Welcome! Need support, you got it. Or share your ideas and experiences.
Return to Planar Speaker Asylum
203.130.126.124
http://www.bluecircle.com/index.php?page_id=1735
Follow Ups:
I used VH homebrew amplifier cables on my Quad 988's and they made a noticeable improvement over stock. You can even switch them on the fly and listen. My friend and I both looked at each other with surprise at the results!
so filtering the AC feed to them can result in better system performance. The filter blocks the noise from the power supply from getting into the AC that goes to the other components.$395 is a ridiculous price to pay only if you know enough to make your own for a lot less money.
Al, thanks for a considered (and thought provoking) reply. And yes, it was the price tag I found crazy. I think 400 dollars for a power cable is obscene (whether you can make them yourself or not).
before posting comments such as you did.
Get thee? Good grief...get a sense of humor. And get off that high horse while you are at it. It was a tongue in cheek question about a cable, not someones belief system (although that point could be argued, I guess)
Question do you own ESL's? Have you used after market cords on any other components? Is it the cost of the cord in question that you object to or the fact that it has been suggested that any cord would impact and ESL power supply? Regards.
moray james
Howdy Moray...Answer!:yes, I own ESL's (would be a bit of a stupid question if I didn't, wouldn't it now?). Yes, I have tried fancy power cables on other components. Yes, I object to the cost. I'm not sure about the value of these cables with esl's, hence the question. Hope my impertinence (questioning the value of a hifi product) has not offended anyone.
ps, putting the word "regards" at the end of an otherwise abrupt post does not make it polite.
Short and to the point may make for an abrupt letter but that does not make it rude. Considering your post I would say that a lot of gracious reply were sent your way. You could simply have been a troll or worse.
If you question the value of such expensive power cords you have some options available to you. You can check them out for yourself and see what you think. You can ask the opinions of others. The first option gives you direct knowledge so that the best choice.
I get the feeling that you may have eaten some sour grapes. If you don't believe that a power cord could be worth the money that Blue Circle is asking then don't buy one. If you choose to listen to thier cord and like what you hear then you get to decide if the price is worth the performance. If you think that the price/performance ratio is fair then buy the cord (you only need one). If you don't think that the ratio is so good you don't have to buy. If you really like what the cord does and want it but don't have the cash save some. Complaining that they charge too much for thier product is niether productive or fair. Better products are worth more money.
You do have other options, you can audition all the cords that fit your acceptable price range and see if you can find one that works as well for less money. You can look into designing and building your own power cords. I would recommend this option as you will learn more and in the end save a lot more.
If you would like to hear what the ultimate power cord sounds like and what it can do for your speakers that's easy and it's free. Play a reference piece of music on your system. Then unplug your ESL's high voltage power supply from the wall and listen again. The charge on the speaker diaphragms will stay put for a long time playing music. Eventually the output level will start to slowly roll off. If you notice that this happens in a short period of time (20-30 minutes) then you probably have dust or an insect between your conductive diaphragm coating and the stator. Vacuum cleaning with light suction should remove this.
If the price of the BC cord is twice as much as you feel it's worth I can fix that for you. Buy just one cord as that is all you really need. Simply plug the BC cord into the wall and then use cheap inexpensive extension cords to run out to the speaker supplies. While not quite as nice a using two cords of your choice you will get most all the way there using just one.
I hope this helps regards Moray James.PS: yes it was a bit of a stupid question. Questioning the value of anything is fine but if you are not sure then don't buy til you are.
moray james
It is hard to tell from the link what is in there, so I don't know about the price.But the concept that a powercable can make a difference for electrostats, i don't find ridiculous at all.
In fact, I have seen it first hand.
Occasionally, I will make home brew power cords for friends. While there is more to them than I describe here, they are essentially 3 thhn wires braided. These things are easy to make and are awesome for the money
ANyhow, I had made 2 of them for a friend, and I get this panicked call from him a few days later.
He couldn't believe the difference they made. I didn't find anything astonishing in this, as they made my amps and cdps and subs sound much better, better imaging and a blacker background. Until he told me he hadn't used them for his cdp or integrated amp as he said he was. Apparently getting to those components was a big nightmare in the cabinet they were in. He was using them on his LOGANS!!!
I remember his exact quote "HOw can they make any difference on a speaker. They are not even in the signal path!"
I had never considered this possibility, having maggies and all. But it did make my sub sound better and other components too, so why should electrostats be any different?
Dawnrazor,You have me interested in these inexpensive power cables. What more is there to them than braiding thhn?
That is, unless it's proprietary and I'd have to die to know :)
well if you use all three wires (live, neutral and ground) there are only so many things you can do. You can play with the "lay" which in a twisted pair relates to how many full twists per foot you have. In the case of a braid that would relate to how tightly you braid the wires. You could reverse the braid pattern at specific points along the braid. This is done in flat parallel ribbon communication cables where there are sections of twists (in pairs) then after a specific length more twists but in the opposite direction. This reduces the inductive effect. Those two things are pretty much your physical options with just three wires in a braid. Have some fun and play with it to see how it goes. You could play with ribbon cables for power cords as long as the dielectric is rated for a safe margin (say 240 volts). In this situation you will probably find that things work best when you keep the loop to ground short so wire live, ground, then neutral as many times as you have to across the ribbon till you obtain the final guage that you desire. Different combinations will result in a different sounding cord. So you can play with the various combinations till you are happy with the results. Hope that this helps regards Moray James.
moray james
Hey MJ,I just don't get this sentence:
In this situation you will probably find that things work best when you keep the loop to ground short so wire live, ground, then neutral as many times as you have to across the ribbon till you obtain the final guage that you desire.
Can you explain it. I am picturing a flat ribbon like that used for computer drives, but I can't see how you wire live, grnd, neut. Are there 3 ribbons?
the wires would all be parallel to one another with a ground in between each live and neutral leg. The more times you repete this the lower the combined guage will be. Hope this helps.
moray james
x
but here is one option.Honestly, a high quality power cord can make a difference. So can segregation - keeping one's AC cords isolated from one's signal cables. The Blue Circle power cable you referenced in your original post is certainly expensive - well beyond my considerations. Then again, I don't own electrostatics (well, not speakers - I do have a pair of Stax Lamda earspeakers), nor is the rest of my gear in line with such a high end power cord.
I do own three PS Audio power cords (of the $120 variety) and they contributed subtle improvements to the sound of my system. I have also built several of my own. The law of diminishing returns isn't the only issue here; the cumulative nature of subtle improvements is such that they can build up rather dramatic enhancements - and a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Garbage in at any level will result in garbage out (okay, I've run out of clichés) - the point is: there is not one part of your system unworthy of your consideration.
That Blue Circle power cord is not ridiculous, nor is it really *that* expensive. For certain systems I’d even call it a bargain (unfortunately, mine isn’t such a system).
"Jazz is not dead - it just smells funny" FZ ♬
Kendo,I took Allen Wrights recipe which is to use solid 12 or 14g wire (I chose thhn because of the voltage rating) and make a 3 conductor braid.
My sub has this in place of the captive cord. My other detachable cords do have something added to them. Lets just say I really try to deal with vibrations. The process which I came up with is patented by someone else, so I guess I didn't really come up with anything. But I know of no cable manufacturer that does what I do, even the guy who patented the process (he is not a cable manufacturer AFAIK).
Either way I would recommend something to cover the thhn wire with as the insulation on the wire is not too too thick. And very dangerous if it is ever breached. Tech flex is ok for this.
If I ever get my new website up, I can post some picts of the pcords and other cables.
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: