Hi everybody, lots of opinions here, as it should be. I don’t blame anybody for being skeptical about power cords. That’s fine. Apparently lots of people who have actually bought power cords seem to think they work. I understand the logic of course about what’s behind the wall receptacle, got it. But you can’t beat direct experience. As pointed out in the video no one needs to upgrade cables for great sound. As always thanks for watching.
I think the non believers may not have the same interest in getting every last bit of performance out of their systems or they just don;t think they will hear a difference because they don't know what to listen for.
People who have bought and paid hundreds or thousands of dollars for a product should not be the test for whether or not something works. They are literally invested in believing that it works, they’ve sunk large amounts of money into it, it would be very difficult for them to step back and look at it critically. There’s no doubt that cables can have an effect on sound and act as a tone control... but to do that they need to have been made specifically to restrict or distort the flow of electricity. High resistance or capacitance, thin flat wires stacked on top of eachother, things like that. Then there’s the word that no audio reviewer wants to utter ‘Placebo’, it’s a real thing and no human in immune to it. Even changing the colour of a food or wine will make the taste different to a person, because of our expectations and biases. Nothing has actually changed about the food, wine or music except in the way we think about it. So yeah, in some ways adding expensive cables to an audio system does change the way we hear the music... it’s a placebo, but that does truly change our perception, despite there being nothing really there. When you start praising expensive products that work on placebo or through distortion, don’t be surprised when people also take a second look at the things you say about normal products like speakers, and wondering whether or not your opinions are based largely on suggestion. I love your videos btw and love listening to your enthusiasm and opinions.
Come on Guys, We are going to be an interplanetary species in few years and we can land and take off the same rockets but can't measure the physical properties of a piece of cable? , send it to the audio science review. And that will be it.
Confessions: 1) I love Steve, respecting his opinions has made my audio life better 2) I consider myself an audiophile 3) I'm a recovering electrical engineer Your wall outlet is connected to the electrical grid: nuke plants, hydro dams, coal powered generators, bird-blenders, some eco-nuts solar panels, miles and miles of wires and cables of every size, transformers, fuses and everything you and your neighbors connect to it: computers, stereos, refrigerators, motors, CFLs . . . and so on. What you need from all of this is 60Hz SIne-wave at about 120 Volts(here in North America). You get that plus maybe some noise. Now you want to replace only 2 meters of all of that with a $450/meter cable made from unobtainium ? It's just two wires. What does it do ? It can't add anything. It can only subtract or distort. ! Blastphemy: If it made a difference it would be measurable at the output of the power supply. 120V/60Hz in -> 50V/DC out. Simple, no complex waveforms, no phase relationships just DC. Still, good people hear a difference. I believe that means the difference is in our brains and not the electrons. Ask a philosopher ? Which brings us back to the Audiophiliac.
You're approaching this problem all wrong with fancy power cables. Instead do what I did. I approached my electricity supplier and was amazed to find out they can supply a special audio quality AC power direct to the socket. They do 2 types, a hifi quality power and a master quality power. I went with the full 240volt master audio AC and the great thing it only costs an extra £100 per month. It was amazing. This new audio power supply has transformed my audio system, with more sound space and more focused base and a clarity in treble and vocals I've never heard before just Wow.
How many times has this question been asked...and how many times have discussions been happening about it. A VERY easy way for a RU-vidr to get a full comments section! This is so so transparent why „the audiophiliac“ brings back this age old topic ...yaaaawn 🥱
For me I absolutely love the subject about Power mains cables, interconnects, mains surge conditioning ect that makes being an Audiophile even more fun and interesting. I feel and regard mains cables, interconnects as a "component" and should be treated and regarded with the same leval of focus and respect as anything else in your system. I live in London, UK and have power cables from a company/manufacturer called Merlin Cables. I have Merlin Scorpion for both my Marantz SACD SA-15S1 Player & Denon AV-4803. I also use Merlin figure-8 cable for my LG 2019 55SM8600 TV. I also use a Isotek Sirus Evo-3 Mains Surge power conditioner as well. Iv used merlin cables for years and they are regarded as one of the very best in the UK. What you have described Steve with regards of the Wireworld cables is pretty much what I get with the Merlin cables. I have in fact a little while ago switched back to stock cable as an experiment and kept to the stock cables for 1 week to get my ears used to the change in sound then after 7 days I changed back to the Merlin Cables and it very much and impressive stark different realy is. I'm never going back. That's absolutely nothing to do with so called "snake oil" that folks bang on about. Its about me and me only acutally taking the time out and making my own mind up with my own ears and no one else no reviewers no one!. And giving it a try for 1 week then make your comments. So to all these folks out their stating its all bullshit and crap it's plasibo and all that.. I wonder just how many acutally truly tried some cable out. It is very much subjective obviously. Each to thier own at the end of the day. Peace out from London UK 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧✌️
Hi there I also live in London UK, I’ve just recently bought a set of speaker cables and was surprisingly impressed with the quality improvement of the bass etc, and as my budget increases I will start changing other cables like interconnects.
I think cables are very system dependent, I have tried different cables on my friend's $80,000 system that made little to no difference, but the same cables on another friend entry level system made a huge difference, so don't just assume because your system is an entry level one that you're not going to hear much of a difference between cables.
Interesting that the normal cable which runs miles from power plant to wall doesn't make a difference, but a 2meter cable from wall to amp improves the sound!
I hear this argument a lot but it actually makes little sense. It is entirely reasonable that something interposed in a small section of a flow of anything, be it water or electrons, can have a downstream effect. Nothing counterintuitive at all about that. Having said that I don't buy into the argument that expensive power cables make a significant difference.
There you go, you learned something today. Surprised you've never noticed that, maybe once when you visited a Hospital, or a facility with a huge amount of computer networking.
I don't see how it's possible that after a breaker box, followed by many many feet of romex and then a nothing special outlet that the last foot of 200 dollar cable can do anything.
@@djgibby1301 If it's audible it's measurable. Otherwise this is snake oil BS. Show me measurements. This is all such bullshit. Just like @jvanb231 said. The last foot is suddenly all that matters? LOL!
Steve is just spouting nonsense. So in effect, if you could get a feed directly from the generating station, at the required voltage of course, then you would have achieved maximum audio quality. :)
@@djgibby1301 Yes, but in the case of a water filter I know what it’s doing, and the mechanisms involved with that process. The before and after is also measurable in the form of removed solids and chlorine/chloramine content.
@@baredesigns1 A simple solution is to use a power conditioner. There is a huge capacitor that works like an AC battery, so any problems in the powerline are eliminated. I watched about half of his video and stopped because I didn't think he was going to get into the technical of how those cables are working. Based on what I saw, it doesn't look like there is anything special going on with those expensive cables that would matter.
