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Only for power cable believers

Thetiminator said:
I’ve just changed the power cords on my subs from bog standard to home made Furutech cable and plugs. The bass was so much tighter and tuneful, so much so that I now play them 3db louder than they were set at before the change...
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Exact same results here with my Naim NAP 110 and 160BD. As I was skeptical, I just gave it another try with a standard cord and this just confirmed the benefits of an upgraded power cord. All these tests were done when the amplifier played for at least 1/2 hour. Dynamic seems to improve as well but it’s rather hard to measure so might be my personal perception.
 
I sent back the $160 AQ NRG-Y3 AC cable and decided to get down to basics; the Sprout100 came with an 18 AWG power cord, so as an experiment I just ordered (for a whopping $9) the equivalent Tripp Lite cable but in 14AWG thickness. I’ll see if more copper in the same configuration makes a difference...
 
Subito said:
I sent back the $160 AQ NRG-Y3 AC cable and decided to get down to basics; the Sprout100 came with an 18 AWG power cord, so as an experiment I just ordered (for a whopping $9) the equivalent Tripp Lite cable but in 14AWG thickness. I’ll see if more copper in the same configuration makes a difference...
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I sent back a NRG Z3 and kept the cheaper Y3. Just goes to show the importance of matching cables to equipment.
 
ryder said:
*Disclaimer : Please note that I am not based in the UK.
UK type outlet replaced to US type receptacles (Furutech GTX-D NCF). One word - massive difference with cords going directly between wall outlet and component.
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Pleased to see the disclaimer and it is very worth emphasising! My guess without sifting through electrical regulation my bet is this setup would be illegal in the UK as a) it removes a plug fuse from where there should be one, and b) uses a socket type associated with an entirely different voltage and frequency, i.e. asks to have the wrong stuff plugged into it. As owner of this site I’d obviously advise against any such modification as it would, at the least, lose any insurance cover, and very likely open the owner up to being sued if any electrical fire impacted their neighbours.
 
EPear said:
Glad this has worked for you, thanks for sharing. I guess it just also shows how important the mains block is where an arrangement such as yours connecting directly to the wall (and, of course, with high quality components) may not be practical. I have found most mains blocks and conditioners I’ve tried (arguably nothing extortionately expensive) largely disappointing but at least have heard the significant difference they can make. They need good evaluation, come with some trade off in various aspects of sound quality and the good ones do not come cheap. So taking them out of the chain altogether can be a good solution where feasible.
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Yes, it is surely very important. I have very limited experience with mains blocks as I do not have the funds to experiment or attain a good one that does not compromise on sound quality. Nevertheless, it is true that most mains blocks particularly power strip will in one way or another restrict dynamics or full potential of the system. Power conditioners are mostly recommended as the right way to do things but I read many reports that most of these conditioners also do more harm than good. Currently the only power conditioner that may be worth considering (after reading mostly glowing reviews on the forum) is the Audioquest Niagara 3000 and higher models but they don't come cheap. Currently I don't need many outlets for my equipment, fortunately, hence there isn't any need for a fancy power conditioner.

Again, based on my limited experience, in my opinion any power strips such as Wireworld Matrix2 etc. are limited in their performance and do not reveal the full potential of the system when components are plugged into it. Some sort of power conditioners with built-in transformers inside (good designs) will be necessary if one desires to hear the full potential of the system.
 
Tony L said:
Pleased to see the disclaimer and it is very worth emphasising! My guess without sifting through electrical regulation my bet is this setup would be illegal in the UK as a) it removes a plug fuse from where there should be one, and b) uses a socket type associated with an entirely different voltage and frequency, i.e. asks to have the wrong stuff plugged into it. As owner of this site I’d obviously advise against any such modification as it would, at the least, lose any insurance cover, and very likely open the owner up to being sued if any electrical fire impacted their neighbours.
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Yes, it's illegal in the UK. The best way forward would be something that Cereal Killer uses. Some aftermarket options would be Audioquest Niagara series of power conditioners.
 
