Only for power cable believers

[tonerei]

I personally can't understand why a cable going from a mains or internet wall socket to the input of a piece of equipment can make any difference whatsoever if spec'd above or the same as what's leading to the wall socket from the incoming services.
I can understand why cables could and can make a difference on the output side of kit as it dealing with delicate signal voltages and current, but again if its point to point wiring inside the units then the weakest link will be the inferior section so unless the internal wiring is the same as or better that the external connecting cables it fails again.

I have a variety of cables built up over the years predominantly second hand. Wouldn't make any claim one way or the other but your point about the weakest link is hard to ignore.
But I have heard differences in cables over the years often obvious. But have found once you start improving your speakers, amp and source that is where you get your biggest bang for buck. I am as guilty as many others of spending money on this stuff but at the same time putting no money into sorting the room acoustics. That has the single biggest impact imho.

After all that waffle I would be happy to try the shunyata cable to see if it did do something. I would struggle to find £1000 for it. I once put a nordost valhalla interconnects into the chain whilst testing things with a few friends. I said nothing. Nobody noticed anything. That in itself means nothing, but!

 

[narabdela]

Maybe be nice to keep to the OP's title. Rather hear of peoples own experience than listen to the usual sh--- about a cables a cables a cable.

Fairy nuff.

From personal experience of years of selling cables, the Naimboys were always the biggest naysayers.. until Naim decided there was bucks to be made.

Lol, I see what you did there.

 

[S-Man]

OK, let's ask how many folks here have actually made their own mains cables?
What connectors did you use?
What cable did you use?
What topology is the cable (for example, screened, star quad, etc)?
What were the results?

I made 3 "Hydras" using different cables but the same connectors.
Every now and again I try the other 2. Same result every time.
The ones with fancy cables seem to add something to the sound, which initially sounds impressive. But the effect get tiring and after a few days (it seems to take me that long!) I revert to the standard mains cables.

I have also found that other aspects of the design of the cable loom makes a difference.

 

[Salamander]

My brother upgraded from a Russ Andrews (not the cheapest one) to a Crystal Cables, I think this one https://www.crystal-hifi.com/products/crystal-cables/cable-types/power-cables/reference-diamond/ which was 2nd hand and we were both stunned I think it is the largest difference I have ever heard with any cable

 

[Octavian]

I have a variety - DH Labs, Musicworks,Atlas, Chord, Audioquest + Mark Grant. On a headphone setup I’ve been using Mark Grant’s perfectly decent cable on my Aqua La Scala dac plugged into the wall since I bought it earlier this year.
Thought I’d try something else as I figured the dac was picking up garbage off the mains as things didn’t sound as good as in another room where I have a separate feed off the consumer unit.
Today plugged in a Shunyata Delta v2 NR. Oh dear - within seconds I was surprised. More of everything especially depth space and air + increased dynamics. Bit of a bugger as it costs a lot more than MG. However, cable believers take note. This reaches the parts other cables don’t. Of course it could all be in my head.....

If you suspect that "it could all be in my head", you can always do a blind test. There is no reason why power cable believers could not do them.

 

[sunbeamgls]

I have a variety - DH Labs, Musicworks,Atlas, Chord, Audioquest + Mark Grant. On a headphone setup I’ve been using Mark Grant’s perfectly decent cable on my Aqua La Scala dac plugged into the wall since I bought it earlier this year.
Thought I’d try something else as I figured the dac was picking up garbage off the mains as things didn’t sound as good as in another room where I have a separate feed off the consumer unit.
Today plugged in a Shunyata Delta v2 NR. Oh dear - within seconds I was surprised. More of everything especially depth space and air + increased dynamics. Bit of a bugger as it costs a lot more than MG. However, cable believers take note. This reaches the parts other cables don’t. Of course it could all be in my head.....

Good to know, but these things shouldn't be extrapolated to every situation. The equipment, quality of mains, local EMI, other related cables near the mains cable, time of day etc. etc. means that these things are very context dependent. Might work in one combination of many variables, make no difference in a different combination and may make things worse in a third combination.

 

[sunbeamgls]

I personally can't understand why a cable going from a mains or internet wall socket to the input of a piece of equipment can make any difference whatsoever if spec'd above or the same as what's leading to the wall socket from the incoming services.
I can understand why cables could and can make a difference on the output side of kit as it dealing with delicate signal voltages and current, but again if its point to point wiring inside the units then the weakest link will be the inferior section so unless the internal wiring is the same as or better that the external connecting cables it fails again.