As an electrical engineer I was very sceptic before and I still can't figure out why this is, but the changes power cables make are huge. On my all-in-one system from Linn (they proclaim to use their standard cables) I actually use a braided(!) 3x6 sqmm 7N ofc copper cable that was relatively cheap on ebay (70€), but it outperformed my Supra LoRad 2.5, that already was way better than a standard cable. It sounds as if you'd add some horsepower at still low speed. Everything performs with much greater ease. I don't know and I don't care why. It just does! Thanks for your great work, Steve!
Now go be a proper engineer and do blind tests. You also need to leave the strict realm of engineering and regard psychology. Your brain is the most unreliable factor in the whole audio chain.
Thanks Steve! Love your delicate and unobtrusive way of speaking about the cables. Long ago I experimented with interconnects, not because I really expected to hear improvement, but to check why people talk about it and if it’s legit. Even with modest equipment the difference was quite obvious, so I changed couple of cables up to ~$150 for used pair. Then bought decent speaker cables. I was totally septic about power cables up until half a year ago. I already had hand made Belden on DAC and Cullen on integrated for another half a year, but after switching for a first time with warm sounding speakers, I thought that difference was negligible. But just out of interest I switched cables to stock (with more resolving speakers) and was surprised how much influence they had on the sound. And in my case, I heard more difference on a DAC. I guess, it may be equipment dependent. Edit: right as Steve said, the difference is pretty small, but was well worth it for me to spend couple hundred bucks.
Steve, please do a live blind test with these cables. It will be your most-watched RU-vid video. It will also be a great service to your subscribers. If you can guess the Electra 7 ten out of ten times many people will likely want to buy them. That should be easy given what you said in your review. That's good for your street cred, Wire World, and all of us subscribers.
Agree. I was at a local high end home audio shop out of the owners home. He hooked up some new paradigms and I couldn’t believe the soundstage. Just couldn’t wrap my head around it. What did I do? I unplugged the speakers mid song without asking. Guess what?! There were some 20k Martin Logans playing as well off to the side. He was shocked that I did this. The paradigms were hooked up with 5k wires..I couldn’t tell a dif between them and some “cheap” $100 wires. And I ended up buying some $10m wire and my system rocks. When people use feelings and excitement to find differences tend to hear differences.
You know this will never happen, and everyone already knows what the outcome would be. In all of history no-one has proved cables sound different in a double blind test, ever! Let alone power cables. I enjoy Steve’s videos, but at time his powers of placebo are really strong..
@@Earlysport yet many still public ally claim it. If you are a man of your word do a test. Until then anyone that makes this silly claim looses my respect until they’ll put their money where there mouths are. This is almost as bad as a religious claim. Well it’s worse cause it can be proven wrong. Most Religious claims can’t be cause they’re impossible
Audiophilia = self hypnosis. I prefer to spend the least on cables and then suggest to myself that they sound the best. And I'm right every single time. :)
cables in the audio path do make a difference but as long as the wire is copper and shielded thats all that matters. They sell them on Monoprice for $5. Spending $200 for cables is just stupid
The Cardas Clear USB cable sounds even better than the already great freebie cable from my Eversolo DMP-A6. The Cardas Parsec RCA cable sounds even better than my already great WorldsBestCable (using Mogami 2549 and Neutrik connector). The iFi SilentPower Supanova (with noise cancelling) improved the sound quality objectively when it made the speaker buzz go away! The Micca speaker wires improved my sound quality. streaming source=Apple Music lossless.
I was involved with a prestigious group of Audiophiles in the Boston area in the early 90's. The exact name of the group will remain unnamed as that causes great stress. Anyway, power cable performance is a perfect target for a blind ABX test comparison. The hardware is quite easy to construct. Heavy copper knife switches work nicely. 20 Golden Ears and a selection of Standard NEMA 5-6 or NEMA 5-8 power cables and some expensive replacements. And an empty Saturday afternoon and snacks. The group was NOT able to discern any difference one cable to another. It's very important that this be done as a blind test as its been repeatedly been proven that comparing the way Steve did in this video will always tread towards the device(s) you want to win. ABX testing is really the only way to properly compare these kinds of things. And ABX testing is hated by most, if not all, reviewers as it really does work. You are not looking for which one sounds better, you are looking to see if you can hear any differences between the devices under test. Note to the group. Usage of a unCertified electrical devices is at the least risky and at the worst dangerous. Look for that UL/CSA/CE label before purchasing. Do the cables that Steve mentioned in this video display their UL/CSA/CE certification numbers? Usage of such devices in some locations, like New York City and Los Angeles, is illegal. The fact that you are a small company does NOT absolve you from obtaining the necessary safety certifications.
How is this not common knowledge by now? It is just incredible to me that people are unaware of the psychological effects that impact our hearing. Just try it, the salesman says, knowing full well that many will be fooled into hearing differences that are not real but are convincing nonetheless. This industry is ripe for scammers and they do not let up.
@@gregworrel2623 Some serious work has been done in this area over the years. My school, MIT, the Media Lab, has done some serious work in the psychology of sound. Why people hear what they want to hear. I remember two studies one where people tend to prefer the sound they want to prefer. The other was, and this one was fun, why people tended to prefer the sound of tube electronics.
@@wilcalint I am in the Detroit area and it was a local audio group, the SMWTMS who developed ABX testing in the 1980s. They had differing opinions on audible effects and wanted some way to confirm differences.
Thank you my man. 1m of expensive soldered copper will make chaff all difference to the electrons entering the amp and thus, the sound. Didn't realise it had been proven in a blind study. Great little nugget of information. What's needed now is a large scale test that keeps all cables identical but tells subjects that one is low cost, one is entry level audiophile cable and one is super expensive silver impregnated cable and observe the placebo in people's heads / ears.
I am always baffled how people who call themselves scientists and explain scientific approaches always call their own results as the only truth. Thinking only black and white is imho the exact opposite of a scientific approach on things.
Maybe some people here need to look at the audio science review youtube channel and forum... Placebo effect can do a lot of things, don't trust those who sell you expensive things without any measurements data or AB blind trials You only trust your golden ears ? Do a blind test with a friend swapping cables for you so you don't know which one is plugged in. If you can tell the right cable 8 times out of 10, well you'll need to publish your results because you've made a major science discovery !
Yeah. As I always say, how does a 6' long $1000 dollar cable make the 30-50 feet of 12 AWG romex in your wall sound better? It doesn't. Odd how people just assume the outlet and everything behind it is perfect. Of course, even using a roll of lamp cord to hook up $200,000 speakers will produce no discernable effect.
