If you need help with your system then send me a mail to: realhifihelp@gmail.com If you want free help, then look at my videos and comments. There are several 1000’s of hours of my work for free for the entire community. (440 videos) (just know that these videos are only a fraction of what I know)
No I have not. I just settled with the isol 8 mini sub axis box, so I don't have to use a couple of million dollars in research trying to beat it. Get that if you want the best.
Super video. One problem for me is Oyaide don’t make UK mains plugs (as far as I can tell). Which other brand could I use instead? I’m using a YBA A100, which is solid state, so will this cable be any good for me? because it seems tuned for valves.
Try and use audio note isis cable with UK wattgate 330 silver plugs if that is possible. If not possible, then just get this cable and put it on the best UK plug you can find.
@@RealHIFIHelp sadly Wattgate also doesn’t make UK plugs, but Furutech does. Do I need to match the other end with Furutech or is it okay to mix it with your Oyaide recommendation?
@@GodfreyMann I recommend 100% Furutech or Oyaide or Wattgate on both ends. I have tried mixing plugs, and it's very interesting for a short while. But after a while it becomes a distraction sound wise.
Hello, thanks for yet another cool video. What is your opinion on YBA Diamond power cables? I've heard them used on some nice equipment and preferred them to some other high-priced cables that were swapped in for comparison. The gear was YBA Signature.
Hi I just purchased a pair of mcintosh mc901 and wanted to get a couple of very good power cable for them 80% of my cables are audioquest but I don't want to spend that much money. I talked to bunch of engineers and I regret for i already spent. If you can recommend anything I us market greatly appreciated
Just follow this recent video here: The (plan) for building a higher level Hi-Fi power cable That sound is perfect for Mcintosh. And on a good amp like this you can even get away with the better Oyaide 004 plugs, if you want a bit more detail. I do though recommend 037 plugs to be a bit more safe. Also consider using the audio note vx silver interconnect cable with this amp, it should bring out the best of these amps. Congrats with your purchase.
I'm building a power cable for my home theater subwoofer which I just put together. What is my best route to take? I have monosaudio hi end connectors. Should I use 8awg pure copper for power and the same for ground and leave the third spot empty? The amplifier (bash 500) came with a power cable that is stamped 18awg. Thanks for any input you can offer.
Thickness of wire I don't know anything about. I would just use a double pull on minus, that helps a lot. And I suggest using a power cable as Audio Note ISIS as a minimum and Oyaide 037 or wattgate 350 silver plugs as a minimum. But yeah on a sub, I don't know how big a difference it does. You can also just buy a ready assembled okay starter power cable like Viborg 1501 with Viborg one plugs. But it is only half as good as the one I mentioned above.
@@RealHIFIHelp thanks for response really helps a lot. My main goal with building this was not particularly for Fidelity purposes but rather to supply the amp with appropriate size power wire as I'm sure 18awg is insufficient for 500 watts rms. Thanks again it means a lot!
Ok, I'm ready to do it. Wattgate Silver plugs with Oyaide Black Mamba or Audionote (as recommended) cable connected into Wattgate Rhodium outlet (vs. Gold). New power cable directly connected from solid state power amp to rhodium plug. What component order after power amp is recommended for upgrading power cable next? (Preamp, Dac, and then Cd player is my guess...?) By far the best audiophile youtube channel -no one comes close.
Live is plus (red color) Neutral is minus. Double wire on the minus pole is a trick that gives the cable better sound properties than it really is. Then you cannot hear so much of the bad stuff. It really helped cement my sound, more than a really good earth connection to my system. Gives a lot more power/control.
Struggeling with the cables today.. It is virtually impossible to get all the tiny strains completely inside the terminals... I placed black and brown on "N" then red on ground and blue on "L".
The sommercable quadra Blue is a biwire speaker cable... How can I use this to make powercables? Do I then put two of the cables into earth and the two other in positive/negative or something?
2 into minus, 1 into plus and 1 into earth. (most natural/stabile sound) It's damn difficult because of the tightness. So you might have to cut a bit of the outside blue plastic of the cable to get it inside the plugs. (but I did succeed doing it) Watch out that the small tiny threads all stay in the right poles, so you don't get an accident. (they sometimes want to leave the pole because the threads are so thin) And test it on something irrelevant, before you put it on HIFI gear, so you don't damage anything.
