Ohhhhh noooo, not another mains cable question....

[Sonic Dreamer]

Hi all,

This is not a question intended to provoke debate, on whether they main power cables are worth the extra money proportionate to performance upswing, rather to do with a specific brand head-to-head between Russ Andrews and Nordost.

I have Russ Andrews Reference PowerKords (2 metre) with Wattgate 350i AG IEC plugs.

The question is whether the "best" (subjective I know) pound for pound to performance upgrade option would be:

a) Russ Andrews Signature PowerKord (2 metre) with Wattgate 350i AG IEC plugs = £515.90 each.

b) Nordost Vishnu Power Cable (2 metre) = approx. £539.95 each.

It would be cool if people who reply can venture technical or aural justification for their recommendations, based on experience.
I was hoping someone will have tried out both mains cables at some point.

Cheers,
SonicD

 

[aliEnRIK]

Sonic Dreamer:
Hi all,

This is not a question intended to provoke debate, on whether they main power cables are worth the extra money proportionate to performance upswing, rather to do with a specific brand head-to-head between Russ Andrews and Nordost.

I have Russ Andrews Reference PowerKords (2 metre) with Wattgate 350i AG IEC plugs.

The question is whether the "best" (subjective I know) pound for pound to performance upgrade option would be:

a) Russ Andrews Signature PowerKord (2 metre) with Wattgate 350i AG IEC plugs = £515.90 each.

b) Nordost Vishnu Power Cable (2 metre) = approx. £539.95 each.

Cheers,
SonicD

Id definitely go for the russ andrews

 

[JoelSim]

I'd definitely go Nordost. Definitely to the power of 10. So there. Have you thought about the Shiva?

 

[Anonymous]

I would certainly try for yourself to see.......

You can easily return the RA one if you prefer the Nordost.

I would also throw in another option to help/confuse you ....

Gutwire C-Clef also £500 and standard 2m length I think - I preferred it to the RA Signature - although it was not a 'huge' difference.

The other option to try could be the Synergistic Research Tesla cables. I have their interconnects and they were a quantum leap above all others I have tried including RA Select KS1136. I have yet to try the power cables, but if the technology works that well on i/c's it could also do the same on power leads I guess !!

Nig

 

[Bodfish]

JoelSim:

I'd definitely go Nordost. Definitely to the power of 10. So there. Have you thought about the Shiva?

Nordost. Times infinity...plus one

 

[chebby]

Sonic Dreamer:This is not a question intended to provoke debate, on whether they main power cables are worth the extra money....

Ok.

georgejack:...plenty of marketing bs and a load of folk crazy enough to fall for it who feel incomplete without a £500 mains cable although their house supply is full of £1/m 2.5mm twin and earth.

Oh dear. That didn't go as planned.

 

[robjcooper]

And we wonder why our world is such a mess:

You're considering spending £515.90 vs £539.95 for 2m of wire. Yet:

http://www.centrepointroom.org.uk/?AppealID=RWA0910C&PackageID=01

Your mains cable could give a homeless young person a safe room for nearly 4 years.

Put it into perspective for me.

Rob

 

[jc.com]

robjcooper:

Put it into perspective for me.

Simple: we're all selfish.

 

[chebby]

robjcooper:And we wonder why our world is such a mess:

Well yes, if the combined value of all non-essential goods and services in the western world were ploughed into solving poverty and homelessness instead, then that would be dandy.

(Trouble is we would have put millions out of work in the process and made them poor or homeless instead.)

Another thread had some guy proudly showing a pair of $27,000 horn speakers but we did not beat him up over not spending it on the needy.

Even my - relatively - humble system is worth the cost of a few of those mains cables. Everyone on this forum with a system worth more than the cost of a used Alba from a charity shop is 'guilty' by the same token.

 

[Sonic Dreamer]

BigAir:

I would certainly try for yourself to see.......

You can easily return the RA one if you prefer the Nordost.

I would also throw in another option to help/confuse you ....

Gutwire C-Clef also £500 and standard 2m length I think - I preferred it to the RA Signature - although it was not a 'huge' difference.

The other option to try could be the Synergistic Research Tesla cables. I have their interconnects and they were a quantum leap above all others I have tried including RA Select KS1136. I have yet to try the power cables, but if the technology works that well on i/c's it could also do the same on power leads I guess !!

Nig

Hi Nig, thanks. I'm aspiring to avoid shelling out for both products, because if I like the RA and want to keep it in preference to the Nordost, I can't return the Nordost. I was kinda hoping someone on here would have tried both products before.

