So your wondering about Power Cords?

GMJim

McLoki wrote: »

GMJim - about 40 more posts in the next 3 months or so and you will get to try them out... for now, feel free to consider yourself added to the list. (assuming you are willing to try them out for the low fee of shipping them to the next in line)

Michael

Michael
Thanks very much for the offer but at $69.00 (5 footer) it's cheaper to buy my own rather than pay two way shipping to borrow yours. Even if I don't find an improvement it's a great power cord just the same.
Jim

Conradicles

GMJim wrote: »

Michael
Thanks very much for the offer but at $69.00 (5 footer) it's cheaper to buy my own rather than pay two way shipping to borrow yours. Even if I don't find an improvement it's a great power cord just the same.
Jim

Actually you only have to pay one way shipping and it only cost me $7. Well worth it.

Believe me, in my mind power cables should not make a noticeable difference. But sometimes they do.:)

GMJim

Conradicles wrote: »

Actually you only have to pay one way shipping and it only cost me $7. Well worth it.

Believe me, in my mind power cables should not make a noticeable difference. But sometimes they do.:)

Seven bucks is much cheaper but I do need a power cord anyway. Paying extra for the Magic Power cord is my contribution to the experiment. If my system sounds better with the new cord I'll be the first one to admit it. I have to keep an open mind but it will be difficult.:eek:

doctorcilantro

GMJim wrote: »

Seven bucks is much cheaper but I do need a power cord anyway. Paying extra for the Magic Power cord is my contribution to the experiment. If my system sounds better with the new cord I'll be the first one to admit it. I have to keep an open mind but it will be difficult.:eek:

You could even use Foobar ABX plugin too (if you use PC as source). It would be interesting to try to first just AB, and discern any difference, then see if the ABX results follow suit.

have fun!

hearingimpared

BlueFox wrote: »

Just a brief note on this. I was a power cord skeptic, but I pay attention, and keep an open mind, to what I read. So, I thought I would try it, and see if it really made any difference . Anyway, before I received these cords I ordered some Pangea AC-14 cords after reading all the good press about them in this forum. Since I now had power cables on order, I felt there was no sense in tying up the cables and delaying somebody else, so I dropped out.

Anyway, to make a short story long, the Pangea AC-14, and soon after the AC-14SE, cables on my Wadia, DAC, SACD/CD, and pre-amp made a big, obvious, difference in improving the sound. I was amazed it was so apparent. I could care less how far the electricity traveled to get to my outlet. The last 1 and 1.5 meters through a good power cable make a BIG difference.

I can vouch for BlueFox what he wrote above the I bolded. I remember when he was skeptical about speaker wire making a difference, along came Mapleshade records double helix speaker wire and it made a believer out of him. Also brass weights and footer tweaks, he's tried and became a believer so when he speaker of ANTHING that he has found that makes an improvement in the SQ and it is something I didn't already know or was skeptical about, I listen.

hearingimpared

GMJim wrote: »

Seven bucks is much cheaper but I do need a power cord anyway. Paying extra for the Magic Power cord is my contribution to the experiment. If my system sounds better with the new cord I'll be the first one to admit it. I have to keep an open mind but it will be difficult.:eek:

Once you start trying these tweaks that "defy" science and hear what they can actually do to improve the sound of your rig, you find yourself checking out more and more.

A friend of ours had a very expensive aftermarket power cord on his magnificant integrated amp. He bought one a little later that was, I believe, twice the price and supposed to do certain things better than the one he had. When he installed it and let burn in he hated it and sent it back. Thus goes the placebo effect theory out the window.

What I'm trying to say here is you have to try things in your rig for yourself to dertermine whether they are worth the money. Most ICs, speaker cables, power cable, and gear come with a 30 day money back guarantee so if you don't like the sound imparted by the product or you don't hear a difference you send it back and are only out the shipping. However, by doing this and finding that they really do improve the sound, NOW you are opening yourself up to a whole new world of system improvements and always keep in mind that tweaks are cumulative.

Lecture of the day! Class dismissed!!!:eek::rolleyes::D:D:D:D

Big Dawg

Okay, so the PCs are out of my system and on their way to Ted (praedet). Many thanks to Michael for offering his cables for this trial.

Well, skeptical as I was in entering this trial, I am a skeptic no more. There is no doubt about it, power cables make a big difference in sound. The silences are quieter (blacker), the depth of instrument separation is far greater.