Mysock, I've seen exact test with 16GA lamp cord from Lowes, 20GA (less than 6') zip cord, coat hangers, and a $3,500 interconnect. 1kW monoblock amps, $40k speakers. Blind, the highest like factor was actually the coat hangers. None were statistically significant.
@@andrewb4584 Coat hangers lol! Did you have audiophile participants? Be interesting to see their reaction. "Oh, for interconnects, you chose the coat hangers I got with my dry cleaning yesterday..." A new use to add for them in addition to brazing and fuse replacement.
Like many people, when I got my first decent system in the late’70s I just used the cables that came in the box. It was many years later before I tried anything more expensive. The first time I really heard a big difference was when I had an Ayre ax7e amp and cx7e cdp. For some reason those two components responded very strongly to changing the power cable. Those two pieces are now gone but I still use good cables throughout the system.
As an audiophile for around 50 years, I've used upgraded AC Power Cables when possible for two main reasons. 1. In the case of power amplification, you want to use a cable that insures maximum power delivery without restriction / resistive limitations. 2. In addition it's important to select cables that will provide strong protection & shielding against external airborne pollution from stray RF and EMI entering your system. You don't have to go crazy however for reasonable amounts of $ you can make a significant and noticible improvement to the sound & performance of your system vs. the basic cables routinely supplied with components. As an example - All the wire entering your home and throughout your home to the AC receptacle is typically solid Copper. Cheap cables supplied with components is almost always stranded and more susceptible to picking up noise just like an antenna since the shielding is almost non-existant. As you might expect, I also strongly support interconnect and speaker cable upgrades throughout, staying with the same manufacturer to support a similar sonic signature. In my case, I like modestly priced Kimber products. For interconnects and speaker cables, it's all about preserving the integrity of the signal being transmitted through the cable from the source component to the pre-amp or amp. In other words, "doing no harm." Also protection against stray airborne RF and EMI is very important to prevent noise from impacting the signal as well.
You should be aware that 99.9% of noise comes from wall power outlets/local energy system/all the electricity users around you. All that RF noise exist only as a theory if you live near radio transmitting antennas, radars, and so on sources that can influence power lines by several millivolts. Here power conditioners can have real effect on that noise in power line. But audio components usually have power filters inside, so they are not sensitive much to power conditioner filtering. Power cables with gauge like AWG 14, AWG 12 may cure some unwanted ground loops noise.
It's not snake oil folks. I just switched to Linn power cable and Bada Audio power conditioner and the lousy RU-vid videos image clarity and colours had marked improvement.
Yes! When I upgraded the power cable on my tube pre-amp. It was a significant improvement all round particularly in imaging and noise. But, there are those who say it's all in your head. OK fine; if I'm fooling myself - it was worth the effort. Thanks Steve - great video.
I bought a audioquest Thunder powercord. It took a few days to understand the new sound. The music became much easier for the ears and open up. But it reveals also where the weak spot is in your system
It is astonishing that you pay $16 K plus for a Pass Labs amp and you are fitting $240 power cable and it sounds better. Surely if pass labs are ripping you to that sort of money he must of designed a top notch power cable to make his amp sound the best? Sorry doesn’t make sense to me.
I like Steve a lot, but I would bet cash that these improvements would fade away during a blind AB test. Hell, I don't even think he would be able to tell between power amps.
@@PDCRed I would recommend to look up "Audio Myths Workshop" conference by Ethan Winer on RU-vid. It covers the psychology of listening to gear pretty well I think.
@@PDCRed simple, multiple blind listening test. If you pick out the pricy power cable every time you can tell it makes a difference. Not convinced one bit myself but everyone is welcome to there beliefs. DIY my power cords, did it make a difference, of course not, just a nice set of quality cables and nothing wrong in that either.
I would bet whatever cash you would and double it, that Steve and many others could pass ABX tests. The only people I know who deny cable differences, or source differences, or amplifier differences, or speaker differences, are those who did not do well on their SAT scores. Of course, true ABX test is not as easy as a couple guys in a dark room for a couple hours. A real one, which accounts for the multifactorial experience of listening as a human being, is a major undertaking that could take days... Actually, weeks or months of leaving and returning to the testing condition. In the meantime, look all over the Internet, the professional press, or go and listen at a dealer's shop if you have one in the area. The overwhelming testimony from empirical observation is that cables make a difference - a positive one at that. The people who deny are those who preclude possibility based on simplified models developed in the 1800s through mid-1900s. These are the ones who are anti-science, denying empirical observation on the basis of a previous conclusion. Science is taking the world and explaining what has been observed; scientists are people who take a thing and want to know why rather than say that thing cannot exist. The orthodox church is the one that reinforces old conclusions and blocks the process to learn more.
Very well put. I started with just the one Wireworld Aurora and now own 8 with a mix of Aurora and Electra. Only recently and good friend came around and asked if I had added a sub to the system after the upgrade. He could not believe it was the same system. Great investment well worth it.
I’ve finally reached the zenith of my optimization with tweaks and components. I will stand by pure silver has helped me reach my goal of my system’s perfection. Let me add, Furutech NCF terminals rule.
Is there a properly conducted blind test on any Hi-Fi component? And do other people’s impressions really outweigh my own? Am asking because there is a blind study in which people were played uncompressed wav and mp3 files (
There are plenty of resources of blind cable test out there. As for documented, are you looking for scholarly type research project type documentation? If so you, you might be hard pressed to find. There is the saying "If it's meant to be , it's up to me". You might have to document your own test. But hey, then you can set the record straight for both camps and can even look at getting it published in some hi-fi press.
@@Askew82 There are plenty? Name eight. The only cable blind tests I know of resulted in folks failing to distinguish between cables or hearing all sorts of differences when in reality they were listening to the very same cable every time.
@Yama Fanboy - I do make DIY power cables but it is difficult to make them if your budget is only $10. The plugs at both ends generally will cost a little bit over $10. I live in the UK and I can make a one metre shielded power cable for under £30. It is difficult to make a one metre shielded cable for less than £20.
@Yama Fanboy What if it's not about keeping the power traveling within pristine, but keeping stray electric fields caused by said power from influencing delicate signals adjacent to the power or speaker cables? Still, shouldn't be a fortune, but the cable has to be well designed.
I hate to add another variable, but I recently added a surge protector/power filter before the stock amp power cable and noticed an improvement like Steve had mentioned.
I have a communications background, including audio/video over ethernet, and power over ethernet. The cables have been studied and found to make a difference in picture and sound quality, especially with cheap counterfeit cables that can be bought easily on the internet. Temperature is also a factor in a cable's ability to perform. Seems reasonable to think that in your application the power cables could also make a difference. Thanks for sharing!!