@@RealHIFIHelp thank you for the tip! I will consider it.. Not sure if the ISIS is worth it with my level of gear. That's why I am considering the quadra blue now with c079 plugs 😎👍
Where I live I cannot easily audition the Isis mains cable. I do have quite some experience with Furutech cables such as: 314AG S022N, S032N and the TCS21. In which areas do you think the Isis is better or how would you compare them? Overall, I think Furutech has a nice warm midrange, powerful low end and sweet treble with enough detail. Sometimes slow sounding and less pronounced bass
All Furutech cables have a very similar Furutech like basis sound, same goes with many other cable brands. Meaning that the more that you pay, the better the structure gets, and a tiny bit more natural it gets. I find Furutech fine when you have budget gear and it is painful to listen to, and you cannot afford the really good stuff. The Furutech functions as a sort of band aid, like a cheaper Cardas solution. But one thing that is extremely obvious with Furutech, is that it is a very low grade warmth that is not the real thing. It is very fussy, and a type of added warmth a lot like some of the lower VDH cables. Plus it at the same time, has a huge priority with HIFI effects. I don't like Furutech, now that I have some really good gear. Now instruments sound very fake and synthesizer like if I just put 1 single plug or cable on. The cables from Furutech, just solve basic sound problems that belongs in that price category. Meaning that it boosts the sound so it is a lower grade warmth and creates the illusion of depth, and it hides a lot of the natural reaction, while just making instruments sound unnatural. Plus they suppress the flow of music with the insulation methods they use, so they also just sound very weird and manipulated in sound. They are good to try in the start of a HIFI journey. But once you get some mid class gear, I would stay away from them, since the just are very fake and incensere. Audio Note Isis is much better on every level, mostly because it is a honest reaction and real sound. Only question, is that: is your gear good enough to use it? Hificollective.co.uk there you can order it. ISIS cable with wattgate silver plugs or oyaide 037 or 079 is recommended. But yeah that is Furutech in a nutshell with their cable and plugs, it is a very sofisticated type of HIFI brand, that does some few things extremely well with their top models. But at the expense of it being real/honest. It is a forgiving brand, usually meant for the harsh lower class sounding transistor gear. What gear do you have? There is painfully bright gear like: classe and audio flight and some smaller mcintosh amps, there it is a good match.
@@RealHIFIHelp I recognize exactly what you say about Furutech. The question is indeed which cable fits my set. My current setup is the following: Parasound Halo integrated 3.5k, Auralic Vega G1 dac/streamer 3.8k, Gigawatt PF2 MK2 (not the new EVO) powerbar and the typical Cisco 2960 network switch that also offers some minor benefits for sound quality. The Parasound is fairly neutral, the dac and powerbar are a bit on the typical hi-fi side. You would say that Furutech would be the medicine, from experience this also sounds quite nice. But I'm tired of that slow sound! Would I be disappointed with two Isis main cables for my amp and dac/streamer? That it increases those hi-fi effects even more because the Isis is more honest? In the future I want to upgrade to an AN Oto Se Signature with AN-E speakers, this could be in half a year but maybe also in 1.5 years. Later on I want to buy a AN Dac. The cable choice should not depend on this for now. Really awesome to see you making videos again! Few people on RU-vid give such honest advice. I recognize many things you mention. I am still quite young myself (30) but I really don't like the sound that Hegel or B&W have for example 🤔. Audition Audio Note gear confirmed my feelings about music gear these days.