The second question is much harder to answer - are they worth the cost? Yes, the improvement is worth the cost of the Signal Cables. I only wonder about the improvement of less expensive but good cables. For example, the Pangea cables are getting good reviews, so maybe $30-50 per cable is enough to spend to get good results. Would a more revealing system require better cables? And what if even the Pangea's are overkill - are high quality hospital grade cables just as effective?

I recently found a nice Panamax at a price I couldn't pass up, and I'll probably end up buying the Pangea's after I finish investing in some higher priority projects like speaker upgrades. I am fully converted: good power cords do make a very positive difference.

moodyman

Big Dawg wrote: »

The silences are quieter

praedet

Got them and they look great! I'll have them in and running this week

Ranger0912

I challenge anyone to relate a bad experience dealing with Frank. He builds fairly priced, excellent cables that IMHO compete admirably with those costing many times as much.

praedet

All right, I am ready to send these on and write up my thoughts

McLoki

praedet wrote: »

All right, I am ready to send these on and write up my thoughts

Sorry for the delay on this everyone - I was out on vacation. Back now and ready to keep this moving....

TNRabbit
comfortablycurt

You two are the next up. Please send me your contact info and I will pass it along.

Thanks.

Michael

McLoki

I think TNRabbit may have dropped, No word from comfortablycurt - next two are up.

squeeb
dbaldus

Please send me your info.

Michael

TNRabbit

i'm out. thanx anyway

McLoki

well, the list is shortening quickly - any of the following that still wants to test out the cables, PM me your address...

comfortablycurt
squeeb
dbaldus
cstmar01
VirtualDean

McLoki

Anyone who wants to try out the power cords, PM me your address info. If I get nothing by Monday, they are coming back to me.

Sherardp

Good thread, I installed some Pangea cords on my amps and they sound fantastic.

messiah

Pm sent, I'd like to check em out.

fishbones

PM sent. I'd like to try them please.

praedet

So, it has taken me entirely too long post up this review. I have found that a 6-7 month old can take a lot of time. Enough time to stall all other projects, small or large. Luckily, I have an easy explanation for this. I wrote the review a while ago and my black lab ate it…

So I wrote it again and my son ate it…

So this time I am typing it first
I have NEVER used an upgraded power cable on any electronic objects. I am relatively new to even trying out different interconnects and speaker cables and about 50% of my cabling is Signal Cable. I had an open mind going into this, but I also did not expect any improvements.

I first installed the Digital Reference Power Cable (DRPC) on my modified LiteAudio DAC-60. When I got this DAC a while ago, it did not have a power cord, so I had installed a generic IEC cord I had lying around. This DAC feeds a DODD Battery Tube Buffer so the set-up is quite revealing. For this testing, I was sending the DAC the signal from my OPPO BDP-83 with it’s stock PC. I installed the Magic Power Cable (MPC) on my Outlaw Audio LFM-1 EX as that is the only place where a cord that short (and thick) would work for me. Had it been a 20-amp cord, I would have tried it on my amp.

Upon starting the music after a 15 minute warm-up for the DAC and the buffer, I immediately noticed that the music seemed louder at the same volume settings as normal. I did not measure before and after, so I do not know if this was actually a difference in volume, or just a greater difference in dynamics which would seem like a greater volume. Anyway, I was digging it

I also noticed that the soundstage seemed to be about 10% wider than normal. This DAC and the DODD Buffer produce quite a large and 3-D soundstage, so increasing the width was quite impressive! Through this testing, the sub was not involved as I use the modified LSi9s full-range for most 2-channel listening. As I continued listening, I noticed that there was almost NOTHING left in between musical passages. No extraneous noise. It was BRILLIANT!
Next up was moving the DRPC to the OPPO so that I could experience the effects of the MPC and DRPC on multi-channel music and movies.
After taking the DRPC off the DAC I listened to the 2-channel set-up again and was quite disappointed. Extra noise and less dynamic and “analog” music. So I ordered a Pangea AC-14SE and put it on the DAC. Even with the DRPC on the OPPO using it as a transport, I did not get the same effect as having the DRPC on the DAC.
So, for home theater with the DRPC on the BDP-83 and the MPC on the sub, I noticed and felt some of what I got out of the 2-channel, but not as much. I am running the BDP-83 with analog outputs and DVI, so I thought there would be more of the same, but I did not notice it. In fact, for movies, I think that these cables might be overkill. Your results may vary, but movies just did not seem to show the difference.