Cheers,
SonicD

 

[Anonymous]

for these prices id be looking for 24k gold cable

oh dont forget to burn them in

to make them hot stuff..

 

[Bodfish]

robjcooper:

And we wonder why our world is such a mess:

You're considering spending £515.90 vs £539.95 for 2m of wire. Yet:

http://www.centrepointroom.org.uk/?AppealID=RWA0910C&PackageID=01

Your mains cable could give a homeless young person a safe room for nearly 4 years.

Put it into perspective for me.

Rob

Wow. 'Man not allowed to spend his own hard earned money in way he sees fit without being told that he is selfish' shock. With respect, you have no idea what other things the OP may or may not spend his money on or what charitable donations he might make each year. Get off your high horse.

 

[Sonic Dreamer]

aliEnRIK:Sonic Dreamer:

Hi all,

This is not a question intended to provoke debate, on whether they main power cables are worth the extra money proportionate to performance upswing, rather to do with a specific brand head-to-head between Russ Andrews and Nordost.

I have Russ Andrews Reference PowerKords (2 metre) with Wattgate 350i AG IEC plugs.

The question is whether the "best" (subjective I know) pound for pound to performance upgrade option would be:

a) Russ Andrews Signature PowerKord (2 metre) with Wattgate 350i AG IEC plugs = £515.90 each.

b) Nordost Vishnu Power Cable (2 metre) = approx. £539.95 each.

Cheers,
SonicD

Id definitely go for the russ andrews

Hi, any particular reason aliEnRIK?

Cheers,
SonicD

 

[Sonic Dreamer]

chebby:Sonic Dreamer:This is not a question intended to provoke debate, on whether they main power cables are worth the extra money....

Ok.

georgejack:...plenty of marketing bs and a load of folk crazy enough to fall for it who feel incomplete without a £500 mains cable although their house supply is full of £1/m 2.5mm twin and earth.

Oh dear. That didn't go as planned.

Heh heh hhe heh, well Chebby, I kinda knew by saying "not a question intended to provoke debate," it will magnetise more comments as people love to be contrary.... a cunning strategem.

 

[Sonic Dreamer]

robjcooper:

And we wonder why our world is such a mess:

You're considering spending £515.90 vs £539.95 for 2m of wire. Yet:

http://www.centrepointroom.org.uk/?AppealID=RWA0910C&PackageID=01

Your mains cable could give a homeless young person a safe room for nearly 4 years.

Put it into perspective for me.

Rob

Rob, fair comment. Several years ago I spent 2.5 years doing voluntary work a couple of days a week with young homeless people in London, so I fully appreciate the complexities of the problem. However, I live in very modest accommodation, not a big flat/house and do not own a car, so I don't see why it is wrong to invest such money on something I believe will enhance my hi-fi system.

Cheers,
SonicD

 

[Anonymous]

georgejack:

Head to head:

£515.90 vs £539.95 for a 2m cable = under £10 worth in weight of copper & plastics, plenty of marketing bs and a load of folk crazy enough to fall for it who feel incomplete without a £500 mains cable although their house supply is full of £1/m 2.5mm twin and earth. Shocking to say the least.

for £539 I'd rather buy a used diesel generator off ebay and connect it to my hifi aswell as my fridge and washing machine

 

[professorhat]

georgejack:post regarding £500 mains cables and it's inevitable, you WILL provoke an argument.

Why? He specifically stated he's not interested in hearing views on how power cables are not worth the money. Thus if you think they are, there's no need to post anything since clearly your views are falling on deaf ears. Just leave the man be, let him discuss what he wants to with other like minded individuals - it's not too tricky is it?

Not being a wine connoisseur, I have no idea if there is such a thing as wine forums, but if there is and someone posted about buying a £500 bottle of wine there, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't get loads of abuse from people telling him he should spend it on the poor instead...

 

[bluebrazil]

i'd bribe a leccy company worker to put a seperate spur from your local substation to your house with that sort of dosh

 

[cassper]

georgejack:

Head to head:

£515.90 vs £539.95 for a 2m cable = under £10 worth in weight of copper & plastics, plenty of marketing bs and a load of folk crazy enough to fall for it who feel incomplete without a £500 mains cable although their house supply is full of £1/m 2.5mm twin and earth. Shocking to say the least.

