel)amps. - digital sources did not "like" this power cord as other "Flavors" did. Also note this is (or at least was when I used it c. 2008 or so) a pretty stiff cord so you likely will need to order an additional foot or so to easily use it with a lightweight amp. You should easily hear an increase in dynamics and soundstage with the Flavor 4 when used with an amp vs. any stock cord and after break-in (yes, it is real with at least this power cord). Chris Venhaus of VHAudio is great to work with as well.
I mentioned before (prior post here) the Shunyata Venom 3, but have never done an A/B with the Flavor 4.
Most budget cords wont improve your system, I would keep an eye out for a good used Triode labs or Wywire PC.
If some folks can't afford premium-priced power cords, there's no reason not to consider a more affordable option. For some listeners, a modest increase in performance is a worthwhile thing to pursue. When I upgraded the preamplifier and power amplifier in my main audio system, I factored two premium-priced VH Audio AirSine power cords into the budget. The combined price level of the AirSine power cords was over half the cost of the component upgrades, so I don't take this subject lightly. That said, I have three separate audio systems in my home that require cabling, and can't afford premium-priced power cords for every single application. This being the case, I still find moderate-cost level power cords to be worthy of attention vs. typical stock power cords. Listeners, especially newbies to high-performance cables should not be discouraged from exploring power cords that fit within their budget when the only other option is a mundane stock power cord better suited for placement on a computer peripheral rather than an audio component.
Edits: 02/26/15
In addition to the suggestions already listed you may wish to consider DH Labs Power Plus cable. 12 ga power cable with a MSRP of $8.00 per foot. A number of online reviews and user comments can be found to see if it delivers the sonic character you are looking for.
Many post in AA regarding this p/c
That was the wire specced for the "Asylum Power Cord," noted above.
started by the late (great) Bob Crump IIRC.
A MK II for the AC9 and AC9SE are going to start selling in March.
Pricier.. But who knows the sound.
I use a variety of AC14SE, AC9 and AC9SE.
I would maybe buy one of the new MKII's but not likely as I am happy with the Pangea PC I own.
The LX (XL?) I have no idea. I never bought one.
Before the AC-14SE came out, I re-terminated a few AC-14 PCs with Furutech AC and IEC connectors and was ral happy with the result. But the AC-14SE pretty much equalled these re-terminated AC-14s. I guess the next step is to re-terminate an AC-14SE and see how it sounds. For cheap PCs, these are not bad. Having some Furutech connectors on hand from previous experiments doesn't hurt :-)
Budget -wise look into Straight Wire or Audioquest for openers.
Having been there (having asked the same questions, and from the same perspective as you), learned my lesson and so forth, I have found the Shunyata Venom 3 to do greater service to music than my priciest DIY power cords - even those more expensive than the Venom 3. And I tried the Pangea power cords vs. the Venom 3 and there was no contest; I returned all the Pangea cords back to Audio Advisor. I also bought and built the Chris Ven Haus VHAudio "Flavor" power cords and found the Venom 3 better with amps. and sources. It (Venom 3) needs a few days/weeks to open up so do not evaluate just out of the box. Openess, greater detail and better bass should be hallmark improvements over stock cords.
The Venom 3 are found for less than the $150 MSRP. Likely a large seller such as Music Direct would be a good source. Otherwise they should be a safe bet as a used cable, usually $100. Even with some very expensive Shunyata Anaconda CX power cords (~$2,000 new) I use now I continue to use the Venom 3 in my system as well; the type of wire they use in these 2 power cords is the same - and treated the same too.
Best wishes in your search.
robss
Nt
Look at the bulk cable available from Neotech and Furutech. I like NES-3002 from Neotech, and FP-Alpha 3 or FP-3TS20 from Furutech. All of these are made from OCC copper.
You can terminate them with any plug and IEC ranging from standard $15 Wattgate or Marinco models to higher end stuff (I particularly like the Furutech line). The FI-11 (G) is about $50 each and for $40 each, the one shown below from Onix looks very interesting as it is gold-plated UP-OCC copper (see link).
These are easy to construct since the plugs use very solid crimp connections. As a tip, connect the ground wire at both ends but connect the braid shield wires to the ground at the plug end only. The result will compare with just about anything out. Good luck.
At that price, I've been tempted to experiment with it, but silver at least in terms of a plating can be tricky when it comes to AC connectors and AC outlets. I'm not sure pure silver AC prongs would fare any better. Pure solid core silver wiring when used for AC hookup wire sounds euphonic of which while pleasant became colored sounding after a short while, IME. If the sonic performance of pure silver AC prongs hasn't caught on as of yet, it might be based on a disappointing sonic signature rather than any price point.
While being a deal from a materials standpoint, sometimes prices are slashed because the lower price is what it is really worth. Other time the lower price can still be a bad deal for the buyer! Being a thrift store scrounge, I see that a lot.
Dave
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