Long power cable from ebay

[Vladimir]

Oversized cables will be also heavier and tug on the speaker IEC jacks harder, which over some years of use it may result in a less tight of a fit.

P.S. I'm being literal so no funny comments now.

 

[jimmy1]

Bit off topic but thicker speaker cable seemed to have a bit more bass to me when i first changed it about 10 years ago, but like other people have already said it does not change the wire inside the speaker so i dont really know

 

[insider9]

Some time ago on gearslutz I read that the difference between a $5 regular computer cable and $25 branded 'touring grade' professional one is a more pliable plastic so it doesn't break too easy from constant handling and kinks. Everything else is the same and it's made in the same chinese factory regardless what the name plate says.

The power cables I got with these JBLs are stupid stiff, but I can't be bothered to change them. However, I did invest in pro grade balanced cables just for fucks sake, price was the same as quality unbalanced patch cables anyway. And indeed the cables are so pliable and jiggly, almost spaghetti like. 

Thickness is irrelevant in any scenario. It's audiofoolery. 

And I thought that a difference between a $5 cable and $25 one was... $20 🙂

 

[Vladimir]

And I thought that a difference between a $5 cable and $25 one was... $20 🙂

I'm not saying the $20 difference is a scam. Getting custom logo, custom packaging, better QC, better/faster shipping, extra taxes, import duty etc. all adds up. The manufacturer makes money on it, as it should, but it's not like they didn't put zero effort in it and made a quick buck on the suckers.

When Cable R&D gets involved THEN things start to get intere$ting.

 

[gasolin]

Often the really good power cable,mains is fairly thick

nordost standard is 2x16 awg or 3x14 awg, odin and odin 2 7x14 awg an 7x15 awg i guess it's not always because they are used with big power hungry amps but because it also makes a differnce in sound quality.

A cable like Merlin Tarantula MK6 is 3x2.5mm, thats alot compared to 3x1.0mm or even 3x0.75mm (£50 for 1 meter £110 for 3 meter) so i guess it does matter somehow if a power cable,mains is thick or not and who would have a big power hungry amp and use only a £50 power cable even rated high enough in wattage ? http://merlincables.co.uk/tarantula-fe/

I thought the plugs where the most expensive on a power cable,mains but going from 1 meter to 3 increases price by more than 100% (Merlin Tarantula MK6)

What are power mains rated for? (The once i have looked at doesn't have any specs on max wattage only amp, which often is 10 or 16amp and that is more about 2500watt for the 10 amp cable? So even the cheapest nordost, merlin could handle a 2x500 watt or even 2x1000watt form a "big amp" ? So 7x14awg is more for sound quality than how much power,amp,wattage it can handle? )

 

[Vladimir]

In your application you have 55W to worry about, which is 240mA at 230V.

The fuses are probably 5A, the Bando transformer is tiny, so if by some chance the 38Wpc LM3886TF decides to use 1,150W out of the socket, the standard 10A rated power cord should be able to handle it.

All is well.

 

[gasolin]

In your application you have 55W to worry about, which is 240mA at 230V.

The fuses are probably 5A, the Bando transformer is tiny, so if by some chance the 38Wpc LM3886TF decides to use 1,150W out of the socket, the standard 10A rated power cord should be able to handle it.

All is well.

It was a general question about what wattage power cable,mains are rated at, not if a stock cable can handle the power my amp has.

(Is there any on whathifi that has a big hifi system that doesn't use an upgraded power cable, mains?)

 

[Vladimir]

Cables are rated mainly in ampperes, but I've seen some also stating max wattage (P=VA). Voltage is regionally standardized, but how much current you will draw depends on application. That's the variable.

Current matters more than voltage in this case because overcurrent will make the wire heat up and melt, create a short and catch fire. When you walk on carpet you generate thousands of volts but its harmless because there's insignificantly small amounts of current.

Copper cladd aluminium wire will be thicker for the same rating as a pure copper wire. A 1.5mm2 CCA cable may have same current rating as 1mm OFC. Aluminum has 61% of the conductivity of copper. Insulation is what matters for high voltage, while wire gauge and resistance is what matters for high current.

 

[Vladimir]

Have you read My cat tore up my Virtual Dynamics Power 3... ?

 

[Vladimir]

*biggrin*

 

[bigboss]

Cables don't make any difference. A standard kettle lead is fine. Also, Cat 6 instead of 5e in most situations don't make any difference whatsoever for that product. Cat 5e supports 1 Gigabit which is plenty.

 

[Gazzip]

Why doesn’t the OP make his own power cables? It’s hardly rocket science and this way he gets exactly the girth, shielding, colour and... erm... performance he is looking for. Back in the day everybody did this. What’s changed?

 

[Gazzip]

*biggrin*

*unknw* No exotic/expensive cables of any kind in my setup Vladimir, unless you classify Van Damme tour grade as excessive.

 

[gasolin]

Why doesn’t the OP make his own power cables? It’s hardly rocket science and this way he gets exactly the girth, shielding, colour and... erm... performance he is looking for. Back in the day everybody did this. What’s changed?

Mabye cables are so inexpensive that it's cheaper to buy than make it

Can it be done cheaper by DIY?

 

[Gazzip]

Why doesn’t the OP make his own power cables? It’s hardly rocket science and this way he gets exactly the girth, shielding, colour and... erm... performance he is looking for. Back in the day everybody did this. What’s changed?

Mabye cables are so inexpensive that it's cheaper to buy than make it

Can it be done cheaper by DIY?

Yes. Definitely cheaper by DIY. A good shielded twin and earth mains cable (1.5mm or 2.5mm depending on use) will put you back £1.50/m and the mains plug and The C13 IEC will cost about the same each. If you want to go for a fancy looking cable then the price will go up but the performance I doubt will.

 

[MajorFubar]

What’s changed?

People don't make their own of anything up any more. Hifi was once very much a do-it-yourselfers hobby, with kit amps and certainly kit speakers common right until the 80s. I realised just how much had changed when I once innocently told someone to make up their own 5m interconnects if they couldn't find any pre-made with the right plugs and sockets. I could feel the "ARE YOU INSANE, MAN??" stares coming at me through ny monitor screen, not just from that thread's OP but from just about everyone who'd so far contributed.

 

[jimmy1]

I've still got a soldering iron but honestly never crossed my mind to make own cables, i might give it a go

 

[Gazzip]

I've still got a soldering iron but honestly never crossed my mind to make own cables, i might give it a go

Don't use solder in a mains plug!

 

[jimmy1]

i meant some interconnects, can anyone smell burning hehe

 

[Vladimir]

IMO everyone in this hobby should have a multimeter, soldering kit (iron, solder, wick) and a can of servisol. It's fun tinkering around. You don't have to build complex stuff, cables are super simple.

 

[Gaz37]

Of course you can't make your own cables.
If you did they wouldn't be expensive or have a fancy name, accepted wisdom suggests this means they couldn't possibly sound good.