Power Cords - Yes, Yes I know…. Some Advice please!

[Infiniteloop]

Hi.

I appreciate this is a potentially dangerous area, but I need some guidance..... :help:

Whenever I audition a new piece of equipment, the dealer ALWAYS uses an expensive powercord.

This is the case even when I bring along my own equipent to audition it with.

Do these things REALLY make a difference?

If so, what would you recommend for my current set-up below?

Cheers!

:cheers:

 

[CnoEvil]

You need to try this one for yourself......borrow some from your dealer; or give Darren of Clearer Audio a ring and he will give you 60 days to to return it for a refund if it hasn't improved matters.

You can then tell us if it has made a difference.

 

[Tear Drop]

Just decide for yourself - there are polar opposite views all over the web concerning cables and none of them very useful at the end of the day. Trust yourself and your own experiences.

 

[andyjm]

Just decide for yourself - there are polar opposite views all over the web concerning cables and none of them very useful at the end of the day. Trust yourself and your own experiences.

... but bear in mind that humans are very subject to suggestion bias, so see if you can get your dealer to swap the cables without letting you know which one is being used. If he wants the sale though, he probably won't play ball.

Most (if not all) of the 'night and day' differences dissapear when the cable is unsighted.

 

[hifikrazy]

You have a nice system. Keep an open mind and try some Kimber Powerkord 10 Ascent which I've found to be quite excellent. These used to be called Kimber Powerkord 10 Gold that have now been upgraded with the latest Wattgate Evolution plugs. But I noticed they don't seem to come in UK plugs so I think you have to go for Russ Andrews instead.

 

[matthewpiano]

As others have said, try for yourself and trust your own ears. I was always very sceptical, but I decided to try Merlin Tarantula Mk6 and it does make a difference in my system, with our electricity supply and where the hi-fi is on the same mains ring as things such as the fridge. I suspect it probably is system AND home dependent.

 

[Crossie]

Here is a picture of the inside of a Roksan Caspian M2

I don't see any fancy mains cables. Draw your own conclusions.

'Nuff said.

 

[Tear Drop]

Here is a picture of the inside of a Roksan Caspian M2

I don't see any fancy mains cables. Draw your own conclusions.

'Nuff said.

But you're not implying that people draw their own conclusions at all, so why say it?

 

[Crossie]

I have just presented evidence that the cables inside the box are bog standard. If you believe that putting fancy cables are on the outside will improve things then go ahead try them and draw your own conclusions.

My conclusions are, from experience, logic and science makes me believe that they won't make any difference in my opinion, but you are absolutely free to draw any conclusions you like.

Is that clear enough?

 

[abacus]

So long as the power cable rating is greater than the equipment it is connected to then there will be no difference in performance, so stick with what the manufacture supplies.

Unlike a home user a dealer is constantly plugging and unplugging leads, therefore the plugs and sockets etc. have to be of a more robust construction, in addition he has to cover himself against problems caused by 3rd party cables (Which may or may not be up to the job) hence the use of his own standard cable set.

Hope this helps

Bill

 

[Infiniteloop]

Thanks Guys!

All interesting stuff.

I guess I need to talk to my local friendly dealer and borrow a few.

Now, about the differences between plug fuses........ - any advice??

(Only joking!).

 

[ellisdj]

There is a few reasons to use an upgraded mains lead.

1. better connections for lower resisatnce, capacitance of electricity flow - some will say it makes no difference but they say that about everything

2. better screening of rfi and emi

there are others cant think of.

Just because one amp doesnt have fancy cabling inside means nothing - there are others that do.

Those products are made for maximum profit and would probably be better with attention to detail - however they would cost more so the trade off is made

Buying an expensive cable and plugging into the wall wont necessarily make oyu system amazingly better - but its the gradual steps you take to reduce rfi and emi and mains noise going into your kit and from one piece of kit to another.

Clearer Audio cables and power hubs are really really good. Isotek seem really good as well.

Even the cheapest cable + 2 super supressors makes a noticeable difference providing you have things setup half well and have half decent room acoustics.

Also a Tacima Cs929 can be had for about £30 and these are very good for the money - certainly not the be all and end all soltuion though,

 

[ellisdj]

This is worth watching - explains things very well I feel and is truthful - while obviously being a bit salesey

 

[MickyBlue]

Sitting on the fence on this one, although cable upgrades are worth it, its good to put things into perspective, i decided to add chord superscreen power cables to my system ( all second hand and cheap) dont go silly, ive only got a 5 grand system so spending silly money just isnt worth it. Invest in music!

 

[ellisdj]

I am up for spending wisely but mains are important, cheap solutions are ok - but that doesnt mean more expensive solutions are wasts of money -

Its important to know why you are looking at mains as a potential problem in the first place - hence the link I put in my post previous explains why.

 

[Alec]

This is worth watching - explains things very well I feel and is truthful - while obviously being a bit salesey

Made it half way. Brilliant stuff. Two award winning cables, and neither does anything other than supply power to your kit.

Extraordinary.

OP, I'd just buy some more music, and think about why a dealer might use an expensive power cable. But that's only what I would do.

 

[unsleepable]

I replaced the thing where I plug my audio equipment—how is it called in English? Not "stecker", right?—, and also the one of the computer, and did not notice any improvement. It does look better, though, which for me was enough for the money.

I think this is more of a "health" issue, in the sense that once the necessary requirements are met, there won't be any sound improvement by putting more money in it.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi Infiniteloop

We use standard/basic interconnects, speaker cables and mains cables for our demos. I don't recall any client not wanting to proceed with or stop a demo because of the standard/basic cables being used.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Al ears]

So I guess what rick@musicraft is saying is that if they thought that adding expensive power cables would increase the chances of you actually buying the system they were demoing, then they would. Draw you own conclusions.

Audition yourself and see. If you decide they make no difference you can always sell them on.

 

[rikstar]

When you can't see and therefore don't know what component you think you are listening to, any improvements you thought you heard are difficult if not impossible to detect. I've done such tests with interconnects, CDs covered in green ink or fitted with stabilisers (remember those fads in the 1990's?). It's too easy to get wrapped up in thinking there are magical improvements to be had.

I recently needed to get longer speaker cables after changing my listening room layout. Dealers recommended a 5m pair costing well over £200. I checked what spec my cable had to be to match my amp, and got a 5m pair of basic multi-strand cable with banana plugs for £25. The system sounds great. If I got hold of an expensive power cord, I'd have my wife swap it in and out of the system, and if I couldn't notice an obvious difference I'd stick with the old cord and save me some money.

 

[TrevC]

It simply isn't possible for a power cable (or anything else on the mains) to affect the performance of anything.

 

[Sospri]

It simply isn't possible for a power cable (or anything else on the mains) to affect the performance of anything.

Never heard of dirty mains Trev?

 

[DIB]

In the past I have dabbled with more expensive powercords/mains block to try for myself.

After a couple of weeks I had drawn my own conclusion, and returned them for a full refund.

.

 

[TrevC]

It simply isn't possible for a power cable (or anything else on the mains) to affect the performance of anything.

Never heard of dirty mains Trev?

Ever been had?

 

[Infiniteloop]

Hi Rick,

I work in Derby.

Maybe I should call in for a chat sometime...