For once I consider my masters degree in Production and transmission of the electrical energy as completely irrelevant... Add £500 and you have to be able to completely re-do electrical wiring in a medium sized house, including a brand new distribution board.

 

[Gusboll]

professorhat:

georgejack:post regarding £500 mains cables and it's inevitable, you WILL provoke an argument.

Why? He specifically stated he's not interested in hearing views on how power cables are not worth the money. Thus if you think they are, there's no need to post anything since clearly your views are falling on deaf ears. Just leave the man be, let him discuss what he wants to with other like minded individuals - it's not too tricky is it?

Not being a wine connoisseur, I have no idea if there is such a thing as wine forums, but if there is and someone posted about buying a £500 bottle of wine there, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't get loads of abuse from people telling him he should spend it on the poor instead...

I'm all for freedom of speech and all that but with it must come respect. I agree with Prof; the original post was trying to stop people going off the subject and to concentrate on a specific issue. Furthermore, posts suggesting that people should feel guilty for spending their hard-earned cash on things other than consumer goods are without any moral justification for all sorts of reasons; number one being how do you know that the OP has not donated substantial amounts of money to charitable organisations? Grow up.

Currently listening to: Flying Lizards - Money

 

[jc.com]

chebby:

robjcooper:And we wonder why our world is such a mess:

Well yes, if the combined value of all non-essential goods and services in the western world were ploughed into solving poverty and homelessness instead, then that would be dandy.

(Trouble is we would have put millions out of work in the process and made them poor or homeless instead.)

Another thread had some guy proudly showing a pair of $27,000 horn speakers but we did not beat him up over not spending it on the needy.

Even my - relatively - humble system is worth the cost of a few of those mains cables. Everyone on this forum with a system worth more than the cost of a used Alba from a charity shop is 'guilty' by the same token.

Chebby, you pick up a subtle point that I'd missed - not a word of complaint about the source, amp and speakers that the OP might own, thus - had spent cash on that could otherwise have gone to the needy, but, for a piece of wire!!?? Maybe it's just that robjcooper takes his conviction that cables don't have an effect to the extreme?

 

[chebby]

georgejack:My point was surely folk can't be that naieve to think that £500 is a fair price for 2m of copper cable weighing in at around £10 to produce or that it will benefit your system any more than a £50 cable...

I can't believe that people spend £50 on mains cables.

But I spent £105 on Naim speaker cables and my Naim interconnects (although included 'free' in the box with my gear) apparently cost about £80 each seperately so I had better not bang on about it too much.

 

[Gusboll]

georgejack:Falling on deaf ears? it fell on your's quite easily. Who cares if you could feed eleventymillion folk with the money? I don't, it wasn't my point. My point was surely folk can't be that naieve to think that £500 is a fair price for 2m of copper cable weighing in at around £10 to produce or that it will benefit your system any more than a £50 cable when the other 95% of your supply is of a 2.5mm twin and earth low quality cable. That was all, not too tricky is it?

Read the original post, weigh up what's been asked, decide if you have a relevant answer in respect of the question and make a polite response. Not too tricky is it?

 

[aliEnRIK]

Sonic Dreamer:Hi, any particular reason aliEnRIK?

Cheers,

SonicD

My dad has the NORDOST and even though I havnt tested the RA, the RA has been measurably proven to affect 'mains noise'. So have the ones ive tested, the more braids the better the mains noise cancellation. The chords ive tested against the nordost cost a fifth of the price or less and did just as well to my mind which should theoretically mean the RA will be head and shoulders above the Nordost once run in.

 

[JoelSim]

georgejack:[Falling on deaf ears? it fell on your's quite easily. Who cares if you could feed eleventymillion folk with the money? I don't, it wasn't my point. My point was surely folk can't be that naieve to think that £500 is a fair price for 2m of copper cable weighing in at around £10 to produce or that it will benefit your system any more than a £50 cable when the other 95% of your supply is of a 2.5mm twin and earth low quality cable. That was all, not too tricky is it?
Bangs head on brick wall. Scientists cost money in R&D, lack of economies of scale in a niche market for staff, marketing, distribution, production, buying, expensive materials etc etc etc. Before people criticize pricing, they really should understand the reality of hi-end products/economics in any market, not just hifi.

Do some people really believe that these companies spend £10 on materials, £300 on marketing and the rest is margin? Get a grip, you get what you pay for, and yes the strength of a brand has an impact on what you can charge for something, but if the product doesn't deliver you go bust!