What if the mains cable behaviour was affecting the output cables? How does that fit into your thinking?

 

[monya]

Good to know, but these things shouldn't be extrapolated to every situation. The equipment, quality of mains, local EMI, other related cables near the mains cable, time of day etc. etc. means that these things are very context dependent. Might work in one combination of many variables, make no difference in a different combination and may make things worse in a third combination.

This is very true and hasten to add that this is just my experience with this equipment. When I had a Nagra CD player the Mark Grant cable worked better than some expensive alternatives. My ARC ref pre. still sounds great with the stock cable so go figure....

 

[Darren L]

OK, let's ask how many folks here have actually made their own mains cables?
What connectors did you use?
What cable did you use?
What topology is the cable (for example, screened, star quad, etc)?
What were the results?

I've made my own mains cables & mains distribution box.

I used a variety of IEC plugs at the component end, 90 degree plugs are required for the Michell monoblocks as the socket is underneath the amps. I used Neutrik powercon connections at the supply end.
I used a fairly thick but flexible blue coloured 3 core flex for the cable as that is what I had.
I covered it in a woven flexible outer with feritte bead / rings heat shrinked ends.
The results were I now have tidy professional looking cables of exactly the correct length so they can be routed without crossing any signal cables and no tangled up birds nest behind the equipment.
The mains distribution case is a wooden surround with an aluminium top and bottom and a aluminium plate on the back to fix the powercon sockets, inside the three brass termination blocks are mounted in little plywood open boxes which I filled with epoxy.
The main aim of this was just to have a neat and tidy solution to mains distribution and cables, admittedly my own fussy peculiarity, I may make a matching case DC blocker at some stage.

 

[Cereal Killer]

OK, let's ask how many folks here have actually made their own mains cables?
What connectors did you use?
What cable did you use?
What topology is the cable (for example, screened, star quad, etc)?
What were the results?

I use this, it’s DIY

 

[Bronzeage]

My system is a completely different one without my Ziro power cables. The changes is immediate and very audible. I wish it was not so, but that’s the way it is...for me. Whatever works for you is good.

 

[Cereal Killer]

What if the mains cable behaviour was affecting the output cables? How does that fit into your thinking?

It can’t; the input is AC the out put is DC .... theres a whole array of voltage regulation, capacitance and resistance from one to the other.

 

[hifinutt]

The Syncro is THE cure for most singalong toroids.
I'm keeping the Syncro + Sigmas alongside the QBase 8. Horses for courses...

The QBase etc gets the Aesthetix and dCS boxes which have power supplies that don't need the Isotek stuff and sound much better on the Qbase (even with a 5€ kettle lead between the Qbase and the wall, with a Frey it goes even further)

The Sycnro + Sigmas get the Cambridge CXU (only really used for ripping SACDs), the NAS (when I get around to buying one) and the SME 20 (the power supplies whether mk2 or mk3 both hum without the Syncro)

yes tried the dc blocker syncro on a puresound L10 and it improved its sense of musicality. Had 4 syncro now. The arcam amp I use had no hum whatsoever and it did very slightly harden the sound but it improved the timing so I kept it in. The amp cost 250 quid but sounds like it cost a lot more !! Now I use it for the arcam as a power amp and so far it's been lovely. Currently got it playing through some small bw 607s2 and diana krall sounds lovely , even old 70s recordings sound good on them

 

[pacman]

Got Chord Purple Mains cables on a Naim Nap140, The Musical Fidelity M1HPAP Headphone Amp and the Denon Avr-x3600h surround amp. All made pleasurable differences to the sound and have been keepers. I have tried some other makes over the years but couldn't hear a difference or just couldn't get on with them. Nordost were good but just a bit out of my price range at the time of buying. Would love to try the Shunyata just for fun.

 

[Gervais Cote]

According to all the tests I did, the payback is more obvious on power amplifiers for the power cables, I did not notice major improvement on preamps and sources.
That said, as long as you have a good quality 12 or 10 gage pure copper with quality connectors, you’re good to go.
I had the opportunity to compare live some power cables ranging from $150.00 to $ 1 500.00 and the sound difference was more easy to witness between the lowest price cables than the highest grades but this was with my rock and jazz music so could be different with other styles.