@@andru2625 Here’s a comment for your entertainment. I did an experiment with all my cables. I put all of them inside my freezer for 48 hours. After the freezing process was over, I proceeded to put them in my Traeger Ironwood 885 pellet smoker. For this experiment I chose a combination of Hickory and Mesquite pellets. I decided to do a low and slow smoke at 165 degrees using my super smoke setting. After approximately 10 hours, the smell was making me hungry. So much that instead of connecting my cables to my AV gear, I ATE them! (the cables included the power cords, RCA cables, HDMI cables and speaker wire). I told myself to keep an “OPEN” mind as to what the potential results would be. What would my farts and burps sound like? Would eating the power cords make me dispense my 💩 faster? Would eating the HDMI cable make me see better? Would the speaker wire and power cords alter the sound of my voice? The results were astonishing! My farts and burps had more reverb and sustain. The midrange was warm and buttery! I timed how long it took for my poop to drop. It was instantly! It dropped with so much force that it shattered the toilet. What about my voice? It was like a lion! When a sang, I swear I had 4 octaves like Roy Orbison! My wife said my voice had never been sexier! Let’s move on to the HDMI cable. No more carrots for me! I could see all the way to Jupiter without the use of a telescope! Wow, what do you know! Cables do make a difference! This comment is for satirical, highly sarcastic purposes! It’s not about being close minded or opened minded. It’s about how gullible one is. These high end manufacturers are concerned about one thing: How open is your wallet? They will use terminology, be smooth talking and use so called scientific proof and experimentation in order to sell their product, therefore creating a psychological effect on your brain to justify the cost. When it comes to sales, it’s 20% truth and 80% BS you feed the consumer!
@@glennarcher986 LOL! Thanks for that, that made my day. I'm not a person that thinks any crappy substandard cable cable will sound as good as a premium cable, but the claims made for sone of these cable are ridiculous. The law of diminishing returns is in effect here for sure. Gene DelaSala at "Audiohaulics" is a degreed electrical engineer with the proper (expensive) test equipment, and also someone with a finely trained ear. I would refer anyone truly interested in this subject to check out his channel.
@@fubartotale3389 Glad you had a good laugh and the time to read it! I agree. Audioholics is a good source of reliable and trustworthy knowledge and advice.
A few years ago I acquired a pair of Audio Art power cables (AAC power1 e Cryo AC Cable with Rhodium 15A) from a CAM member at a BARGOON price. Never believed that power cables can make a difference. Hooked one to a Cambridge CXN and the other to a Benchmark DAC 1. I'm going to make this short. I played music all night with those cables and when I went to bed (very late) all I could say was I DON'T BELIEVE IT! It was the sound improvement I needed. What an improvement! Now both Audio Art cables are hooked up to Cambridge CXN and CXC and I added a JPS Digital AC-X to the DAC 1. I find that when it comes to digital, clean current from the wall to the speaker is the way to go.
Steve, did you perform a blind A/B/C/D test? Where you weren’t aware which cable was being used? How often where you able to identify the cables? Oh, and by the way, can you share the objective measurements? There’s lot of snake oil in audio cable business, so you’ll understand my level of skepticism.
Wow! 960 comments in 16 hours... OK here it is... I've had Wireworld Aurora 7 power conditioning cables, (silver plated OFC), in my modest system, (Streamer, Topping D90 DAC into two IOTAVX PA3 Mono Amplifiers to Triangle Borea BR02 speakers), for several months, and I've been enjoying much better sound quality with them. Last month I purchased three Electra 7 power conditioning cords, the next step up in the line, (occ 99.99999% pure copper), which I installed on my power conditioner that feeds my system, and then my Amplifiers, (Amplifiers are bypassed from filtering). I noticed an immediate improvement in pace rythym and timing, as well as better bass grip and texture, as well as significant improvement in the sense of space between, behind and around instruments and singers in well recorded orchestral works with choral accompaniment like soundtracks from movies and epic games. I let the system settle for a few days and noticed improvement in the naturalness of the presentation which became more wholistic and organic to my jaded 61 year old ears. I then swapped the Electra 7's off the Amps and placed them on the source and DAC with less impressive results. I gave it a day or so then swapped the Electra 7's back to the amplifiers and was immediately relived I had. Steve has this correct in my estimation. Amplifiers do seem to benefit more from better Wireworld power conditioning cables significantly. More so than my streamers and Topping D90 DAC. Although, my entire system did improve nicely with everything connected with Auroras and just one Electra 7 connecting my system's power conditioner to a 20 Amp Hubble commercial grade duplex outlet. As an aside... Wireworld uses the exact same patented geometry and custom blended insulation on all their power conditioning cables. Only the type and purity of the conductors change with price. Additionally, Wireworld promotes their cables to Musicians, Sound engineers and Music Studios, ( non-audiophile normies), and has received numerous positive testimonials from professionals in the music industry. As always, YMMV... Cheers!
I added the cheapest Isotek Evo 3 cable to my amp. It made a big improvement to the scale of the bass end, and tightened up the microdynamics. I can't go back to basic cables now.
Audio Science Review: 1000 dollar battery powered RF noise cancelling Audio Quest cable vs a Hitachi 30 dollar cable. Ends up cheapo cable measures slightly better. Please, if you are an audiophile, spend some time looking into cognitive bias like expectations bias.
@@jaytorr6701 Audio Science Review: Measures the hell out of everything, but never listens to it!! 😆 😆 Oh, yes! I'm gonna spend fifteen hundred dollars on a stereo amplifier so I can sit at home in the evenings and measure it!
Go watch Caelyn Gabriel of Shunyata: Q&A San Francisco audiophile society It 2 hours long this might educate you a little on understanding your concerns.
@@shannonwilliams6623 I listened to some of that, and looked at their website. It quickly became apparent that they make up technical terms (DTCD? you're literally just measuring impedance?) and show pour understanding of the operation of power supplies.
@@srenthorsen8977 correct DTCD (demonstrates the clear current delivery) is made up its not a general technical claim, DTCD is research through shunyata for showing how they measure there cable's for the difference in sound, to be honest with you I didn't have any faith in cable's either I believed its all bs until I was given a shunyata power cable for free with noise reduction, I wouldn't have bought it, but I tried it out just out curiosity and I let it play for a couple weeks then I switched back to my stock power cable and I was quite impressed on the difference so I bought one to add and hooked it up to my dac and it opened the system up even more, I wouldn't care to comment about this kind of stuff but the Quality change put a impression on the way I look a cable's now just saying.
@@DrinkWater713 Because I trust my family and friends on there opinion when they witness A demo. Better your room treatment is and how refined inn extracting and presenting an illustration.. Your equipment will have better results on leaving a positive or negative impression on hearing a difference. It takes more then just cables, cables add that last touch of detail, everything counts in a system, it all depends how far you want to go with it, or is best buy cables good enough.
