Post by cooksferry on Sept 17, 2019 7:42:18 GMT 12
Interested in what other forum members use for power cables. Do you stay with the stock cable or go for a brand after market item or do some DIY.
While i've spent a few thousand dollars on various speaker cables and interconnects I've never played around with power cables. I can't say that even using some well reviewed and moderately expensive speaker cables and ics in my system I've ever experienced a wow moment and this has made me some what leery of laying dollars down on the power side.
Don't intent to start any sort of war between the various camps where cables are concerned, just interested in what others are using.
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Post by foveaux on Sept 17, 2019 11:08:25 GMT 12
Hi Cooks, I use the PureAV power console to which all components are connected for power supply. Recall I got this primarily for surge protection, but the manual states: "Ordinary household AC power that is delivered to your home is polluted with “noise” from many sources within your home, including digital components and household appliances. The Power Console’s advanced Phase 4 PureFilter Circuitry is optimized to remove electrical noise and provide clean and clear power to all of your valuable digital, audio, video, and high-current equipment. The multiphase PureFilter Circuitry also provides true isolation between digital, audio, video, and high-current components. This isolation prevents noise created by components that are already connected to the Power Console from contaminating other connected equipment." (my underlining) This satisfies me (so far). But I have no experience of specialised power cables direct to components. Of note: the loads of reputable high-end firms who include a wall-wart with their gear?  I've yet to see a review that recommends a pricey specialised power cable over their wall-wart! There are heaps of white papers on cables, ICs etc. on the web. My take is to be seriously mindful of not over-capitalising on any of these, incl. bespoke power cables.
"I see music as a lifetime affair." [Rory Gallagher]
"Free - I miss that band, but when I look back, we were very young" [Paul Rodgers]
862 posts
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Post by andrewp on Sept 17, 2019 14:03:17 GMT 12
Hi there..
My reply comes from zero industry knowledge, zero product knowledge but from a consumer who thought they were a good idea. Ive got after market leads that were recommended to me by a friend. They were relatively expensive and a right royal curse of a thing to manoeuvre at the rear of a cabinet! I think they are one of the most over rated "upgrades" you can tip money into but as Cooks has said he was interested in what others are using. Clearly someone making them is going to tell you how much noise and crud is coming down the line which clearly effects the signal etc etc...
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Post by cooksferry on Sept 17, 2019 14:57:21 GMT 12
Hi there.. My reply comes from zero industry knowledge, zero product knowledge but from a consumer who thought they were a good idea. Ive got after market leads that were recommended to me by a friend. They were relatively expensive and a right royal curse of a thing to manoeuvre at the rear of a cabinet! I think they are one of the most over rated "upgrades" you can tip money into but as Cooks has said he was interested in what others are using. Clearly someone making them is going to tell you how much noise and crud is coming down the line which clearly effects the signal etc etc... Good to know. I do have a couple of relatively expensive power cords, a Merlin Black Widow that has for many years done service in my bedroom system and a PS Audio cable with Furutech connectors each end and that is A too long for intended use and B also a pain to try and thread into place. I can't say that using either has been a revelation. However, There's always a little nagging voice harping away that you could be selling your system short when common sense should prevail.
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Post by andrewp on Sept 17, 2019 15:04:00 GMT 12
And that little voice is engineered by the peeps selling and marketing said items...But hey each to their own. At least if youve tried it for yourself you can be the judge. I was told by someone in the industry a while back that retailers made some of their biggest margins on leads. Not sure if power chords are in that grouping but Im sure others may know.
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Post by Owen Y on Sept 17, 2019 15:12:18 GMT 12
YMMV but I always recommend first just upgrade to a 15A regular (2 Core + Earth) power cord - instead of the standard 10A supplied 'appliance' cord. The extra conductor area always seems to impart some extra dynamic 'horsepower' to the sound (the best that I can describe it) - without changing the balance or character of the device. (Buy it inexpensively from your electrical wholesaler & use the best 3-pin and/or IEC plugs that you can get, ie joint-free.) I have heard 'audiophile' power cords that dramatically change the sound of a device or system, but personally I tend to be suspicious of cables at are too 'active' in the way they can change a system sound. Why, in reality can a mere metre or so of power supply wiring should change the sound of a system, I'm not sure, but it can & usually does.
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Post by michaelw on Sept 17, 2019 17:45:23 GMT 12
mixed results here,
last time i tried an after-market power cable (a nordost) it made my krell sound worse,
stayed with stock cables since.
