Power Cords Again...

Grimster74

I've been reading threads about power cords on the Polk Forum here lately trying to decide if I would benefit from the upgrade. I'm thinking about replacing all my existing power cords with Signal Cable power cords and was wondering if anyone else has done the same? If so, did you really notice a difference or is it just in one's head that it sounds better?

PolkThug

Just buy one cord and try it out for yourself. If you like it, buy more.

/thread

tryrrthg

You can DIY the signal cable pretty easy, it may not look as pretty, but if you like that sort of thing it might save you some cash.

this is the cable used in the signal cable cord. Home Depot and Lowes also sell it by the foot. I believe Home Depot is cheaper though. You can buy the connectors/plugs from PE. Or Home Depot carries the Pass & Seymour 5266-X AC plug for 5 bucks or so. Neither HD or lowes carries any IEC connectors though.

george daniel

good link,

tonyb

PolkThug wrote:

Just buy one cord and try it out for yourself. If you like it, buy more.

/thread

Good advice.Have had Signals power cords and while the
improvement was subtle,was there none the less.Have had better
results with Aural thrills power cords,very noticeable.

Skynut

I think the benifit comes from better sheilding than stock cords. Better sheilding means less interference from outside rf signals.

Build quality gives a good feel whenever you deal with them.

Mine are all steel braided 10g wire, they look great and I do not hear any noise in my system.

sucks2beme

Look at the wall outlet first. Dedicated outlets for your system will keep the system working at it's best. Sharing a power circuit with anything with a motor will cause havoc with the system. PC power supplies can cause some odd stuff too.
Many here would disagree with the benifits of the cord, but I doubt anyone
would have a problem with better source of power. Then if you decide to try the cord, you can be sure that it can work up to it's potential.

Grimster74

Sucks2beme, I have dual, dedicated, 20amp outlets for my equipment. One is for the a/v equipment, one is for the SVS subwoofer.

steveinaz

Grimster74 wrote:

I've been reading threads about power cords on the Polk Forum here lately trying to decide if I would benefit from the upgrade. I'm thinking about replacing all my existing power cords with Signal Cable power cords and was wondering if anyone else has done the same? If so, did you really notice a difference or is it just in one's head that it sounds better?

In my own personal experience, power cord changes were far more subtle than interconnect or speaker wire changes...just an FYI.

Signal Cable would be a great place to start; sometime this year I'm gonna have them build all of my power cables to custom length.

Skynut

steveinaz wrote:

In my own personal experience, power cord changes were far more subtle than interconnect or speaker wire changes...just an FYI.

Signal Cable would be a great place to start; sometime this year I'm gonna have them build all of my power cables to custom length.

I plan to get custom length cables made someday also.
For my system that means about 7+ cables so I need to wait till I have no more imediate system upgrades to do.

sucks2beme

Grimster74 wrote:

Sucks2beme, I have dual, dedicated, 20amp outlets for my equipment. One is for the a/v equipment, one is for the SVS subwoofer.

Outstanding!
I've been busy changing everything but the power cords.
I'd say you were a perfect candidate for a power cord upgrade. I'm sorry I don't have any experience there, but please keep us updated on your results.
I think too many people have tired them without the proper power feeds, and have had so so results.

schwarcw

I've had great experience with PS Audio Power cords. For small power components (CDPS, preamps) use the preludes. For amps and power centers use the Statements. also PS Audio is running a great slae on Audio advisor. You can get Preludes for about $69. The quality and build of these cables is impressive.

Grimster74

Well, with all my recent purchases from Signal Cable in the last couple of weeks I finally made my last purchase from Frank (what a hell of a nice guy too) yesterday and purchased all my replacement power cords. Should be in sometime next week.

steveinaz

Frank is a great guy to deal with and builds a solid value product. I use his AES/EBU digital cable.

DarqueKnight

Grimster74 wrote:

I'm thinking about replacing all my existing power cords with Signal Cable power cords and was wondering if anyone else has done the same? If so, did you really notice a difference or is it just in one's head that it sounds better?

My first experience with the Signal Cable MagicPower cord is discussed here: Signal Cable MagicPower Cord Review

I have replaced all (eleven) of my power amp cords with Signal Cable MagicPower cords. I have also replaced the stock power cords of some other components with MagicPower cords:

2-Channel System: Replaced stock cords on preamp, CD player, turntable preamp, and power amp. I initially tried a Signal Cable Digital Reference power cord on the CD player, but heard no difference or improvement over the stock cord. The MagicPower cord made a noticeable difference, mainly in the bass.

Home Theater System: Replaced stock cords on DVD player, plasma television, and subwoofer. I initially tried a Signal Cable Digital Reference power cord on the DVD player, but heard no difference or improvement over the stock cord. The MagicPower cord made a noticeable difference, again, mainly in the bass, but also in other areas as discussed in my April 2005 review. There was no improvement seen in the DVD player's picture quality. I would have replaced the power cord of the preamp/processor, but this would have required installing an IEC receptacle, which would have required a very time-consuming disassembly of the pre/pro. Sony crammed a lot of stuff into the TA-E9000ES.

The MagicPower cord provided a subtle improvement in the plasma television sound quality and no improvement in picture quality from digital sources (DVD or digital cable). There was a very noticeable improvement in analog picture quality. I had to change the jack end of the power cable to a flat type IEC jack in order to fit my television. I also tried the Signal Digital Reference cord with the plasma TV, but, again, noticed no difference or improvement.

DarqueKnight

As others have mentioned, you can buy the parts and materials and build the exact same power cables yourself. When I factored in my time and labor, I thought it was more economical for me to buy them from Frank, plus, if I didn't like them, I could send them back for a refund.

polkatese

I have about 6 sets of SC Magic Power, and 4 sets of DH Labs power plus. They are comparable with DH Labs has a slight edge on Treble, and a tad tighter on the bass. For all practical purpose, they are both interchangeable from pricing and quality perspective. Here is a review of DH Labs that I found to be interesting:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/frr.pl?rcabl&1136162727&read&3&4&

btw, from stiffness perspective (pun intended), I like DH Labs power plus better, since it has a clear plastic sleeve and a lot easier to manouver corner walls.