My local hifi shop gave me the Audioquest z3 to try it out. I used it on my Moon 250i and the improvement was instantly noticible. I didn't have to swap the cables around to hear the difference. Now I am looking into the iFi Audio AC iPurifier. Not really convinced yet.
I became a cable believer 30 years ago, or so, when Monster cables became popular. I had a Kenwood separates system paired with Yamaha NSM 1000s. Switched from standard speaker wire to Monster speaker cables. The big change for me was listening at lower volumes. I could hear a more complete dynamic range with the Monster. Tried it on my friends to make sure it wasn't just me and all agreed. Since then, I do believe good or great quality cables of all the connects, including power, do make a difference and are critical to optimize your system. However, I admit I am not trained enough to appreciate the high end cable impact.
The 1990-2000 era of MONSTER CABLES was huge.. Since my Interlink ref i never have this same gain... now i have BIS and ACTINOTE cables but i love and regret my REF line rca from the BRISSON era...
It all depends upon the quality of your ac power supply. I'm lucky I live in a rural area and have 3 phase power. Played with a variety of Transparent and Audioquest power cables, very very minor audible differences to sound quality. Then had an electrician install some new 13 amp and 16 amp circuits only for my hi-fi room and audio equipment. In particular each Constellation mono block got its own 16 amp circuit (yes special attention was paid to earthing). There was a significant improvement in clarity, focus and transparency of sound. My experience is spend £100.00 and get an electrician to install some dedicated circuits for your equipment BEFORE spending on cables. This removed all "dirty" devices from the same circuit.
@@kevonmanuel the stock cable is adequate/does the job. Better cables use better materials and design. Have a listen and trust your ears. They are system dependant,there's no one size fits all,and we all have different preferences.
Sadly, a lot of it is all about keeping people chasing rainbows (aka audio perfection, which does not exist) and spending money. Upgrades = money. What also saddens me is that some people are just never satisfied and waste tons of money in the process. I know many audiophiles who have come full circle on gear after wasting gobs of $$ and are now sorry. And way too many are into the equipment simply for coolness, status, being different or overcoming boredom vs the music itself. It’s all crazy to me. I buy good once, enjoy it till it can no longer be fixed and really focus on the music. To each their own I guess.
I recently purchased a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 500 floor standing speakers, and shortly after was advised by the retailer of a special offer from the speaker supplier, specifically where different ISOTEK power products were offered depending on the retail price of the products purchased. My purchase provided me with an ISOTEK EVO3 Premier Cable and an EVO3 Gemini 2-way power board, total value $1200 (Aust), the difference they made to my system was definitely noticeable, and in a good way. The cost, to me, was definitely prohibitive, but as it was a special offer I obviously took it up. I was so impressed at the improvement I purchased two more EVO Sequel cables to connect my equipment to the Gemini, and again, the additional improvement was noticeable. The sound was clearer, more defined, perhaps a little clinical, but easily remedied with in increase in base tone. Overall I am very happy with the improvement made by the cables. My system comprises of Rotel CD1572 CD player and an RA1570 Amplifier, both using the Sequel Cables. Other source components include a Rega RP3 and a Bluesound Node 2i both of which utilise their OEM cables, but non the less, improved as a result of using the cables on the Amplifier.
So today I heard the difference more than ever, I recent;y upgraded my preamp and I run 300B single ended monoblocks into Autotech Horn speakers, my scourge is either a Lampizator DAC or PTP6 Lenco TT, I got my amp designer to switch out the silver internal wire as it was making the system too bright, I got myself a Chinese mains cable to try with the -re after this change and I have been struggling since Saturday to balance the sound and really gel with it. I thought maybe tube rolling was the way to go but first I thought I’d try switching out the Chinese cable for the standard mains cable. I instantly heard the brightness and edginess vanish and more body came back into the sound, I’ve actually switched it again for a better cable and now I’m happy. What a difference I heard and it really is eye or eye opening as to what the mains cables can do. My system is extremely revealing and doesn’t pit up with sub standard components or cables, this is my experience anyway ;-). Craig typing this on my fiancé’s account 🙂
No component in your system should be a scourge to you, for Heaven's sake! Really hope you will find something more pleasing to you than that DAC or TT.
@Douglas Blake i have messed with room treatment a lot, anyway to get things up to date, I’m truly happy with it right now and in my experience cables for make a significant difference, too much silver and the horns sound thin, more copper and they have more body
Expensive cables really made difference. It looked nicer, so instant bragging rights. When I knew how much I spent on the cable, I listened carefully for any difference. By listening carefully, I can really focus on aspects of music I never heard before. I discovered details of music that were missing with stock cable. Money well spend for the first week! After a while, it sounded just like the old cable because I was not going to listen critically for any details everyday. I just wanted to enjoy the music. I sold the cable and just listen critically if I wanted to discover more details of any new music.
Good day Steve! I’m so thankful you made this video. I’m 55 years old and most of my audiophile life I just didn’t believe power cables could actually sonically effect the source I was listening to. In fact, I thought it was a total waste of money. With that said, when my opinion changed and became a fact, I did exactly what you suggested to do. Replace the stock cable with cable “X” that cost a bit more. Live with it and listen for a few weeks or months even. Then, plug the stock cable back in. There is no doubt, the “X” cable did in fact add a presence that wasn’t there before with the stock cable. What I will not allow, is to be preconditioned on what I’m going to hear! Now that just turns me off immediately. But without anyone trying to precondition me and what I’m going to hear, as I said (and you), live with the upgraded cable for a while and after plugging the stock cable back in, you will notice what you’ve been missing. Nuff said. 😊
I'm wondering how a 2 meter power cable can make an improvement in the sound given that from the circuit breaker box to the outlet there is anywhere between 10 and 100 feet or more of 10 or 12 ga copper Romex. Seems like the power cable should be of the same gauge and material.
I have hear that it is the same as having a water filter right before your water tap, There might 100 feet of rusty pipe, but if right before you drink the water, it goes through a a reverse osmosis filter you can taste a difference :) ( Even though I don't have any high-end power cables)
I think he's saying that when you have a thicker gauge like 10 or 12 gauge electrical wire at the wall outlet to the panel, and then your cable to your equipment from the wall outlet is a lower gauge like 14, you are restricting the amount of amps and current that is going to your equipment. By restricting the equipment via the lower gauge power cable, it's acting like a filter in regards to restricting the amount of amps that can be drawn by the component. In the case of water if you place a filter in line it does it's job, but the water pressure drops a bit because the water has to be pushed through the filter element. In the case of electricity, the voltage will be the same, but current and amps are restricted or not depening on the gauge of the cable going to the equipment.