 

[Si74]

Many, many years ago I bought a Shunyata cable from a guy in Glasgow, can't remember which but something at the lower end of their scale. Came as an unterminated cable. Cheers I thought as I struggled to add connectors. Put it on my CD player and best I can describe made the system sound as good as it did in the early hours of the morning at anytime of day. The improvement was not subtle. Would have been a very expensive path to follow had I not made so many good contacts on Audiogon in a hobby scenario.
Redundancy forced me to further this and kept the Wolf from the door for three years importing and selling various cables, used and eventually new at US dealer prices. Shunyata from Hong Kong made me a good profit at way less than UK prices. Kimber cable of any sort made me a nice profit at half the price Russ Andrews charge. Had a set of speaker cables custom made and shipped from a dealer in Florida for a guy in Londons weekend party, express shipping from Kimber to dealer, express shipping from him to me, still not a decent weeks wages but fed the family. I moved from Shunyata to all sorts of other stuff which seemed to annoy the folks I'd sold Shunyata for years but I go by my ears. Had all sorts of cables, too many to remember. Had a rocking trade taking off brand new Wattgates and replacing with Oyaide Connectors. P.I.T.A. to do but given most of these folks cd players cost more than my whole system.. more fools them or not?
The reterminating mania led me to taking a apart many cables to discover they were not what they purported to be, to the extent that stating some of these instances led me to be banned from Audiogon. Best ever were Electraglides of various ribbon incarnations. Swapping two different 'models' between cd and pre altered the sound to an extent that anyone who couldn't hear the difference was tone deaf.
However lots of the Yank (someone 's bound to say ****) cables had no ground so for UK use I always added one.
Spent a goodly sum on a few of the last iterations of these Ultraglides only to find the platinum/irrudium or whatever 'ribbon' inside was basic standard twisted copper. Posted said on Audiogon and boom, banned.
Have to say their earlier cables that indeed used ribbon conductors in basically an air dielectric (read fancy covered copex) were wonderful things.
Had a few dealers sit here and tell me it was all bullshit (same with isolation products) only to find them soon selling the same snake oil. If you haven't experienced it personally, don't give me shit about a cables a cable or your suggesting all my customers for three years were idiots.. or had more money than sense. Take it , leave it but don't knock it till you've tried it.
God forbid I mention the fibre cables from my pre to power amps, or their cost,lol.

 

[Bairnstorm]

Bought a couple of Russ Andrews Kimber power cables and the power block with the 16 amp socket. Couldn't really hear much if any difference.

Bought a Chord (orange) power cable and the difference was immediate and huge and for the better.

Still using all of them. Would love to try the Shunyata.

 

[mindlagoon]

I work in an RF electronics design lab which is littered with all kinds of high performance test kit, e.g. 40k RF vector network analysers, very low noise sources, etc. Orders of magnitude more sophisticated than an audio amp. The VNA requires high quality phase stable coax cables (a few hundred £ for a set). The mains leads, however, are standard kettle leads, grabbed from the nearest box, invariably plugged into 8-way blocks. Does the equipment performance fail to meet the spec because it gets a cheap mains cable? No, never, because the internal power supplies have been designed properly. If we had to worry about the quality of the kettle lead we would have gone out of business years ago.

 

[narabdela]

I work in an RF electronics design lab which is littered with all kinds of high performance test kit, e.g. 40k RF vector network analysers, very low noise sources, etc. Orders of magnitude more sophisticated than an audio amp. The VNA requires high quality phase stable coax cables (a few hundred £ for a set). The mains leads, however, are standard kettle leads, grabbed from the nearest box, invariably plugged into 8-way blocks. Does the equipment performance fail to meet the spec because it gets a cheap mains cable? No, never, because the internal power supplies have been designed properly. If we had to worry about the quality of the kettle lead we would have gone out of business years ago.

That's all very well, but you live in the real world.

 

[L&N republican]

I was very satisfied with graham Hydra with naim system.Now I swap naim with Ear amp I like to chage ot with DiY hydra from other cables.Tried Isotec power cable against one of naim cables from Hydra and I found that no sound diferences with power amp,and small changes with preamp.Prefered hydra cable.
Can I get advice forDIY hydra here how you get cables together.Just warp them,solder or...Some Dh labs cable are avaiable for DIY,and that is start idea...after hearing diference with one cable.Naim graham hydra makes me beleive in powerchord ,but it is not only cable ...it is star ground effect on naim...and I dont need powerblock so it is practical.