|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
208.189.66.85
I don't know what it is, but that puppy lamp cord of a power cord on my 1060 makes me ill every time I look at it.
Is this something that is worth doing?
Can it be done easily?
If so, I'd love some recommendations.
Follow Ups:
Get about 5 or 6 feet of Chris VH's cryo'ed AC wire. The two conductor unshielded works fine ($3.50/ft). Maybe some tech flex to cover it up and then a decent AC plug like a Wattgate 5526i ($13). You've got a nice upgrade for around $30 to $40. Simply pull the top of the chassis off and find where the regular AC cord enters the case and where it is first soldered down (probably the tranny). You'll need to remove the original cord and replace it with the DIY cable you got. I use a tie wrap inside the case just as it enters to secure it with a little strain relief. Pretty easy project for getting your feet wet. You'll need a soldering iron, wire strippers, wire cutters and patience. Don't let the naysayers stop you from having some fun. FWIW, I've done similar mods and liked the results.
With this amp, I've become a disbeliever in power cords. This will not improve it, only change it. It's a testament to the extraordinary performance this unit demonstrates. It may be obsolete, but stock as a headphone amp, it's clarity, depth, dynamics, smoothness, and tonal balance embarasses anything current I've compared.
Is a headphone amp.
I haven't tried anything more current, and I'm sure the higher quality purpose-built headphone amps will trounce it, but the thing sure seems to deliver nice quality sound to my ear. And lordy lordy is it ever gorgeous. I pretty much paid top dollar for it on ebay ($150 with the wood case), but it in near-perfect condition. Not a scratch on the face plate and the wood veneer is pristine.
Even though I think it sounds pretty good, I think improvements are still possible. I am working on upgrading the IC's between it and my DAC, upgrading the cable in my cans (AKG K701's), and I've even considered upgrading the RCA posts and some of the wire in the 1060 with Cardas, Vampire or VH Audio connection wire. Hence the question about the possibility of improving the power cable.
One problem is that the cost of the upgrades will likely exceed the value of the unit, and, perhaps, diminish its resale value. And so I am wondering if I might not be better off taking the money I planned for upgrades and rolling that, plus the sale price of the 1060, into something more modern, like a Heed Canamp....
Yes, the only upgrades I have found worthwhile are the IC's. It doesn't even benefit from a high dollar cdp. I have gone that route also. I also really question spending a lot of money on an aftermarket headphone cable. I have tried a few modern amps, the SimAudio Moon W5-LE, and Musical Fidelity X-CAN v3, and Singlepower PPX3-6SN7. The 1060 performs sonically equal or superior in every way.
That's the draw of a healthy outdoor light bulb,or about a fourth of what a microwave oven or toaster draws. In relative terms, it's practically nothing. Assuming your stock cord is 18 gauge and less than 25 feet long, what's the problem? Is it worn out?
If you're looking for something that "sounds better" you're defeated before you start. The 1060 uses ancient circuit design that's been obsolete for years. No new cord will fix that. A newer, more transparent amp design would sound better right out of the box.
Better yet, get a newer amp and get your head out of forums and magazines that make you neurose over idiotic imaginary "improvements" like power cords.
While many of your points are well taken current draw makes no difference in whether or not a benefit can be had from an improved power cord. My CDP, a Musical Fidelity Trivista, is rated at 50 watts of AC consumption, thats less than half an ampere@120V. I can assure you good power cords make a big difference on this piece of gear. I had NAD gear back in the day with hard wired power cords and they benefited greatly from modification to IEC chasis mounts that allowed good aftermarket power cords. I was skeptical for a long time on power cords since all the power supplies in our gear convert the incoming AC to DC anyways.
ET
I never knew I suffered from an idiotic neurosis.
I recently did the deed on two Teac reel-to-reel tape decks that had really anorexic power cords. Snipped the old clords off about two inches from the components and attached IEC adapter/connectors to the stubs, into which I can plug any detachable aftermarket power cords. I contemplated cutting a hole in the back of the decks and installing IEC jacks, but didn't feel confident enough to go that far. In any event, I really like the results.
Dave
Why didn't you get some good power cord at your favorite hardware/homesupply store and replace it directly at the source? A new seal grommet and death cap , observe polarity, ground the chassis and I bet you will be amazed!
I believe this is what Zako is getting at, sometimes we cause out problems then try to band aid them back when proper installation will cure most ills to begin with.
First, I HAVE been using 14 gauge Home Depot outdoor extension cord as power cords. Still use it, shotgunned, as speaker cable, replacing $500 wire, so I'm not doing all this cable stuff just to spend money. But I did take a flyer on some AC cable (CroyMax III from CryoParts) and was just stunned at the improvement. This is with equipment that had IEC jacks, so experimentation (and comparison) with stock cords was easy. And the new cords, complete with Furutech IEC and AC ends, cost me less than $100 to build.
But getting inside those two ancient tape decks to do it "right" is no picnic, so I figured it'd try the IEC "pigtail" approach and then decide whether to go all the way. If I didn't hear anything substantial in the way of improvement, I could always splice the old cords back in place. The improvement was so dramatic that for the time being at least I'm going to leave well enough alone. Dramatic how? In terms of dynamics, clarity, bass and what I can only call "authority."
Frankly I'm not in a wild hurry to hard-wire the decks for two reasons. It will be a pain in the neck, and now that i know what power cords can do for a system's sound, I want the flexibility to try others, sometime. It may never happen, but if it does I want it to be easy, while recognizing that it's not the most elegant approach, In the meantime, I'll bet I have some of the best-sounding Teac X1000R and A2300SD (Dolby) decks out there. The better R-R tapes sound simply incredible now. I kid you not.
Dave
Not to be a smart ass but both in the interest of safety and correcting wrongs of the past please finish the job.
I have a couple Teac RtoR myself a 3340s and an x7-r and found along with rollers, cleaning heads and alignment that power wiring was lacking. Just replacing the cords along with the cap and grounding (I used belden 14awg computer grade, not fancy but a step up from the H-D power cord)made a big difference in itself.
I'm not arguing what differences you heard from power cords, I just want to bring to light that the old way was not the best and updating is vital.
I have a pile of vintage gear here that is testimony.
Also not to start a war but once I sorted out the power supply from the box, a dedicated line, and fixed all the cords, I really can't say I can hear a difference in power cords from the wall. I did however notice a difference in the noise floor before and after on my scope,
As always and forever YMMV.
The quality of the connections is quite important. I noticed that on speaker cables a while back and it made me a fanatic on making sure I have good contact over the whole path. It's a long story, as to how I found this out, but the difference was remarkable in a careful A-B test.
I can easily see how this would work for line cords and the in-wall power wiring.
One wonders how much of the improvement in power cords is due to the better terminations, and not to the wiring itself.
On that note, why would you replace hard wired cords with an IEC connector with an extra set of friction contacts?
Jerry
Short answer: because it worked, by test, despite my questioning it, as you have. Longer: because the total wire length between the Teac and the PS Audio is cut by more than half, and the original 6' Teac wire was something like 24 gauge and felt almost brittle. And as already noted, because I lacked the courage, confidence, and skill to do it right. If what I did effected only a minor improvement, I might well be tempted to do the full job. But certainly the additional IEC connector has made things a lot better, not the same or worse. And I can change power cords til the cows come home, should I be so inclined.
You might well ask why ANY piece of gear comes with an IEC jack. After all, they could easily be hard-wired as everything used to be.
Could it be that IEC jacks have become a user requested feature as bi-wiring terminals have in speakers? Not because the manufacturer thought they were better, but because it affected sales not to have them?
In speakers, several manufacturers objected to bi-wiring on good techniocal grounds, but sooner or later yielded to market presure. In other words, their presence proves nothing!
In your case you have bad wiring. And if there was enough oxygen difusion through the jacket to oxidize the skinny conductors, you may well have fixed a serious problem. but that doesn't make it a universal solution. i.e., I'm still a skeptic.