Completely agree Steve. Similar experience with upgraded AQ cables in my high end digital system. No going back. Too bad some people cannot hear the difference in their system. Cheap upgrade compared to other components. Best return on investment however was room treatment for me. Thanks for another great review.
It's all about Synergy. Someone with a cheap system won't hear any difference whatsoever. Someone with an expensive system that puts out a lot of detailing will notice the difference. Them low-end best buy systems that the majority own, don't display a lot of detailing to notice anything.
You realize the difference between water one way flow and the AC current. You don’t get the electrons from the wall or power plant . They don’t flow. They move there and back.
Hey Steve, I really enjoy your videos. Your passion for music really comes through. My experience with upgraded cables has given me a better understanding of signal/noise. Things seem cleaner, and more transparent to my ears. Along with better dynamics and more easily discernible micro details. It simply distills down to more signal, and less noise. Cheers!
I would be more convinced if you took 2 recordings, analysed and broke them down and checked on a graph.The mind is a wonderfull creature, it can be very mischievous and play games with us.
I think I was about 10 years into my audiophile journey and I hadn’t explored the cable difference thing until my QED 69 speaker cable was looking a little worse for wear and really did need replacing. I was asked by the hifi store employee what system I was running at that time and I explained what it was. He suggested that I would benefit from a Chord Flatline twin cable at which point my scepticism grew. I work in electronics and to me and many others the conductivity of copper is pretty much universal therefore shouldn’t make any difference whatsoever. He offered to loan me the cable for a couple of weeks and said if it doesn’t make any difference then bring it back. To my amazement it really did improve the clarity and punch to my system. I can’t explain why cables make this difference but they do and the better the equipment the more noticeable the effects are.
You made great points. But don't neglect the wiring on the other side of the outlet. I find that vintage Knob and Tube provides a real sense of warmth.
Hello A few years ago I invested quite a large number of good English Pounds in a meter of Atlas Power cable and a 6 way adapter (after a trial period). I tried it on my Naim CDX, sound was a bit crisper but not worth the money. Then I tried it on my 200 series Naim pre+power amp, now that really did make a difference, crisper better defined top end middle seemed to have more space and the bass was better defined and more confident so it has stayed there to this day. It wasn't till I changed back ( just to check it wasn't my imagination ) that I realised what a difference it was making, with the stock cable it lost it's power, sounded compressed sound stage was narrower it really sounded like it was having a problem so back it went. Tried it on a friends integrated, not much difference he said it seemed louder for a given setting and a bit more slam. Then tried it on my Sub woofer, there was more of everything had to put it further out into the room and re-calibrate everything, in a good way. Think I made the right choice there, cause I had tried an even dearer one and it sounded harsh to say the least probably needed a lot better amp than mine to reap the benefits of that one. Have a home demonstration, choose carefully, the dearest is not always the best. ..
5 months ago I added better power cables to my headphone amp and dac, and the sound definitely became deeper and cleaner, while also increasing bass presence and texture, and the highs maintained extension. The overall sound became more organic and I could listen longer and louder with less fatigue. Honestly, the change in sound was about equal to what a good tube roll can do. I am an avid tube roller, by the way. I had my system dialed in for years with the stock power cables, so I knew the sound quite well. The level of engagement went up several levels after the power cable upgrade. I do have some decent gear, so I can hear changes to my system easily. Yes, they make a difference and are highly recommended by me.
I think this is very system dependent but if you've ever experienced a ground loop in your system then you've had the effect that AC cables can have on the sound of a system. My personal experience came when I mixed an ARC LS3 with a Schiit Bifrost. Both tie the circuit common to the chassis ground somewhere. Both use a 3 wire cable, fixed on the LS3 and your choice or stock on the Bifrost. The ground loop comes from the difference in potential between the AC ground connections (they tie together at the plug) and the signal common between the cables. It's this third signal path that picks up all kinds of noise and hum. Break that ground connection and the hum goes away (Schiit recommends the HumX that I believe uses diodes to lift the ground above the noise potential). Swapping AC cords will change the sound of the ground loop. Simple 3 wire cords may just hum, high capacitance shielded cables will buzz. If you try swapping cables the difference is easily measurable and audible. I could take that extra step and see that the interaction between components across the AC cables might be noticeable. For me if I stick with balanced IO and components that isolate signal ground all good quality AC cables sound the same. My 2cents.
Cables in the signal chain for sure, I have silver XLRs between my balanced components (VPI turntable, Tavish Adagio phono stage, preamp, and power amp). But, outside the signal chain, I am not so sure. What about the miles of crap copper running through your home? Your components transformer, rectifier, and filter (their internal power supply) convert the AC to usable DC, the cord from your wall to your components doesn't matter so much. If your system is plugged into a conditioner the cord matters even less. Again it is outside the signal chain and just needs to get power from the wall to the internal power supply of the component.
Hello, As my new naim system is composed of only 2 boxes (an all in one preamp/dac/network streamer + a power amp) I thought that I could try good power cords. I bought 2 Nordost Heimdall 2. I was really impressed. It improved the sound just like you described. The improvement is to my ears more important than what you get with good interconnects or speaker cables. And I do agree with you, it is the power amp that gets the most from these cables. Regards,
I have learnt to avoid A/B testing (esp. rapidly) cables, or indeed components. I put something new into the system, leave it in for a week, then remove it to determine whether I notice a meaningful difference when it’s gone. What I can say from experience is that the better my system has become over the years through various component upgrades, the more noticeable cable changes have become. I have found that prioritising my amp and power conditioner when it comes to power cable upgrades has yielded the best results. I think it has also helped that over the years my ears have become better trained and that I am now clearer about my listening preferences / what sound qualities I value above all else…eg tonal balance, timbral accuracy, transient dynamics, timing…etc. before I understand what these were/was clear about what I valued…I had absolutely no clue about the impact of changes I made to my system….it was a bit like stumbling around in a dark room….and I consequently wasted a great deal of money in the process. What I’ve heard with power cable changes defies all logic and I’m not even an electrical engineer. They do however say that the mind (and I guess by extension the ears) are like a parachute….they only work when they are open😊
"I put something new into the system, leave it in for a week, then remove it to determine whether I notice a meaningful difference when it’s gone." You mean like a CD?
I bought the ROTEL A12 amplifier from Best Buy. I took it home I connected it to my Martin Logans and I let her run all day. I started to tidy up the cables and I thought “this power cable looks puny.” So I went to eBay and for $30 I bought a cable with 10 gauge wire inside. It is over an inch around. It’s gigantic. Anyway,I connected the cable and let the unit play all day. When I switched back to the old cable to see if there is any difference....that is when I finally heard it. It’s hard to put into words but the soundstage and depth were crushed with the smaller cable. It’s all about current flow. Definitely a difference!
Ok, I want to trust you, that more expensive cables, improve the sound. ButI missed your explanation for this. Actually, I found this to be one of the most superficial videos from you and I am a big fan of yours. When I read these comments almost everyone prefers new, expensive cables. I don’t have too much experience regarding this, but I couldn’t see anyone really telling the reason why expensive cables should have a big effect on the sound quality. It seems like: I spent big money on it, so it must be better sounding. Oh: and I’m sure, everyone who has spent big bucks on cables, after watching this video is even more sure that the sound has improved. Thankful for every further info.
It isn't about the cost, it's about how the cables are made, and what materials they're made from. You can get a power cord that should improve the sound of your system for about $12.00 The brand is Hosa, readily available on Amazon or at your local music shop. They make cables for professional musicians. Their cables are well made, using superior materials and craftsmanship. Will the improvement in sound quality be the same? I don't know, because I haven't compared them with the ones in this video. I can tell you some things to look for, and even try yourself if you are interested in a little DIY. First, look for cables made with Oxygen Free Copper, or even better grades of copper, if you want. This can bring the price up, but it doesn't have to be a considerable amount. Those Hosa cables I mentioned use it, and they're twelve bucks. Next, look for cables that have minimalist construction. This is where you're going to run into a brick wall. All the audiophile companies make the big 'hospital grade', garden hose size cables with all the bling fittings and extra shielding and woven plastic jackets. Those are all trash, and you should avoid them. Why? Because of something called "cable dielectrics". Dielectrics, which is basically the insulating coating on the cable (plus the plug ends, which are made of plasticized rubber, AFAIK), makes a big difference in the *clarity* of the sound you hear from your system. The reason all the audiophile cable companies make the oversized bling cables is because they look good in a brochure or on a website, and good looks sells. If you noticed, the cables that Steve showed in the video were all flat. Usually, flat cables use less material in the insulating jacket. Here's where a little DIY can help you: The outer insulating jacket on these cables is not really necessary. If you strip it off, you will see two or more conducting wires inside with their own, individual, insulating jackets. These wires will usually have even thinner jackets on them. Since thinner and less is what we want, it will benefit the sound of the cable further to remove the outer jacket, which is there for looks and tidiness more than anything else. Also look for the plug ends to be made with a minimum of material, for the same reasons. Another brick wall for you. You can think of each of these facets of cable construction as pennies which will add up to clearer, more detailed sound (similar to what Steve described) from your system. Power cables and interconnects make the most difference, but you can apply the same methodology to speaker cables or as a universal "rule of thumb" for audio cables in general. I sincerely hope this may have been of some use to you. : )
@@HareDeLune wow! I really appreciate your informative description. Not sure if I want to do any DIY on power cables but will give better grade copper cables a try. Thanks!
To tell you the truth, not even cable manufacturers 100% know how power cables improves the sound, but they do. We have a Naim power amp (with pmc speakers) and we tried a PS Audio power cable... right out of the box the difference was “small” (if any); after a month plugged in we did a blind test between that and the stock cable. WOW, the difference was not subtle, you could tell the PS audio after a second of listening, much better bass, voices and soundstage.
It needs to be a well made copper cable that has shielding. Anything else is not going to make any difference. You could even make them yourself and it would be ok.
I recently replaced the stock power cable from my McIntosh MA352 amp with the $200 Z3. The difference is immediate. For those dose not believe it, try it yourself. If it doesn’t work for you system, return it.
OK, Steve. You just crossed the line. How does a few feet of "magic cable" connected between the crappy house wiring, outlet and the crappy IEC socket on the gear improve the sound. Not to mention the crappy skinny wire on the inside of the gear connected to that IEC socket. This begs for blind testing.
You are correct Steve, cables make a difference... all the people that say they don’t, either can’t afford to buy said cables or have subpar components to where the cables aren’t going to make a difference anyway... ie $1k worth of cables in a $300 set up.
Could be that some people are just happy with their system the way it is. As long as they're enjoying it, then that's all that matters and as long as they don't start flaming people who want to try new things (like cables) then all is well in the audio world. Peace, Love & Rainbows. ;-)
@@Sparky-Tim two sides to every coin, people are going to schiit on people for what they don’t have and can’t afford. There’s always something better than what you have to someone else no matter what.
I've experimented with these higher quality cable. I've never heard a difference. Specially with AC power cables. Think about it - the AC power is travelling hundreds of feet in your home/apt through regular romex. You think that putting 5 feet of a magic cable at the end of this is going to make a bit of difference? Really? What is real though is confirmation bias.
@@mrpositronia Wrong. I would love this to actually work. It would be such an easy way to improve the sound. Think about it, just swapping out a cable and bingo. But, reality can be a bitch.
Either you have radio shack level gear under 5k, or your room is terrible, either way at least you tried it. Enjoy the music and don't worry about gear ever again
@@divertiti You're right. Even Steve says that. Either you're a believer in exotic cables or you're not. By the way I have a decent system (Anthem STR Power amp and KEF R7 speakers)
Schiit Saga and Freya have a major improvement by replacing the power cable. It literally sounded like I added a subwoofer. They in particular must be using very cheap cables because I have never heard that much improvement on any upgrade of any type in a component. I use a schiit saga, aigir, topping D90, Tekton lore speakers for reference.
@@whatthefnousernames I also recommend the electro-harmonix gold pin tube which around $40. There isn’t a lot of difference in sound between tube and line level unless you replace the JJ tube with a tube with a little more character. The electro-harmonix has been a really good fit for this preamp and not very expensive.
@@silentjens4202 I'll give it a shot, this was my first experience with tubes so I was wondering why the difference was so small between the saga modes.
LOL, after spending completely obscene amounts of money on a freaking power cord I'm sure you can "hear a difference" - I'm certain that last few feet of power cable imparts magic pixie dust into your gear! Wow! I believe you could make a case for better interconnects and speaker cables to a point but this is really crazy....
To be sure, there's no way he bought these cables. He pimped the company plenty, referenced using them for eons, and called them to send him three cables with increasing prices.
@@freiheit6398 With power cables that cost thousands of dollars, none and there isn't likely to be any. Further, I wouldn't even waste any more time thinking about them unless someone could point to a carefully controlled listening test that showed that people could reliably tell the difference between them. I can't see any reason how these cables could change the depth, clarity or whatever squishy term you want to use of music coming from equipment using them. Your subjective experience (or even mine for that matter) doesn't prove anything. But hey, if you have money to burn, go for it. They are unlikely to do any harm except to your bank account.
