Testing Different Power Cords
janmike
Posts: 6,146
The following power cords were tested on my Esoteric SACD player. All cables had at least 200 hours of burn-in time.
1) 6Sons Audio Thunderbird with Oyaide Poo4 plug and IEC.
2) PS Audio xStream Statement SC power Cable (latest version)
3) Virtual Dynamics David Series 1.0 (not the latest David Series version)
Music Selections:
1) Sarah McLachlan Angel
2) Dire Straits So Far Away
3) Loreena McKennitt The Mystics Dream
4) Moody Blues Tuesday Afternoon
5) Murray Perahia / Radu Lupu Mozart: Concert For Two & Three Pianos
I asked my wife, the best tester outside of my ears, to sit down and pick four or five songs to listen to. I did not tell her what I was changing and randomly interchanged the power cords on the Esoteric. So I played the first song 5 times and then I let here tell me which sound she preferred and why. Then the second song and so on and so on.
Going into this I knew that I liked the sound of the Virtual Dynamics cable. I had tested it alone a week before and thought the music sounded more natural. The instruments seem to be very definitive and flowed together much better. While the other two cables may have brought forward individual detail on each instrument (what I would call sharpness), the harmonizing of the instruments together was not as appealing. Yes it does carry the highest MSRP and I was actually thinking that she would not be able to tell the difference and at the end the study would result in being non-conclusive. In other words, she would be all over the map in her selections.
Well, I will jump right to the chase. She picked the Virtual Dynamics power 100% of the time. It actually floored me that she had done this. I secretly wanted her to pick the cheap one to save me a few bucks. At one point, I think it was the 3 song, she told to stop as she did not like the sound. I am not sure what cable was connected at the time, but it was not the VD. The music in her words was richer, full-bodied and more natural. The other cables presented a level of sharpness that was actually harsh sounding. Déjà vu.
I agreed with her assessment so much so that I worked a deal with VD to trade in my other cables and purchase 3 Nite Platinum power cords. The Nites are actually one level higher that the David Series. This company may not appeal to everyone, but they are very aggressive with there sale prices and trade-in allowance for competitive products. The deal was too good to pass up and I like what their products do to my system. Will I swap out the speaker cables and ICSs? Not sure. They are all MIT Shotgun S1s but future testing will determine the outcome.
This hobby always amazes me. I go into a test thinking that I will not be able to differentiate between different products and BAM it hits me. I am just glad that I can tell the difference.
1) 6Sons Audio Thunderbird with Oyaide Poo4 plug and IEC.
2) PS Audio xStream Statement SC power Cable (latest version)
3) Virtual Dynamics David Series 1.0 (not the latest David Series version)
Music Selections:
1) Sarah McLachlan Angel
2) Dire Straits So Far Away
3) Loreena McKennitt The Mystics Dream
4) Moody Blues Tuesday Afternoon
5) Murray Perahia / Radu Lupu Mozart: Concert For Two & Three Pianos
I asked my wife, the best tester outside of my ears, to sit down and pick four or five songs to listen to. I did not tell her what I was changing and randomly interchanged the power cords on the Esoteric. So I played the first song 5 times and then I let here tell me which sound she preferred and why. Then the second song and so on and so on.
Going into this I knew that I liked the sound of the Virtual Dynamics cable. I had tested it alone a week before and thought the music sounded more natural. The instruments seem to be very definitive and flowed together much better. While the other two cables may have brought forward individual detail on each instrument (what I would call sharpness), the harmonizing of the instruments together was not as appealing. Yes it does carry the highest MSRP and I was actually thinking that she would not be able to tell the difference and at the end the study would result in being non-conclusive. In other words, she would be all over the map in her selections.
Well, I will jump right to the chase. She picked the Virtual Dynamics power 100% of the time. It actually floored me that she had done this. I secretly wanted her to pick the cheap one to save me a few bucks. At one point, I think it was the 3 song, she told to stop as she did not like the sound. I am not sure what cable was connected at the time, but it was not the VD. The music in her words was richer, full-bodied and more natural. The other cables presented a level of sharpness that was actually harsh sounding. Déjà vu.
I agreed with her assessment so much so that I worked a deal with VD to trade in my other cables and purchase 3 Nite Platinum power cords. The Nites are actually one level higher that the David Series. This company may not appeal to everyone, but they are very aggressive with there sale prices and trade-in allowance for competitive products. The deal was too good to pass up and I like what their products do to my system. Will I swap out the speaker cables and ICSs? Not sure. They are all MIT Shotgun S1s but future testing will determine the outcome.
This hobby always amazes me. I go into a test thinking that I will not be able to differentiate between different products and BAM it hits me. I am just glad that I can tell the difference.
Michael 
In the beginning, all knowledge was new!
NORTH of 60°
In the beginning, all knowledge was new!
NORTH of 60°
Post edited by janmike on
Comments
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Not even a power hungry device; it's interesting.
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Interesting review. I'm curious as to the original power cable configuration of the wires vs the new power cable. It's not unusual for CD players to have just a safety ground. Meaning the shielding is wired on the wall plug ground but is not wired to the IEC plug ground. If you have a meter, a simple continuity check on the ground of the power cables will answer this question.
While the CD player has a IEC termination point, does it have one or two pins in the socket.
Getting ready to make some power cables is why I'm curious.
Scott
--- Damn Yellowknife, it still must be crazy cold there.Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid. ..... Frank Zappa -
Nice write up with interesting results. Thanks.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Not even a power hungry device; it's interesting.
I have found that some power cords that are specifically made for digital gear (extra shileding, etc.) can make a nice difference on cd players and other gear that do not pull a lot of power, while other "garden hose" cables do better with amps and the power hungry stuff.
Nice write up Jan, now you are going to make me do a shootout of the PC's I have on hand (Tara Labs, Ps Audio Prelude and Shunyata Venom). Thanks for the extra work
Venom -
Yes, thanks for the write up. I'm still working on the components. Maybe some day I'll explore swapping power cables from stock. That said, there is no way my wife will have the patience to sit through an audition and give me "reality check" input!
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sb_caribou wrote: »Yes, thanks for the write up. I'm still working on the components. Maybe some day I'll explore swapping power cables from stock. That said, there is no way my wife will have the patience to sit through an audition and give me "reality check" input!
Too bad, I had that written into the prenupt agreement before we got married. She is obligated to dedicate a minimum of 5 hours per month to critical audio analysis.
Michael
In the beginning, all knowledge was new!
NORTH of 60° -
You are now, officially, a cable heretic....cool.CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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Nice write up...even if I don't believe a word of it!!! Nah, only kidding! Aren't wives great for this sort of thng, they don't have any pre conceived notions which can cloud their observations They simply know what they hear & call accordingly. They don't need any explanation they just let you know what sound they prefer, & it doesn't matter how you arrived at it, nor do they care.
I'm on board 110% that PC's & cables can & do make a difference. It's just that it can drive us crazy until we settle on a nice synergy match.
PS-Thanks again for the hat, pretty cool!"2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up. -
I've always had a curiosity for VD but they are just so damn expensive.
(oh jeez, I think your thread is about to get longer and a little off topic...lol)
MikeModwright SWL 9.0 SE (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC with Oyaide 004 terminations)
Consonance cd120T
Consonance Cyber 800 tube monoblocks (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC's with Oyaide 004 terminations)
Usher CP 6311
Phillips Pronto TS1000 Universal Remote -
Interesting review. I'm curious as to the original power cable configuration of the wires vs the new power cable. It's not unusual for CD players to have just a safety ground. Meaning the shielding is wired on the wall plug ground but is not wired to the IEC plug ground. If you have a meter, a simple continuity check on the ground of the power cables will answer this question.
While the CD player has a IEC termination point, does it have one or two pins in the socket.
Getting ready to make some power cables is why I'm curious.
Scott
--- Damn Yellowknife, it still must be crazy cold there.
The tough one on this is it may have 3 pins, but only 2 being used. You would have to do a continuity between the chassis, and the ground pin.
BenPlease. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
Thanks
Ben -
The first time I ever heard a change in the end result was with a CDP. This is not surprising to me, actually expected. Nice writeup there Mike!Not even a power hungry device; it's interesting.~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Ditto for the most part. There are exceptions I have run into but for the most part, I'll echo what you have stated.I have found that some power cords that are specifically made for digital gear (extra shileding, etc.) can make a nice difference on cd players and other gear that do not pull a lot of power, while other "garden hose" cables do better with amps and the power hungry stuff.~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Ditto for the most part. There are exceptions I have run into but for the most part, I'll echo what you have stated.
Yup, YMMV. -
I just ran across this while doing research on power cables. Thanks for the insights and the review.Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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Nice review
I secretly wanted her to pick the cheap one to save me a few bucks.
What are you worried about you use her CC don't you now
Speakers
Carver Amazing Fronts
CS400i Center
RT800i's Rears
Sub Paradigm Servo 15
Electronics
Conrad Johnson PV-5 pre-amp
Parasound Halo A23
Pioneer 84TXSi AVR
Pioneer 79Avi DVD
Sony CX400 CD changer
Panasonic 42-PX60U Plasma
WMC Win7 32bit HD DVR -
nice review mike, just ran across this today also. i have found that different power cords sound better with different components. i have the 6sons windigo power cord and it sounds best on my power amp. what are the other components of your system and did you try the cables on other components?Amplifiers: Norma IPA 140, MasterSound Compact 845, Ayre v6xe, Consonance Cyber 800
Preamp: deHavilland Ultraverve 3
Dac: Sonnet Morpheus 2, Musical Paradise mp-d2 mkIII
Transport: Jay's Audio CDT2 mk2, Lumin U1 mini
Speakers: Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II
Speaker Cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Organic Audio Organic Reference 2
Interconnects: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Argento Organic Reference 2, Argento Organic 2
Power Cables: Argento Organic Reference, Synergistic Research Foundation 10 and 12 ga.
