Power Chords

[Saxman]

Hi All
Just wondering what is your take on the difference to sound power cables make going into amps.
I know this is a very immotive subject with differing views
For my own perspective I have tried very. Expensive power cables against cables costing a couple of hundred euros.
There was a subtle difference mainly in detail. I found the most significant difference and it was small was using silver against copper.
I done quiet a extensive research over the weekend and I would suggest the majority verdict was different power cables make no difference whatsoever to the sound and there is no cable manufacturer tat has been able to. Scientifically demonstrate any difference through electrical measurement.
There was obviously scathing attacks on dealers selling snake oil. No surprise.
Be interested in your views.
Cheers
Alan

[Fran]

Its an interesting question - and one that usually ends up in a massive row on most forums (subtle hint for that not to happen here, not that it would be our style anyway!).

I reckon I've heard differences, although the rational part of my brain says it must be imagined. I really find it hard to rationalise that the last metre of cable can make a difference when you consider all the miles of very ordinary materials up to the plug. Having said that, I've had a few negative experiences over the years with cheaper kettle leads that don't quite make proper contact in sockets and IEC plugs, which I've seen lead to fuses blowing. So I'm all in favour of high quality terminations, and cable of good enough size to make sure it can carry the transient loads an eg amp might pull.

As for the ones that are silly money, they aren't for me.

[Saxman]

Hi Fran
Very good point you made in respect of plugs and sockets
I asked a friend of mine in UK who has his own hifi
Business what power chords does he use on his demonstration kit.
He said kettle leads going into decent 13a sockets such as MK and decent iec plugs.
Supports my thoughts
Cheers
Alan

[Diapason]

I wouldn't be a huge believer, but at the same time I slept easier in my bed when I had decent power cables back in the day. I definitely think clean power with a solid fixed voltage makes a difference, but I guess that's a separate question. These days, if the lead works I'm happy.

Like Fran, the silly money stuff isn't for me, but so much of this hobby is perception and how it interacts with our subconscious enjoyment, I'm not critical of anyone choosing to spend their money that way either.

[Saxman]

Agree fully a lot of this hobby is how you perceive what you hear and if for example one spends thousands on a power cord and is delighted with his purchase that is great

[Georgi]

In my honest opinion, the quality cables do make some difference, but it is all subjective.
To some of my electronics the good quality cables didn't make or I should say, I didn't hear much of a difference, but still make me happy.
Opposite on that, when I put long length, over 1.8m quality cable to my power amp, I can hear the benefits of the cable, can't really explain it, but there is something.

[hudo]

I really find it hard to rationalise that the last metre of cable can make a difference when you consider all the miles of very ordinary materials up to the plug

Its actually the first few meters, looking from the amp/device perspective.
And kinda makes sense to have a good quality cable there, because those first meter or two are usually crumpled behind the rack with a bunch of other cables stacked on top of each other, acting as an antenna and collecting all the interference. Wires in the wall are usually further away from other electrical devices.
The biggest point of good cable is to reject that high freq noise and bring the cleanest possible current to the device - it can't fix the power coming from the wall, but at least it can prevent surrounding noise from going into the amp/dac/... Its actually pretty easy to measure that noise on oscilloscope.

I heard the difference in few other systems, so I decided to build my own power cables (for dac, preamp and amp) based on advice from few friends. The construction is relatively simple, the biggest problem was to find good quality copper wires and then takes few hours to do all the twisting/taping isolation/etc. Did i heard the difference in my system - I will be perfectly honest - i hear a difference almost every evening even when I don't do any changes, so not 100% sure if I heard the cables, or it was just that kind of evening when things sounds better:) But knowing I have good cables now makes me worry little bit less and 90% sure its because of those cables, so mission accomplished there:)
When I heard the difference in those other systems - it was well treated room with good system, and could hear the difference easily - quieter background with a smoother sound but without losing any details. I was just sitting and listening while others were changing cables. In my case, it took few hours before and after.
Also worth noting, the difference i heard was not like when you change speaker cable or interconnect - with those I hear change in the tone, freq extensions, details..., which was not the case with power cables.

Btw, when I purchased Audio Analogue amplifier, I got a decent power cable with twisted wires, looked much better than the usual "printer" cable, and they recommend using a good cable with their amps in the manuals, so find that interesting ...

[Cyndale]

I was always skeptical about power chords/cables until I read a review in Hi-Fi World about a company in Northern Ireland called Titan Audio.

Something just peaked my interest in the review, so I took a chance and bought Titan Audio's Helios mains cable and Styx mains block. I had most of my system plugged into a 4-socket extension lead and the remaining plugged directly into a wall socket. With the new 6-socket Titan Audio block I was able to plug all my equipment into it.

No, I am not going to rave about how much it improved my system regarding... bass, midrange, treble, separation, imaging. What I did notice immediately that my system sounded quieter, I actually thought initially I hadn't turned the volume up. I found I was able to turn the volume up without the sound getting louder, the only way I can explain it is that the sound got bigger.

The noise floor is not something you hear until it is lowered. I found that the power cords worked without changing the system tonality while reducing background grain.

Normally I always comparisons between something new and old to see if I could hear susceptible differences. In this instance I just plugged it in and was pleasantly surprised by what I heard. So much so that I didn't bother listening to my system without the Titan Audio stuff.

Please don't bombard me with technical questions because I won't be able to explain.

[Saxman]

Totally understand the power cables and power block obviously made a difference and the important thing is iif you can hear it ffor the better that's a result

[Rocker]

My thoughts on the cable issue.

No cable can possibly improve the quality of the electric current (signal) that passes through it but every cable will, in my opinion, have a negative impact on that same electric current. By adding or subtracting something, both have the same effect - the output is different to the input. The better the cable the less additions or subtractions.

Electricity is energy. Energy that in my opinion is not fully understood yet even if we put men on the moon over fifty years ago. Some time ago I fitted standard spikes on my self built wooden distribution board. As another poster here wrote, it seems that the noise floor reduced as a result of fitting the spikes. The sound seems to be less compressed as a result, somewhat more natural and easier to listen to. Simply better for want of a single word to describe the effect.

Of course I cannot 'prove' any of this but I know in my heart that it is so. In my system I think that the mains cables have the greatest effect, followed by digital cables. I found that the least change is from the speaker cables. YMMV as they say on the internet.