Tara Labs AC cords.....?

Rev. Hayes

I just found a few of these for sale on CL and was thinking about trying them out.

The seller did not specify the series that he/she is selling but I hope to get a response soon.



Anyone here use or have used these power cords? I've never tried anything but good ol' stock black and wonder if this would be a good "premium" brand to try for the first time.

I would get two. One for the Jolida 100A and another for my B&K st.125. Sadly this is not an option for my pre.
Thus another question: if I don't put one on the "middle link" will it negate positive effects of using them elsewhere?




PS If you don't think the power cord makes any difference at all then please don't post in this thread. I intend to make that determination myself and only want advice in how to properly try it out. THANK YOU:biggrin:

RuSsMaN

I've been a fan of Tara Labs for a while. Gary Dodd used to use Tara Labs (not sure if he still does) to make custom power cords for his tube amps. They can and should make a difference on each individual peice of gear.

Cheers,
Russ

Ern Dog

Tara Labs was stationed right next door to where I work, so I walked in a bought one of their lower end power cords. I was under-whelmed with it. It looked well constructed but I couldn't hear any sonic improvement. I don't remember which model it was. However, take that with a grain of salt because this hobby is all about synergy.

I had great luck with a Pangea AC-9 power cord. Now this power cord costs less than the entry level Tara Labs cord I bought and sounds superb with everything I use with it. Don't worry about not being able to use one with your preamp.

fbm211

Furutech all the way for me.Except for a signal cable digital reference I use for the dragon.It has better synergy with that unit for some reason.

Jetmaker737

Give it a try!

I have Pangea AC-14's on each of my sources and both have improved my sound even though I have stock cords on my Pre and Amp. There will be another AC-14 in my stocking for the Pre. Then I want to get something with more heft for the amp.

Systems

There are several options for your pre (very important link in the chain).
Install an IEC input, or simply install an aftermarket plug on the end.
Either is an excellent upgrade from a stock nickle plated connector.

Although I am a power cable/connector fanatic (collector?), I would recommend starting at the wall first.
A good receptacle can make a large difference with the cables you have now.
Then when you decide to go with an aftermarket cable, it will enhance that upgrade to another level as well.
Furutech, Porterports, are under $60.

For your CDP, you should consider making your own pc with some Cryo Parts house cable, Cryo Max III ($9.90/ft) w/good connectors, excellent on digital.

I would go unshielded for the amp w/good connectors.
Vh Audio would be great $5/ft. (alittle extra work though).
Or DH Labs Power Plus ($6.5/ft).

I have found (after a long ride on the pc merry go round) that the connectors are one of the most important parts of a power cable.
For the money the Furutechs are hard to beat (and easiest to work with), with the FI-11Ag IEC, and FI-11Cu male being a great combo, and the FI-25's a step above that in performance.

I recently bought some Carol Cable 12/3 unshielded cable (.84/ft) and put some Furutech FI-25 Gold connectors on both ends just to see how it sounded.
It sounded great!
Not the best, but a LARGE upgrade from stock.
You could use Wattgates with great results also, and have $35 in a power cable.
Don't shy away from the Levitons male plugs @ Home Depot (5266), or the Hubbell 8215c Hospital Grade (great bang for little buck).

What ever you decide to do, remember that a power cable like anything else will sound better with proper breakin.

Good luck with your search!

Systems

HCM audio has a good deal on Audioquest cables $39: http://hcmaudio.com/comp.asp?compID=1348

Rev. Hayes

Thanks pepster!

A lot to think about there.

Rev. Hayes

So I went ahead and got two Prism AC cords and a pair of RSC Prime and a pair of RSC Reference (?) interconnects.

I'm not hearing big power cord benefits yet but I'm not giving up.

I think I will install a new receptacle as the ones in my house are ancient and ratty (some even have scorch marks:eek:). I suppose I can't expect miracles when I plug a fancy cord into a power strip (Monster) that is plugged into an extension cord (heavy duty 10 gauge) that's plugged into a super crappy outlet that has old **** wiring that is going to a circa 1960's fuse box yada yada.....

Clearly I got ahead of myself.

I did do some A/B with the interconnects though with pleasing results. But that's another thread topic.

newrival

Pepester, a lot of good information there, thanks!