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Pundit
Post by garym on Sept 17, 2019 23:00:07 GMT 12
I have no commercial connection to any cable manufacturer but I have heard a large difference with after market power cords on our amps. Case in point at a dealer event in Australia a couple of weeks back. We swapped standard power cords to Masterbuilt cords in front of an audience of 20 - 30 people and everyone heard the difference... These are marketed by the Von Schweikert guys. I can't say if there is anything particularly special about their construction but they did do good things. John McDonald, who does a lot of our listening evaluation has been on a cable journey over the past 2 years and has found differences in power cords. Some worked for him and others didn't. Always try with an option to return.
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Post by cooksferry on Sept 18, 2019 7:23:21 GMT 12
Those Masterbuilt cords are very expensive  I'd hope to hear celestial choirs at their prices. Like Foveaux I use a Pure AV unit and maybe that compromises any benefits from up market cables ? Should try plugging the PS Audio cable directly into the wall socket to an amp and see if I can hear any difference.
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Pundit
Post by garym on Sept 18, 2019 10:34:41 GMT 12
Amp power cord directly into wall socket!
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Post by michaelw on Sept 18, 2019 12:22:46 GMT 12
works for me 
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Pundit
Post by neilsan on Sept 18, 2019 19:20:04 GMT 12
Slowly changing all my audio power leads to the Supra LORAD 3X1.5 BLUE B100. As an electrician I'm aware of leakage from cables. And with the tangle of cables behind my cabinet I decided to do something about it. Using a leakage sensor tool it shows no leakage from the Supra cables.Unlike the usual flex. Can't comment on any difference in sound though. supracables.co.nz/main-cables
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Post by Owen Y on Sept 18, 2019 20:48:47 GMT 12
Worth a try - where do you purchase from neilsan?
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Post by cooksferry on Sept 18, 2019 22:14:25 GMT 12
Worth a try - where do you purchase from neilsan? Plenty of Supra cables on TM Owen. Almost pulled the pin on some to try several times.
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Post by michaelw on Sept 18, 2019 22:59:27 GMT 12
Worth a try - where do you purchase from neilsan ? nz distributor is mark polglase
chris ball also has a small selection.
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Pundit
Post by neilsan on Sept 19, 2019 8:11:28 GMT 12
Thanks Michael. Got my speaker cables off Chris when I bought the Image 412/2's, but the power cable off Mark.
Made up the leads myself as I needed a few mains sockets.Lot cheaper that way. Bought one of the Supra SWF IEC sockets and it's very nice and easy to connect but it all adds up! Might slowly buy a few more after I've done all the leads.
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Post by cooksferry on Sept 19, 2019 11:10:02 GMT 12
Slowly changing all my audio power leads to the Supra LORAD 3X1.5 BLUE B100. As an electrician I'm aware of leakage from cables. And with the tangle of cables behind my cabinet I decided to do something about it. Using a leakage sensor tool it shows no leakage from the Supra cables.Unlike the usual flex. Can't comment on any difference in sound though. supracables.co.nz/main-cablesHow flexible is the cable for short fairly tight runs. The cable isn't too badly priced. It would be nice to knock up some inexpensive custom cables just to keep things tidy .
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Member
Post by mijoh on Sept 19, 2019 23:12:37 GMT 12
Some interesting thoughts from Paul McGowan on high-end power cables.
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Post by cooksferry on Sept 20, 2019 7:20:10 GMT 12
Tried to plug the PS Audio power cable from a wall socket into the Yamaha amp, not going to happen. With the bulk of the Furutech IEC and the cable I'd need to unpacked the whole rack and move it out another 10cm which isn't going to happen. So ends the experiment and maybe time for one cable to head towards TM, or just hang it on the wall as a reminder not to get excited and rush into things.
