Mains Cable Upgrades ?

[admin_exported]

Hi All,

I have a dedicated mains supply to my AV kit, it was the old cooker supply but we have moved the kitchen now. There is absolutely nothing else running off the circuit and breaker. This then feeds a Monster HTS1000 Home Theatre 8 way distribution block which all the standard mains leads are plugged into.

I was wondering if mains cable upgrades would still prove worthwhile, and -

1) What piece of kit to start with;

2) What cable, without spending a fortune would be appropiate;

3) Is it best to stick with the same cables throughout or do different things require different cables, as in one particular make for my amp and a totally different one for my display?

Any advice or experience with this would be greatly appreciated.

Regards Si.

.

 

[aliEnRIK]

Hi soulton

You might find you amp works better being plugged straight into the wall (The cheaper 'blocks' tend to rob amps of 'dynamics' etc)

As for mains cables ~ ive tried quite a few (russ andrews, nordost, Isotek etc). Ive found 16 braided cables work best with ALL equipment (Though its dependent on how much RFI you have in the house mains too). Braided cables reduce RFI and combat EMI. Most armoured cables only combat EMI (And a little RFI)

Ive found the cables from TM3 on ebay are FAR better than just about every other cable ive tried (Bar a nordost costing 500 quid and the silver ones were better than that)

So I personally fit all the 16 core copper ones to everything except my amps ~

COPPER BRAID

and solid silver to my amps (more pricy of course)

SILVER BRAID

Basically the more 'cores' there are (Number of wires) the better the RFI cancellation and combatting of EMI. Russ Andrews are the main guys for braided cables but theyre FAR pricier (their copper 16 core is more than the TM3 silver. And their silver ones are into the THOUSANDS!!)

 

[JohnHolmes]

Can you really hear the differences between these and a bog standard cable?

Have you done a blind test?

 

[Anonymous]

I found a significant difference when I changed to Russ Andrews/Kimber Classic PowerKord-8 on my Nad CDP.

Definate improvement in treble. I find it cleaner and less harsh at higher volumes. Vocals sound a little fuller and the bass is tighter and more controlled.

I've only had it for 3 days so, if the "burn in" theory is to be believed, it might continue to improve over the coming weeks.

 

[aliEnRIK]

JohnHolmes:
Can you really hear the differences between these and a bog standard cable?

Have you done a blind test?

No ~ I did a deaf test

 

[JoelSim]

JohnHolmes:
Can you really hear the differences between these and a bog standard cable?

ÿ

Have you done a blind test?

Yes and no. Depending on the mains cable. Some make significant differences, some not.

ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

Many thanks for the reply aliEnRIK, I will give one a go and also plug my amp direct into mains rather than block.

Thank again to all and sorry for the late response (have been working away)

Regards.

.