Jerry
Well, all I can say is thank heaven for IEC jacks, or I could never have heard what my CD player, linestage, power amps, and phonostage were capable of. All the cords that came with these components are nolw hanging from a nail in the basement. Every once in a while I change back, just to convince other skeptics. Doesn't take much convincing :-)
I agree with you, BTW, on the issue of biwiring. The point is, you have to listen both ways and then decide. IEC jacks make that real easy. Not that all aftermarket cords are an improvement, not by a long shot. But the good ones are worth the effort. And mine cost less than $100.
Dave,
I have some very strong opinions about power cords, mostly negative. I'm certain there are cases where a heavier cord is an inprovement, and better connectors are a big help, as I've experienced that myself. But I have yet to hear an explanation that makes sense to me in most of the cases.
Unless there is some theory and tests to back it up, that make sense in the light of known physics, I remain skeptical.
Theories about noise on the line, and it's suppression don't explain claims of better and deeper bass, for example. Part of the problem is that nobody has set up an A-B switching test for power cords on the same piece of gear. Changing cords takes some time, and you know what you're listening to in each case. John Dunlavy showed that in the case of speaker cables, people were strongly influenced by what they expected. In one case he didn't switch cables, only pretending to. Listeners still preferred the more expensive cable, even though they were listening to ordinary 12 gauge the whole time. In another test which used remote switching, the indicators were mixed up, so the expensive cable wasn't in circuit when the indicator said it was. People still preferred it when the indicator said it was in circuit. You'll have to prove to me that isn't happening with power cords.
Jerry
I don't have to prove anything to you. Enjoy your music.
First the question, "How do you know it was an actual improvement?" Remember, I've got the two decks, one that's bidirectional and will play large reels, the other for my collection of Dolbyized R-R tapes. But when they're both playing standard 7" non-Dolby reels, they always sounded pretty much identical to my ears. So I did the big one (X-1000R), not really expecting much because, in part, I was not doing the full job but using the IEC pigtail approach. I was absolutely floored by the improvement and it WAS an improvement as easily distinguished by playing the same tape on the "before" and "after" deck.
By the same kind of comparison testing, I found that running the decks into a PS Audio P300 line conditioner/regenerator -- this was years ago -- was a marked improvement over straight-into-the-wall. And by the same token, upgrading the AC cord into and from the PS Audio made a positive difference. I never do a change without comparing the before-and-after until I'm sure that it's not JUST a change but an actual improvement.
And just what was the audible results??? Since the line cord is not in the signal path...AC one side DC the other side...Going several hundred feet in the walls with Romax then a few feet with super duper power cord is a scam...
Going several hundred feet in the walls with Romax then a few feet with super duper power cord is a scam...
When one begins with the assumption that the source of power line noise is found outside your home, that would be correct. Most modern homes today, however, possess a number of devices using digital power supplies that infect the AC with RFI. The problem can be generated by the CDP two feet away, not hundreds. Power supply isolation is not universally thorough.
I find that better AC cords can reduce a false brightness added to the signal that veils the result. YMMV.
rw
Bullshit...You have AC on one side and DC on the other side thats a fact you keep sweeping away....So where does that four feet of cord improve the sound?
So where does that four feet of cord improve the sound?
Where? Between the noisy, RFI laden AC line and the component.
rw
Nonsence...How does it regulate that?
it doesn't regulate the power supply at all. The ones I refer to filter the incoming supply and the shielding minimizes radiation to other components.
Try some for yourself. I find experience superior to speculation in this case.
rw
I would enjoy finding out just how this urban tail got started. WOW there is some BIG bucks, and even BIGGER exaggerations in power cords. Physics is the bottom line not over excited testimony and hype. Spend your money having the units bias, DC offset, etc... checked out.
charles
Go visit the Cable Asylum and ask the same question. Power cord upgrades work (and you don't have to spend a bunch of money to confirm this) but your minds are made up and I'm not going to be the one trying to set you straight. Enjoy your music.
I do like "urban tail."
This is a 40+ year old unit. Ain't no power cord upgrade in the world going to help that issue. Yes if you have very twichy newer amps then it could be a issue. A cleaner power source would be more important than the cord.
I do feel a good power cord helps. But to the level of the extreme some claim - no. Seems "cords" have taken on a life of there own. Why I hear tell some people don't even need a stereo, just a good set of cables.
nt
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: