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110.22.30.200
What power cables do you use for your phono and preamp? What would you say are their main characteristics (besides allowing electricity to run through them (-: ). What did they 'add' to the sound of your system?
I'm using hospital grade cable but considering upgrading.
Thx for any replies. Bob
"You have to leave something to your imagination"
Follow Ups:
I use DIY cables throughout my system, power cable included. In terms of what they actually are, they would be similar to a commercial cable reselling for perhaps $200.00 for line level gear.
TG Audio SLVR. Good for preamps and digital. Not for amp.
Thank you Salectric and 3+4=5 for that.
Salectric, I had never considered the actual 'inlets' before but everything you said makes absolute sense. I know that power conditioners are another topic, but I only have the pre and phono from these. Its just sounds better this way. The subs are using PS Audio A12 cables. Nordst Red Dawn for the Power Amp and the Audio Principe Rodium/Furutech plugs for the p.conditioner.
I have a few cables coming my way to try out. These. I think, will put me in the right direction.
May be I should have my outlets on the power conditioner changed over.
Are there any p.conditioners with the better outlets?
Thanks so much, Bob
"You have to leave something to your imagination"
I recommend putting an Oyaide Black Mamba Sigma V2 power cord on your shortlist (not to be confused with the Black Mamba Alpha with brass AC connectors). It can be purchased directly from Japan at the best price found from a dependable seller who provides affordable and prompt shipping (see link below).
Unfortunately, your Magnet LC-1 power line conditioner does not feature duplex AC outlets that can be upgraded.
See link:
I purchased one of these, upon Duster's insight provided in a prior thread.
I have been quite content with it taking power from the wall into a Purist Audio Dectet power conditioner out of which I power my entire audio system.
Based upon this post, I might need to reconsider switching up my priorities and to try it as the primary cable for my preamp and/or phono preamp.
axolotl
At the stellar price of around $200 plus a reasonable shipping charge, the Oyaide Black Mamba Sigma V2 power cord is a best-buy option, IMO. Big bang for the buck. It does no harm while helping to provide a transparent sonic signature with great clarity, coherence, and focus. The unplated, polished beryllium copper blades mate very well with any type of AC outlet, and provides detailed dynamics while remaining sonically neutral from a tonality POV. I'm considering buying another one to try-out on various other components, since it does so well for a source component such as my iMac computer for audio purposes. I'm sure it would sound great as a phono preamp or even a turntable power cord, since even a turntable can sound much better with an audiophile power cord such as this. I would definitely recommend it for a solid state or tube stereo preamplifier application, as well.
See link:
Thank you Duster!
I ordered the Oyaide Black Mamba-Sigma V2 Power Cord from the seller you recommended in Japan. It only took 8 days to arrive and we had a public holiday the day before it arrived. It certainly seems to be best placed in phono stage. Already sounding much better than previously with voice/mid range more forward with more control overall. Some more detail too coming through and smoothness without disturbing the 'organic' nature of sound that I love.
I know it will get better as I play it in. Not sure how many hours it will take.
Thank you very much for your recommendation.
Kind regards, Bob
"You have to leave something to your imagination"
Selecting a power cable is no easy task in part because the "sound" of a given cable is so affected by the type of IEC chassis inlet and wall outlet, which makes comparisons difficult to say the least. I tried a number of commercial power cords, all with standard tin plated chassis inlets on my equipment, before settling on Virtual Dynamics David as the best sounding within my budget. That was roughly 10 years ago. Since then I made several DIY power cords with mixed success until I found the following combination which works like a charm in my system and for my tastes: Audio Note ISIS mains cable terminated with Furutech FI-11 copper AC plugs and FI-11 Ag IEC plugs BUT only if the equipment has a Furutech Gold chassis IEC inlet. If I use one of the ISIS cords into a standard tin-plated chassis inlet, the tonal balance is unacceptably bright and thin, but the combination is just right with the Gold inlet. I now use this combination of ISIS power cord with Furutech connectors and Gold chassis inlet for my linestage and power amps. For some reason the Audio Note cord doesn't have the same mojo with my phono preamp. I prefer my Ocellia Silver Reference on the phono which curiously has the same Furutech copper AC plug and silver IEC plug that I use on the Audio Note cords. Again the Ocellia needs a Gold chassis inlet to avoid sounding too thin and too bright.
So the bottom line is it's a royal pain to find the best sounding power cord for your equipment especially if you are not willing to try different chassis inlets.
The wall outlet also makes a significant difference. I haven't experimented with them very much. I do have a Furutech GTX-D NCF which I use for the linestage but all my other outlets are still standard builder grade.
The Audio Note ISIS mains cable is available from Hifi Collective in the U.K. I was a little dubious about international orders but Hifi Collective is a quality outfit with excellent service. No affiliation, just a satisfied customer.
In my post above, I neglected to credit Duster for his recommendation of the Furutech Silver IEC plug and the Gold IEC chassis inlet. His advice saved me the bother of trying lots of other parts before finding this particular combination, and perhaps I would never have found it. So thank you again Duster!
One of the great benefits of the AA forums is that advice such as Duster's is archived for future reference, and AA's search features make it easy to locate older posts.
Duster is now recommending other power cord connectors including some Oyaide products. I tried some Oyaide connectors too but they didn't suit my tastes as much as the Furutechs. That's just further evidence that everyone has to make up their own minds. There is No One Size Fits All in audio.
Thanks, Salectric. Synergy tends to be a key element when fine tuning an audio system. What might seem inconsequential like a particular IEC inlet when mated with a particular IEC connector can make a great impact on the sound of a component, and influence the sonic signature of a total system, for that matter. Sometimes the goal is to compensate for an unwanted aspect by implementing a connector or jack with an opposing sonic signature to obtain the best of both worlds. Sometimes it's simply to complement the sonic signature of an otherwise excellent configuration in a more refined manner.
Agree wholeheartedly on the Furu IEC inlet sockets. Big improvement in my system for very little money, and whenever I get a new component it's usually the first thing I change out. Have yet to get a new component that had a good IEC socket like the Furu...maybe I'm just not shopping in a high enough price range. :) Most of the ones I see are probably not tin, but rather nickel plated. Nickel always seems to add a glare and harshness to my ears, so I get it out of the signal path wherever possible and practical.
Have you by chance tried Furutech's rhodium plated IEC inlets?
For solid state gear, I find Furutech's gold plated phosphor bronze and pure copper IEC inlets provide a more natural sounding presentation vs. their rhodium plated counterparts, with a major sonic improvement vs. a typical nickel plated brass IEC inlet. However, for tube gear the rhodium plated models may be more appropriate since they present a leaner characteristic and a more forward presence.
The Oyaide Inlet R features phosphor bronze blades, and after hand polishing, is plated by the same platinum + palladium plating scheme as the Oyaide Beryllium Line AC products (R1 and 004). I find the sonic signature falls somewhere between the gold and rhodium version Furutech IEC inlets, and the platinum + palladium plated Oyaide Inlet R provides good synergy with the platinum + palladium plated Oyaide C-004 Beryllium IEC connector, as well as the SOTA Furutech FI-50 Gold IEC connector.
Good to know Duster, thanks. I haven't tried the Oyaide IEC sockets, as I haven't seen a version with an integral fuse holder (like the Furutech FI-03/06) and all but one of my components have required that configuration. Perhaps I just haven't looked hard enough -- do you know if they make one?
To the best of my knowledge, only Furutech offers an audiophile-quality fused IEC connector.
I tried the FI-06 Rhodium and the newer NCF Rhodium version, but I preferred the FI-06 Gold to either of them. Supposedly the NCF is a big improvement but not in my system.
Hello Salectric,
I am now seriously considering the Furetech NCF Rhodium FI 06 Inlet IEC.
I see it has set screws. Did you only use these set screws. Is that enough and sufficient? Or did you solder?
Thx so much, Bob
"You have to leave something to your imagination"
I used the set screws. Like you, I would have preferred solder terminals, but I have to admit the screws seem to do a good job. My connections were still tight each time I checked them. And of course the set screws make it easy to swap inlets.
A bigger issue is the Furutech inlets are not all the same size so you have to widen the dimensions of the opening to install some of the fatter inlets such as the Rhodium NCF.
Thx Salectric,
I bought the Furutech 6 Rhodium inlet and changed it with the inlet that was in my Magnet Conditioner. Yes, a little filing to adjust the opening size.
Wow! This is a great upgrade. Much clearer sound and transparent. More dynamics.
Thx, Bob
"You have to leave something to your imagination"
Good! Did you get the NCF Rhodium or the standard version?
I got the FL-06 NCF Rhodium with the set screws. Because of the set screws there is only one way to orientate it i.e., screws on top with ground on the 'higher' side. My original IEC inlet was orientated the other way (with ground on lower side). In my component one of the the wires had very little slack in it and it just managed to terminate it in the set screw housing.
But all was successful in the end.
Very happy.
Bob
"You have to leave something to your imagination"
Be aware that anything with a rhodium plating takes a good while to break in, at least IME. So the improvements you're hearing now will likely improve even further after you get 200+ hours on the inlet.
I'm using the gold plated FI-03's which have solder-only connections. I would have actually preferred the screw connections of the FI-06 to eliminate the solder, but the -06 was just a bit too large to fit in the existing chassis opening(s) without modification. The FI-03's have been a perfect match. At $15/$19 for the FI-03 (G/R) or $21/$27 for the FI-06 (G/R), this is one of the best bang-for-the-buck tweaks that I know of.
.
I recently bought an Aussie cable- Audio Principe. It has made such a fantastic improvement to my whole system. I use Nordost Red Dawn for my power amp.
So now I am letting the cables play in and will then reassess to listen for possibilities for improvement. I suspect the phono and pre can be improved as they are just hospital grade.
I am wondering that the power supply unit for my preamp can also be improved by upgrading the small/narrow gauge wire form the power supply unit to the preamp itself. I'll post a pic later today.
Bob
"You have to leave something to your imagination"
Back when Pangea first came out.. the pricing was LESS than I could make a power cable for myself. (even with moderately priced parts)
I actually COULD hear a difference. (in my amp playing, better cleaner bass)
SO I bought all Pangea over a few years.
I am satisfied.
(And one plus or minus! to some folks! is the Pangea are not leaking any electromagnetic radiation, at least using a AC detector device... So I have a a pile of them bundled, and I know they are not interacting between them in the bundle)
IMO power cords are a difficult thing to make claims on. Everyone has a favorite, and all I can say is watch out for scams.
I do not say buy Pangea. I say watch out! Buyer beware.
Starting out I would only buy from a major commercial maker. Like AudioQuest, Kimber, Cardas..
Making your own buy parts and wire from a place like "VH Audio" who advertises here.
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