The adjectives you use here Steve sound big but can you attempt to quantify it? Is it a 0.1% improvement, a 1% improvement, a 10% improvement in your system?
I'm glad I live in the Netherlands. By law, electricity companies are required to install HiFi optimizers at the power plant. No need for special power cords here!
So these cables magically clean the power coming into the building, through the circuit breaker, through the house/condo/apartment wiring, through the outlet, into the magic cable and...IMPROVE MY SOUND? Being a degree engineer with some common sense, I have better things to spend money on. One thing I’ll give them credit for: they work real hard at marketing this stuff....
Hi Bob, I think of the circuit in reverse, the "last meter" that delivers power to the amplifier - the power cable. Then whatever passes through it is affected by this cable. I've verified EMI/noise is reduced through some power conditioners. My power cables are plugged into a Furman Reference 15i conditioner which does reduce EMI/noise significantly - verified by an EMI meter. This to me is a good investment versus only cables to improve sound quality - reduce noise floor, allowing more detail to come through, harshness reduced, etc.
These cable maker are actual genius. Snake oil in 2021 is hard to make. Their fanbase is also dead blind sometimes I fell like I'm the stupid one for not actually starting to sell cable at 3000% mark up.
@@iand8548 My take on this on the cables part is that maybe it’s just a simple case of electromagnetic fields disturbing components (especially from the amplifier(s)) and/or insufficiently shielded interconnects. If this is the case, couldn’t this be remedied by lower cost solutions?
First time I experienced a power cable was back when I was an audio salesperson and an Audioquest dealer. We received some new power cords and I decided to check one out before recommending them to customers. I used the lest expensive cord and replaced the stock cord on a Pioneer Elite Plasma we had on display in the front of the store. When we turned the set on again the crew and I were amazed by the improvement in picture quality. The Elite Plasma tv had great black level and with the new cord this even improved. Colors were more vivid and the picture look more 3D. When we went back to the stock cord the difference was enormous. Still looked good but flat and two dimensional with lack luster color. From then on we used this demo for the cable doubters out there and more often than not we sold them. I have replaced all of the stock cords on my own system as well and found it to be a very inexpensive way of improving the sound.
@@econautx You can't be;eove what? Do you think I made this story up? Everything in my story is 100% true so you can believe or not believe whatever you want but don't doubt my story.
The real conclusive “test” would be to put your claims to the blind test. It would be interesting if nothing else. Live stream it too so we can all be a part of the exp. would be awesome.
I'll believe you if you do a blind test. I find it bold to claim that a really high end last meter of cable makes a difference when the rest of the kilometers and kilometers of cable behind the wall and to the plant are just normal simple copper cabling.
This whole debate could be settled once and for all quite easily. Get a handful of top tier audiophiles that claim power cables, usb cables, network cables, etc. make a "huge" difference and have them do a monitored double blind listening test and if they can get a significant result after 10-15 repetitions, they would be able to show it's not placebo and they do indeed have a golden ear.
Can't be double blind. The person connecting the cable would know which one it is. Still, a blind listening test is the only valid way to end this discussion.
All the "golden eared audiophiles in the world, listening & telling you that your system sounds good or bad is irrelevant. It comes down to four words........Do YOU like it. That's why home auditioning (if you can get it...In store if you can't) is sooooooo important BEFORE you part with your well earned dosh. :-)
The biggest difference in regards to power that I've heard was replacing the wall outlet. Got rid of the old $0.95 wall outlet and replaced it with the PS audio Outlet and heard a huge audible different. Sound like a horse blanket was removed from my speakers. The power cable upgrades that I purchased I didn't hear a difference from until I replace the outlet. The best part was the wall outlet was cheaper than any of the power cables I purchased. If I had to do it again I would keep the cheap stock cables and just replace the wall outlet. Just made my amplifiers perform much stronger. Bass much tighter.
Steve, I would like you to appeal to an even higher authority: What does Nelson Pass think about your claim that he is selling inadequate power cords with his amplifiers ?
Why don’t you call or email Pass Labs to see if upgraded power cables such as Siltech, Transparent, and Nordost will improve sound quality on their amps? I have never seem Pass Labs using stock cables at any HiFi Audio Shows, and that should tell you something. Search “Pass Labs AVshowreports” for videos on RU-vid.
I eliminate the power cables altogether .Run the 14 /2 house wires straight from the power outlet ( no outlet receptacle ) and solder it directly to my power supply in the amplifier. I do this because I’m a audiophile that has lost his mind. 🤔
I was deeply skeptical about fancy power cables, I was openly mocking a guy I know who swears by them. So he lent me one, and said it's £40 (this was the mid 90s) if you want it. Took it home. plugged it into my amp and my housemate and I looked at each other in amazement. We couldn't understand how swapping a cable that carried AC for one metre could have such an impact on the sound. So I was converted, against my will.
I understand the need of quality cables, but the cable from the wall socket to the main fuse board in the house is probably the cheapest mass produced cable you could ever find? Do these expensive power cables actively block any noise etc etc from the cheap cable that feeds the wall socket?
I'll assume that you plugged these test power cables directly into the wall rather than into one of your power strips. How do power strips play into this subject (for those of us with only one or two duplex outlets for our entire system)? Not too long ago I bought a new integrated amp and a $100 Audioquest power cable for the amp and a Furman PST-8 Filtering Power Strip for all my components. The new system sounds weak and I've ordered a new power strip with no bells and whistles to see if the Furman could be the culprit. Any guidelines on power strips for those of us who need them? Do I have to find something that's 'star' wired?
I'm a headphone guy, so all my experiences are related to recabling the standard headphone cable. I've recalled my Grado RS1e with Black Dragon detachable cable. Have replaced my Focal Clear cable with the black dragon as well. I hear a definite difference (improvement). Is it jaw dropping? Nope, but still a welcome improvement. More air, better imaging, and better soundstage. Bass has more slam, but that bass is tight and pure. Anyway, my experiences have been positive and undeniable for ME. Maybe not you.....lol
I have a $175.00 a meter power cable. I forgot the brand but it’s very heavy blue braided and it’s currently on my headphone DAC/Amp without any power conditioner. I have switched the cable around my many pieces of HiFi gear. I’ve come to the conclusion that my ears can’t tell the difference. I do think that the cable may extend the benefit of the quality electronics of the gear all of the way to the wall instead of just starting at the device. My home Romex is standard stuff and I do use a quality surge protector/conditioner and I can hear that difference. I’m not sure that my $175.00 purchase from a reputable dealer was well spent. I really enjoy you videos, Steve.
Being an audiophile is all about HEARING music. I think it's very sad if you need blind tests and measurements because you don't trust your ears to enjoy music.