Digital cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2 bnc, Tellurium Q aes, Silnote Audio Poseidon Signature 2 bnc
Puritan PSM156 -
janmike, thank you for your time efforts concerning this matter. I will give it a try myself. Thank You, BB3Sony 52in.XBR6
Sony 32in.XBR6
Anthem AVM50V
Anthem PRE-2L
Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1
Carver C-9
Carver C-19 PreAmp
Carver C-16 PreAmp
2-Carver Silver 7-T's
4-Carver TFM55's
2-Carver TFM35's
1-Carver TFM25
Carver 490T
Denon DCD1560
Sony BDP-S350
Sony PS3
Nintendo Wii
Panasonic DMK23DVR
Speakers :
PolkAudio SDA-SRS
PolkAudio SDA-SRS 1.2TL
PolkAudio SDA-CRS+(Compliments Of Mr. Jim Thomas"jtgranby")
PolkAudio RTA-15TL
PolkAudio M3
3-Velodyne F-1500's -
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nice review mike, just ran across this today also. i have found that different power cords sound better with different components. i have the 6sons windigo power cord and it sounds best on my power amp. what are the other components of your system and did you try the cables on other components?
I am in the process of burning in all 4 power cords as I upgraded to the Masters LE 2.0 series. I am using the 4 power cords on the following devices
1) Audio Research LS26 Pre
2) Proceed Amp5 (soon to be replaced with ARC VS115 Amp)
3) Esoteric X-03 SACD player (as stated above)
4) Shunyata Hydra Model-8 conditioner
So far so very good.Michael
In the beginning, all knowledge was new!
NORTH of 60° -
I am in the process of burning in all 4 power cords as I upgraded to the Masters LE 2.0 series. I am using the 4 power cords on the following devices
1) Audio Research LS26 Pre
2) Proceed Amp5 (soon to be replaced with ARC VS115 Amp)
3) Esoteric X-03 SACD player (as stated above)
4) Shunyata Hydra Model-8 conditioner
So far so very good.
Hey Michael,, that's some serious gear you got there:) JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut) -
Cables don't make a difference:pPlease. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
Thanks
Ben -
What you have with power cables is placebo effect. They are just snake oil. Have a look at this thread about these VD cable.http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f21/my-cat-tore-up-my-virtual-dynamics-power-3-a-293165/
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mjhughes, so do you have any personal experience trying out different power cords in your system?Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
He's got AQ in his sig for interconns - maybe he's just partially biased Jesse? RCA's make a difference, but stop there?
Why are we even looking at this thread bro?Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service. -
LOL.....yeah, I made note of that Russ.
Bored, I guess.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Here we go again. Someone with all kinds of personal experience with a product. The regurgitation of some else’s material does not qualify as experience.Michael
In the beginning, all knowledge was new!
NORTH of 60° -
If nothing else loved seeing what made that cable tick. But I would kill the cat if mine (and I should state own two cats but I have my limits) and when he was asked what he thought of the cable before his cat destroyed it he didn't responded to it I wonder then if his cat really tore it up or he was trying to put down the cable.
Speakers
Carver Amazing Fronts
CS400i Center
RT800i's Rears
Sub Paradigm Servo 15
Electronics
Conrad Johnson PV-5 pre-amp
Parasound Halo A23
Pioneer 84TXSi AVR
Pioneer 79Avi DVD
Sony CX400 CD changer
Panasonic 42-PX60U Plasma
WMC Win7 32bit HD DVR -
Here we go again. Someone with all kinds of personal experience with a product. The regurgitation of some elses material does not qualify as experience.
the boy just wants to straighten us all out, we know nothing, maybe he should get a sand dollar reward.
RT1 -
reeltrouble1 wrote: »the boy just wants to straighten us all out, we know nothing...
I could use a little straightening out. In the mean time, I'll be spending some time evaluating some PS Audio Statement SC power cords (five)that the FedEx man delivered today.
First I'll try them on my mono blocks, then on the preamp, then the phono preamp, and finally the SACD player.
As usual, I'll let you guys know how well the placebo effect worked.
I'm such a sucker for slick marketing and pretty packaging.:(
Awwww...you're not that bad. Really. I've got some people buying diamond necklaces for poodles.
Thanks for putting things in perspective. I feel better now.~DKProud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country! -
DK, if they don't live up to your expectations, I may be willing to take a couple off your hands. Because they're pretty and all, no other reason of course. "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