I was of the opinion that as long as the distribution block was fused at the wall socket then any power inlet you fancy eg schuko would be acceptable regards UK regs. Am I incorrect?
 
monya said:
I was of the opinion that as long as the distribution block was fused at the wall socket then any power inlet you fancy eg schuko would be acceptable regards UK regs. Am I incorrect?
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@ryder's setup has no fuses IIUC, at least for the two items connected to the black receptacle. There is a North American receptacle (unswitched) designed for 120v connected directly from mains in the wall at 240v. The large cables are terminated with 120v NA plugs which are not fused like those in the UK. The first fuse (if any) is in the equipment the mains cables are feeding (Luxman integrated and?).

If there was a distribution block it could be a different story -- e.g. a block with a fused UK plug and then having NA style receptacles. But still there's the issue of doubling the specified voltage for the plugs/receptacles being used.

Unless the Luxman came with the cable and it is very valuable, I don't understand why UK mains cables weren't used with ordinary UK sockets. Then again I'm not in the 'believer' camp. :)
 
Here’s my 2c worth, I used to be sceptical, not anymore, I was loaned (without obligation to buy) some Isotek products, I now own the Sirius power strip, the Evo 3 Syncro (used before the Sirius) 3 sequel cables for source components and the Optimum for Power Amp, it was the best $3k aud spent, do yourself a favour and try and loan/borrow these types of products, be they Isotek or any other branded ones and try them in your own system so you can make your own informed decision, you can’t try this shit out in 1/2 an hour at the dealer you need it at home for a week or two, I would start with a source cable first (as I did) and go from there, of course this is just my humble opinion
 
I think it comes down to two basic questions:

1) Do cables make an audible difference?
2) If they do, is the change for the better or for the worse?

In my case, the AQ power cable made a difference, for the worse. I suspect that may be due to the fact that I’m using a Furman PST-8 DIG surge suppressor that also includes rather comprehensive filtering. If the reviews are to be believed, the power coming out of the Furman is quite clean. Thus any noise filtering capabilities in the AQ cable might actually be adding some coloration to the signal. I could have bypassed the Furman and checked the AQ directly into the wall socket, but I’m a believer in surge protection and will continue to use the Furman, so the point was moot for me.

It does seem like some cable companies are offering their products as a type of tone control; that’s cool, just not what I’m looking for.
 
ryder said:
IMG-20201206-124657.jpg


Acrolink cords with US plugs connected directly to wall outlet.
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As an option, for those with US terminated cables I can recommend the US to UK adaptors sold by VH Audio.

https://www.vhaudio.com/acplugadapters.html

I use them with my cables and the adaptors are sturdy, high quality and phase correct for UK plugs.
The right-angle ones are handy to orient the cables downwards from the plug.
 
Just changed the cable powering my Grounded Grid design electrostatic headamp from an Atlas 4dd to a Shunyata Alpha NR v2. The latter looks like a flexible hosepipe in thickness and I was expecting a thicker more weighty sound. It isn’t. There is less ‘heavyness’ to the bass but better definition and certainly more pronounced hf. Beats me. Must give this mullarky up.
 
Thetiminator said:
I’ve just changed the power cords on my subs from bog standard to home made Furutech cable and plugs. The bass was so much tighter and tuneful, so much so that I now play them 3db louder than they were set at before the change...
Click to expand...
REALLY? If so my REL is going to be getting a new mains cable tonight.... I figured there would be nothing to come where just sub bass was concerned.
 
Just a note,
First question how does the PSU deliver current to the load ? is it 50/100Hz or can the load demand in short bursts?
If it is short burst and at highish speed lets say 100uS at 20V RMS into 4Ohms how does the bridge rectifier and the mains top it up? Does the 50Hz take 10 or 20mS to replace the energy or does the bridge conduct on the rising an falling slope of the sine wave until the Capacitance voltage is as high as the peak, and if so what is the pulse edge of the current.
Just a thought.
 
Sorry to but in the Bass edge tells the ear the bass note has arrived if the slope is crap and slow then the bass sound not tight but sloppy. You need the fast edge and cable can and does make and brake the sound.
 
CJ14 said:
Sorry to but in the Bass edge tells the ear the bass note has arrived if the slope is crap and slow then the bass sound not tight but sloppy. You need the fast edge and cable can and does make and brake the sound.
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Thanks Colin. I will certainly try this out.
 
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