@@nicktube3904 Wow dude, a lot of questions. And really really good ones. 1. You are totally right about the switch, my friend told my that he got a dramatic improvement in sound going over to Cisco from regular switch, but he also has a crazy good system, so everything he does is like 10x in effect. On my system, I would only get maybe a 2-3x effect, which still is pretty good. 2. I totally get what you are saying with Furutech, is is slow and lower class warmth and too much help. Sommercable quadra blue on power and speakers is a lot more real/free/neutral. But it also requires some decent plugs. And I recommend Oyaide srbn banana plugs for speaker cable at the budget price. And especially on power cable they are a lot different (oyaide). Where Furutech has a tendency of really locking the system hard, so everything else you do on the system is very hardly suppressed. Yes if it is sommercable quadra blue you use, then go with oyaide 079 power plugs, that is an awesome combination sound. But yes Audio Note Isis cable with Oyaide 037 is slightly better and a higher class warmth. In regards to speaker cable, then yes the lx96 lexus audio note cable is really really good about 1 class about the sommercable quadr blue, especially if you have the lower model AN-e LX which has the same cable inside. If you have the AN-E spe/he speaker which is about 2.5x better, then I actually recommend the audio note SPE19 silver cable instead as speaker cable, which is like 3x better in sound. (that is a perfect match) Oyaide makes sure that you do not have that lower class warmth/slower sound that Furutech is known for. 3. Hegel is usually some of the better lower class transistor gear on the market, and 1 or 2 sets of B&W at the very top can sound okay. But yes you are right, they do not enter the realm of giving you all the rare stuff like audio note does from their lower models. 4. Gigawatt pf2 mk2 is a really good start on a proper powerbar, far better than 90% of all regular/HIFI powerbars. In a way I find it a tad bit more free than the big EVO models, but yes the EVO models are a lot more quiet/powerful/strong. But also lock the sound a bit. But yes you are right, it is a bit HIFI and lacking in the really good human qualities like the Isol 8 mini sub axis. (but you can always get that later) 5. I think you can here and know try making those 2 different power cables and use it on your parasound gear, and I think you will find that almost like upgrading to a bigger version amp and DAC of the same brand. It is fun to do and you can get some interesting different qualities moving those cables around. That will give you something to toy with while you wait a long time for OTO, AN DAC and AN-E speaker, which I can't remember if you have. Good power cables like that, make time pass by a lot faster, because it gives a bit more personality/taste, and you can create a lot of different priorites. Oyaide 037 power plugs and Oyaide SRBN sound really really good on generally all audio note gear. Where Oyaide 079 is generally more intended for a higher clas compensational sound than Furutech. I tried 037 plugs on sommercable quadra blue, and it just did not click nearly as well compared to AN ISIS an 037 plugs. Yes the OTO top silver model and Meishu tonemister top model are so good, it is basically the Ongaku sound just for a lot less money, with a different priority in sound. I wish I had both models, the sound is so good, I think a lot of people would rather have them than a fancy sportscar costing 2-3x more. (once they heard it properly set up) I almost crashed my car on the way home, after having listened to the OTO top silver model for the first time. It was like an exorcism. Thanks for the kind words :-)
@@RealHIFIHelp thank you so much. I can buy for 20% off the Isis mains cable in combination with the Wattgate silver plugs. But you recommend the gold (Oyaide) for transistor gear, what I totally understand. Gold gives a nice warmth to the sound and is a bit forgiving. Do you think the silver wattgate plugs with my current gear will give to much revealing and honest sound? In this case I will be better of by making my own mains cable with some gold plugs ?
@@nicktube3904 Oyaide 037 and the particular Wattgate 350 silver something something model, are the very best price/value/ performance for normal/good/top tube sound. (they are maybe the very best in world) They can maybe sound good on transistor gear, but I have not tried it yet. 20% is a pretty good deal, I would buy it to try and later then definetely use it on AN gear. They sound good in their own way, and are a really good fit on this particular audio note ISIS cable, with either 2 meter or 1 meter long run. And even better if you have a double pull on the minus pole, and only a single pull on earth and plus, then they really sound a lot better. Both cables with these plugs sound damn good on this gigawatt powerbar you have. And of course a lot better on the isol 8 box. For some reason the wattgate silver model, can take a lot of time burning in which is the same with the AN ISIS cable, while the Oyaide 037 does not really take burn in time. The oyaide 079 is a really good fit on the particular sommercable quadra blue model. And it sounds really good on most transistor gear, and is good on a lot of tube gear. The sound is more raw/dry/ instruments and voices and structure is slightly different. I am guessing that it will sound really good on your parasound gear. I suggest trying both cables, they are both fascinating in their own way. Also I suggest getting the plugs of an authorised dealer because most of them on ebay or other such sites are clever copies nowadays that sound suspicious.
