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What Mains Lead

helpful as ever guys :) was looking for a recommendation for something that's well built not for something that's full of foo if that helps to clarify
 
Surely it comes with one?
Why would people that make stuff that costs a fortune supply it with something that doesn’t work as well as it can?
 
There's loads and loads of 'net content on this subject; best to google that. Mains cables are a controversial subject. It's best to make up your own mind, rather than wait for the myriad views and resultant conflict that a thread such as this will generate.
 
I've tried a bunch of the arguably affordable mains cables, chord, monster, Russ andrews and so on. I'd say the RA cables had more of a negative effect, in fact my mains conditioners manual strongly advises against the woven types. (Maybe to help promote their own?)

The only cable which truly makes a small but noticeable difference are the QED XT5. They have a ferrite infused insulator running the whole length of the cable. Being a radio ham I've used ferrite to solve all sorts of problems so I was intrigued. I've dicected one to make a neater length to my TT. The ferrite is indeed present.

The little difference they made was a small but repeatable reduction to the noise floor. But we're talking cranking the volume with nothing playing and hearing the reduced hiss. Bear in mind also this is a purely analogue TT setup, maybe no effect with digital?

In terms of sound improvemet it's harder to judge. Maybe slightly more effortless and free flowing in the overall presentation. I figure the extra ferrite is reducing the ambient EMF which could be picked up by my MC cart (Sumiko Starling). Either way I'm happy with the slightly reduced noise.

Maybe the mega money cables are on another level but £150-200 is the top end I'd pay for a cable mains or otherwise.
 
I use these

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/35175125...d=link&campid=5338728743&toolid=20001&mkevt=1

Bought three of them years ago when I still used a Cyrus system.

To be honest, I am not sure a fancy mains cable makes a difference, I certainly never attempted a test, my life is too short for that but they do look ok if exposure of cables is inevitable and they are still relatively sanely priced.

I don't think they have any certification but they haven't burned anything down yet ... .
 
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I once auditioned a Power-Line and was sure I could hear an improvement. Whether this was a £650 confirmation bias or not, I’ll never know.
 
I am a non believer myself after trying a few around the £50 to £100 price. If you consider just what's in the wall from your consumer box, in most cases standard twin and earth. Surely, adding a metre or so of expensive mains cable cannot make much of a difference anyway?

You would never dream of splitting your loudspeaker cable and replacing the last few inches with something uber expensive.
 
onespeed said:
Radford Revival STA25 Series 5 just arrived and I need a mains lead, any recommendations please?
Click to expand...

If you are sure PCs can’t affect the sound you hear, use any certified kettle lead you have lying around, no need for “well-built, foo free” etc. as that is itself just another kind of subtle branding by the smaller cottage industry manufacturers.

Alternatively, if you wish to experiment, order a few trial cables at various price points from a single manufacturer like Audioquest or Chord and see if you notice anything after prolonged listening. Futureshop have a generous returns period, for example.

If you discover a positive effect, perhaps look around at the more “boutique” manufacturers and see if you can get the same result for less money.

Impossible to make recommendations as results vary widely according to systems, ears, belief systems and not least, the cables themselves.

If it seems like a lot of work, it is. In which case, just don’t bother.
 
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