So, lastly I tried the same set-up and played some SACDs multi-channel, a music BluRay and a DTS DVD. The clarity and dynamics were now noticeable again. The bass seemed very tight and controlled, but still flat and deep as it always has been. With my sub and an SMS-1 I have a near flat curve from 17 Hz to 120 Hz with any dips and humps limited to less than 1.5 dB. So to have the same response, but have it sound better, was incredible. Just for fun I played 2 songs back to back for some friends. I played Hotel California from the Eagles DTS DVD. I sent them out of the room and switched the 2 PCs in between the 2 times. Within the first few notes of the drum (sub) 1 asked me what I had changed because it sounded “muddy”. The other noticed it as the guitars started in saying they were not as “clear” and “real”. Both of these guys were in a band with me a few years back and while they don’t quite appreciate musical reproduction equipment as much as I do, they do notice good, accurate sound when they hear it. So to have them IMMEDIATELY notice the change was mind-blowing.

Anyway, I think that is about all I will say for now. I never tried the DRPC on my preamp, nor did I get to try a cord on my amp. The biggest thing I can say is that I have some more Pangeas on the way as I tried out the DRPC on the OPPO and the Pangea I ordered earlier on the DAC and I got even more dimensionality out of the soundstage, so I am sold

Thank you very much for doing this Michael, but my wife hates you

By the way, they should have arrived at fishbones' house by today I think

fishbones

Just picked them up at the post office this morning, since I was out of town.
I'll let you know....
Thanks!

veerapaneni

I have ordered 2 Pangea Audio AC-9 Powercord (1 Meter) for $16.50/each with free shipping.. There was a typo in price i think. Today it show $62.5

McLoki

Well, its been a little over a month - Fishbones, you ready to send them on to the next player??? (and any opinions yet?)

Michael

Toolfan66

Pangea power cords are the bang for you buck upgrade!!

I am running them in my whole system and could not be happier with them..

Very cool on you doing this, and it looks to me that the vote is in as they do make a difference!!!

nooshinjohn

McLoki wrote: »

Here is the current order of things.

Huck344 .................. Results:.... Difference: Yes.........Worth Cost: MC - Yes, DRC - perhaps (mixed results)
nooshinjohn ............. Results:.... Difference: Yes.........Worth Cost: Yes
ben62670................. Results:.... Difference: Yes.........Worth Cost: Yes
Conradicles............... Results:.... Difference: Yes.........Worth Cost: Yes
Big Dawg...................Results: Waiting on Review

Zitro - Dropped from test at their request
BlueFox - Dropped from test at their request

Praedet ***** Cords shipping out soon from Big Dawg*****

TNRabbit
comfortablycurt
squeeb
dbaldus
cstmar01
VirtualDean
LessisNevermore
Ric5811


Michael

Just wanted to weigh in here again. It was because of this test that I decided to plunk down 300 bucks for a pair of PS Audio AC-5 power cables for my Carver Statement project. The difference these cords have made with my Sunfire 425~5 is stunning to sat the least. Thanks Mike for the demo. If not for you, I might still have 300 bucks in my pocket!

dorokusai

There's a crappy article about power cords in this months Absolute Sound.

fishbones

Yep, sure Michael, be happy to send them out to whoever is next?

Ric5811

I will go next if the others are not "in" ahead of me!

McLoki

messiah is up next.


Then:
squeeb
dbaldus
veerapaneni
Ric5811


Ric, send me you contact info when you get a chance.....

Michael

fishbones

Cables are on their way to Christopher (Messiah)! :biggrin:

Thanks again Micheal for doing this great act of generosity!

While I can't say that I did these cables there true justice because there was some major changes going on in my system at the time (I'm sure they would be more noticeable if my system was already almost 'there')...I still noticed a difference. Not as much as I thought I would, but then again like everything in this business, multiple things have to come together to make magic. Unfortunately my PD65 CDP doesn't have a detachable AC cord, so I wasn't able to try the digital cord (which from what I've read the source AC cord seems to make the most difference). What I did notice was a darker background and less congestion with the instruments (better seperation). Once I get my system really coming together (getting my SDA 1C's next week from Conradicles ) I will be buying audiophile power cords.

To me, one of the most important things I took away from this test is what kind of AC cords to look out for. These babies are thick! They don't bend real easy and they weigh alot. I found that on some components that the weight and lack of ease to bend them really tended to pull on the the component outlet to where they weren't pulling off of it, but sitting at an angle instead of tight up against the outlet. These are awesome cables for the money and a definitely a great bang for the buck, but when I purchase some in the future, I would look for ones that are lighter and have more muneverability so I don't fear the connection to the units. Thanks again!

Regards,
Troy