079 for transistor, 037 for only some transistor and mostly for tubes, and the 350 silver wattgate schuko plugs. And inlet plug I only really recommend oyaide Inlet-r mostly.
I turned it up circa 6 videos ago, just for you, a couple of DB. If I turn it up anymore it will bring too much noise in on the recording from my PC. You have to remember I am a private dude doing this for fun. I am not sponsored and I do not earn money on my channel, all of this is free information so people can save time and money. But I appreciate the feedback, maybe later when I get my other PC back from repair, I can then use that instead.
I very much appreciate you doing this series and it is interesting to hear your views but you are an audio guy right and should know mic techniques and record levels. These Ebay cheapies might be ok, if not the outlay is not high - www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=Lavalier+Microphone&_sacat=0&_sop=15
A cheap Focusrite Scarlett interface plus a Shure SM57 mic should be more then adequate, and much less interference from the ambience compared to say a condenser mic. Add a proper cable on that mic to choose your dynamic quality. I know you know cables haha
Brother, audio level is way too low, YT Stats For Nerds is your guide, -2dB is good, this video is -11.9db. I think I have mentioned this previously, please fix. (Right Click on video > Stats For Nerds)
@@blejzerosamigos6115 That is one of the reasons why it sounds good, it does not really have one. I made a video about shielding. It can sound good/bad depending on what level you do it at.
how is it possible, that audio note is making 10/10 pristine stuff, but their plugs on their cables are not up to the task compared to a cheap oyaide 037 ? i dont understand that logic ...
They use the best plugs for everything. But they don't make power plugs currently. 037 is basically the best on the market. You can get some better ones made than 037 if you know a guy who is really good. My friend did that, but it still cost about the same price per plug. And the journey of finding that one guy who can do the job is maybe 1 out of a million on this planet. So usually you have to maybe waste 10-30k USD just to find that one guy. And then in the end you have a plug you anyway can't use because it is not approved by the authorities, so if your house burns down the insurance does not cover it. That is the crazy state of the Audio world.
Check out my latest video with the PDF files, get that special offer before the 25th of december, then you will have answers to this question and 100.000 more. That also explains how to shape the sound that you want by taking different plugs and lengths of cable. Those PDFs also explains how you save thousands of dollars per year.
Yes that is very little for a cable that can actually play music. You can get a lot cheaper cables than this, but they don't have all aspects of the sound like this one. This one sounds as good as a audioquest 2m long dragonfly cable even though the structure is not as advanced. This cable easily beats MIT, VDH, Cardas, Oyaide tunami plus many other. It is possible to make a better cable for a cheaper price. But doing that experimentation will most likely cost you around 20.000 dollars to find that. (it costed me around 45.000 dollars finding this cable, trying basically everything (buying and borrowing cables) I just saved you time and money. The plug you listed is not good enough, it has to be oyaide or furutech or the particular wattgate. Yes but if you have a good system you only need 50cm. You are free to try anything else. Most cables from ebay that are DIY are really disappointing. They are usually very dull/mouldy/mixed in performance meaning that they have no significance or style or anything appealing. This one I found is one of the few that has style and musicality, especially with the double pull. Most HIFI cables promote detail, but are dead and boring and unnatural. And you almost always find yourself losing interest in the music. This cable and the dragonfly are really unique. Good luck on your search.
It's a frigging power cable! The power cable IS NOT the most important cable, far from it! As long as the cable meets local electric standards, you're good to use it. You won't hear anything different. The first thing that happens to the AC power when it goes into the system is it's rectified to DC... If anything, the filter caps on the DC side are more important than the frigging power cable. If someone tells you they can hear a 'bad power cable', they are speaking out of the wrong end of their fundamental canal! Which, coincidentally is where that $5,000 cable should be shoved! I'm am electronics tech of over 40 years, worked on DOZENS of Hi-fi systems.... This guy is so full of it, it's quite nauseating.