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Member
Post by mijoh on Sept 20, 2019 15:45:22 GMT 12
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Member
Post by mijoh on Sept 20, 2019 16:16:24 GMT 12
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Member
Post by mijoh on Sept 20, 2019 16:21:55 GMT 12
(It seems the link was messing with my previous 2 posts. Moderator, you can remove the posts if you like) Cooksferry, with your space restrictions you could consider making up leads with a right angle IEC socket such as this item Schurter C15 Right Angle Cable Mount IEC Socket, 10 (IEC) A, 15 (UL & CSA) A, 250 V ac
RS Stock No. 869-2979It will accomodate wire up to 3 X 2mm wire with an outer diameter of up 10mm which means it is suitable for the Supra Lorad 3 x 1.5 discussed by Neil above. Personally, I think the Lorad 3 X 2.5 might be better and I have read some good reviews about it, but it may or may not be a squeeze in the above plug. The Lorad 1.5 is rated at 10 amps and the 2.5 at 16 amps @ 230volts. Owen has also said that 15 amp cable sounds better. If the Supra is not flexible enough, Neil may be able to suggest local sources of 15 amp cable, likewise for the 3 pin plugs. If you you can't be bothered with DIY, right angle 10 amp IEC leads are readily available. 
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Post by cooksferry on Sept 20, 2019 16:57:12 GMT 12
(It seems the link was messing with my previous 2 posts. Moderator, you can remove the posts if you like) Cooksferry, with your space restrictions you could consider making up leads with a right angle IEC socket such as this item Schurter C15 Right Angle Cable Mount IEC Socket, 10 (IEC) A, 15 (UL & CSA) A, 250 V ac
RS Stock No. 869-2979It will accomodate wire up to 3 X 2mm wire with an outer diameter of up 10mm which means it is suitable for the Supra Lorad 3 x 1.5 discussed by Neil above. Personally, I think the Lorad 3 X 2.5 might be better and I have read some good reviews about it, but it may or may not be a squeeze in the above plug. The Lorad 1.5 is rated at 10 amps and the 2.5 at 16 amps @ 230volts. Owen has also said that 15 amp cable sounds better. If the Supra is not flexible enough, Neil may be able to suggest local sources of 15 amp cable, likewise for the 3 pin plugs. If you you can't be bothered with DIY, right angle 10 amp IEC leads are readily available. Cheers. Been looking at something like that for a couple of my cables . Looks like I have some shopping to do over my holidays.
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Post by Citroen on Sept 20, 2019 17:50:58 GMT 12
I've generally stayed away from power cable debates, as I remain skeptical.
Call me a non-believer. But I must admit that I haven't been party to any tests or trials.
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Pundit
Post by neilsan on Sept 20, 2019 20:05:01 GMT 12
I find the Supra 3 core 1.5mm very flexible,same as normal flex.The 2.5mm might be a bit tight in the normal IEC plugs, although the Supra IEC plug socket is much roomier.But also a lot bigger.
I buy my IEC sockets from an electrical supplier...Ideal,Active,Russells ,etc.Never thought to look for a right angle one.Must look into that as my cd players are very deep.
If you're looking for normal 3 core flex I picked up a few made up 3 core 1.5mm flexes from Mitre 10, the orange coloured flex,very cheap.It's much cheaper buying a made up flex than buying the same amount of off-a-roll flex from my electrical suppliers!
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Post by Owen Y on Sept 20, 2019 20:22:13 GMT 12
Look for the '15A' rated appliance flex cord, not regular '10A' stuff. Off the reel at electrical wholesalers, when I last bought some.
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Post by michaelw on Sept 20, 2019 21:25:18 GMT 12
not sure what krell packed with the old kav300i but it's about as thick as my finger and sounds better than a standard jugcord.
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Pundit
Post by neilsan on Sept 22, 2019 12:58:10 GMT 12
The 2.5mm flex is a lot harder to get into normal plugs and connectors,that's the problem with using it.
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Post by Owen Y on Sept 22, 2019 18:29:12 GMT 12
I took a close look at some of the cables I mentioned... This is a typical '10A appliance cord' or 'flex' (as typically found on household appliances, pre-made IEC cables, etc), ie 'jug cord'. Outer diam of the cable might be 6.5-7mm & ea conductor (in this example) consists of 23 strands of 0.18 diam copper = around 0.6mm2 of total conductor area.  This is the so-called '15A appliance cord' that I have been using: Outer diam is 8.5mm & ea conductor consists of 29 strands of 0.20mm = 0.9mm2 of total conductor area. 
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Post by Owen Y on Sept 22, 2019 18:36:20 GMT 12
This is a typical removable power cable that I make up for my audio bits - using the above mentioned PDL 905 3-pin plug (this one happens to be transparent case type) & 'common garden' IEC plug. Sometimes I might use a 'tapon' 3-pin plug. 
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I'd hope to hear celestial choirs at their prices.
