Power cables?

Beta
Beta Posts: 267
edited February 2010 in 2 Channel Audio
This post is not intended to ignite a cable or speaker wire argument. I know such can sometimes be a sensitive subject.

Simply would like to know if I would benefit from upgraded power cables?

Right now I am using the stock power cables that came with my Parasound Halo A21 amp, P3 pre amp and Cambridge Audio 840c CD unit. All are ran through a APC H15 power conditioner.

Already upgraded to quality speaker cable and all my interconnects to quality XLRs. I have since noticed a significant improvement.

Therefore, wondering if there is any merit to upgrading power cables.

Comments, suggestions and recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks
Post edited by Beta on
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Comments

  • cstmar01
    cstmar01 Posts: 4,424
    edited February 2010
    I will say that a lot of people would recommend trying them. If you have noticed an improvement with the other cables try out some power cables and see if you do notice a difference. Signal Cable and some others like PS make some good intro cables for power chords that won't break the bank and do a great job. Also check out audigon for some in the auctions or just for classified listings.
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  • dougy
    dougy Posts: 182
    edited February 2010
    "Simply would like to know if I would benefit from upgraded power cables?" -Beta

    IMO, and assuming there is nothing wrong with the current ones, no. Unless you believe you will. Then by all means, damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead!:)
    THE MAN-CAVE 5.1 CHANNEL A/V RIG
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  • marvda1
    marvda1 Posts: 4,901
    edited February 2010
    try some from a manufacturer who has a trail period, that way you only be out shipping charges.
    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
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,566
    edited February 2010
    Judging by your gear, I would have to say upgrading your power cords is definitely worth trying. However, I would suggest you ditch the power conditioner for one designed for audio.
    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

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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,566
    edited February 2010
    IMO, and assuming there is nothing wrong with the current ones, no.

    So, what power cords have you tried?
    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

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  • Norm Apter
    Norm Apter Posts: 1,036
    edited February 2010
    I can just say from my experience that, yes, there is definately merit and the money I spent on power cords was money very well spent. I've got a Halo A23 amp, P3 pre and Bada CDP, for each of which I purchased IegO L70530 Power cords, on Early B's advice.

    I ordered them (3) from Taiwan for a total of $240 including shipping. They arrived in 3 days (no joke). I noticed a clear improvement in sound as I switched one after the other in for the stock cords. Maybe not quite as noticeable an upgrade as when I moved up to Shotgun S3 ICs and S3 Speaker cables, but still very noticeable (and better!) I highly doubt I'll feel the need to upgrade pc's in the future.

    Even my wife, who is no 'audophile', could tell within 5 seconds that the system sounded superior with the Iegos (i didn't tell her which was which, and trust me she has no interest in seeing me spend more money on this hobby).

    Of course, in the end only YOUR ears can be the judge. Just relaying what I found.

    Here's a link to a pretty thorough review of these:

    http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=56483.0
    2 Ch.
    Parasound Halo A23 Amp
    Parasound Halo P3 Preamp
    Parasound Halo T3 Tuner
    Bada HD22SE tube CD Player
    Magnum Dynalab Signal Sleuth
    Magnum Dynalab ST-2 antenna
    polkaudio Lsi9s (upgraded cross-overs)
    MIT Shotgun S-3 Bi-wire Interface Speaker Cables
    MIT Shotgun S-3 Interconnects (3)
    IegO L70530 Power cords (3)

    HT
    Denon 2808ci AVR
    polkaudio RTi A5s (fronts)
    polkaudio RTi A1s (rears)
    polkaudio Csi A6 (center)
    Signal Cable Ultra Speaker Cables
    Signal Cable Analog II Interconnects
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  • Flash21
    Flash21 Posts: 316
    edited February 2010
    IMHO your gear is good enough to hear a difference. Try it and see...have someone else switch cables so you don't bias yourself. Then decide.
    Steve Carlson
    Von Schweikert VR-33 speakers
    Bel Canto eVo2i integrated amp
    Bel Canto PL-2 universal disc player
    Analysis Plus Oval Nine speaker cables and Copper Oval-In Micro interconnects
    VH Audio Flavor 4 power cables
    Polk Monitor 10B speakers, retired but not forgotten
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited February 2010
    Seriously, ANOTHER cable thread. :rolleyes:

    To the OP, there are atleast 100 cable threads in the archives............last time we had a cable thread shut down no one had changed their POV. Best advice is to search the archives as the info there is just as the info would be 5 minutes from now.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited February 2010
    Actually your H15 is just fine. I use one and have been very pleasently surprised how well it does for audio. That's just the thing, it does nothing but what it's supposed to do. I was damn skeptical when I bought it and so far I don't feel the need to go out and spend $600+ on one that states it's designed specifically for audio.

    Just my .02c

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • polkatese
    polkatese Posts: 6,767
    edited February 2010
    heiney9 wrote: »
    Seriously, ANOTHER cable thread. :rolleyes:

    To the OP, there are atleast 100 cable threads in the archives............last time we had a cable thread shut down no one had changed their POV. Best advice is to search the archives as the info there is just as the info would be 5 minutes from now.

    H9

    It must have been another Groundhog Day in CP land.
    I am sorry, I have no opinion on the matter. I am sure you do. So, don't mind me, I just want to talk audio and pie.
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited February 2010
    Beta wrote: »
    This post is not intended to ignite a cable or speaker wire argument. I know such can sometimes be a sensitive subject.


    I can't imagine anyone around here would ever argue about cables. :eek:

    Seems to me it would be worth a try given your class of system. Buy used off Agon and then if they don't improve anything you can re-sell for about the same price.
    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • Montoya
    Montoya Posts: 506
    edited February 2010
    The post should have stated only those with direct experience reply. I'm tired of all the link posting lemmings.
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  • mopar paul
    mopar paul Posts: 277
    edited February 2010
    F1nut wrote: »
    Judging by your gear, I would have to say upgrading your power cords is definitely worth trying. However, I would suggest you ditch the power conditioner for one designed for audio.

    Agree! Power condtioners CAN zap your gear-I know b/c I have the same gear as you and this amp simply pulls a lot of juice.The stock power cord on your amp is 14g and the preamp is 16g. I have built my own cables using Beldens shielded 12g wire & some nice ends and I think the low-end kick is better by doing so-even though I was a huge skeptic on power cords.
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,137
    edited February 2010
    Montoya wrote: »
    The post should have stated only those with direct experience reply. I'm tired of all the link posting lemmings.

    Gold Jerry Gold!
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited February 2010
    F1nut wrote: »
    However, I would suggest you ditch the power conditioner for one designed for audio.

    What would you suggest Jesse?
    Jake
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,566
    edited February 2010
    Jake,

    PS Audio, Shunyata, Running Springs and Richard Gray are but a few that make power conditioners specifically designed for audio.
    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

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  • dpowell
    dpowell Posts: 3,068
    edited February 2010
    I've noticed a difference using power cables from Signal Cable. They come up for sale from time to time here on the forum. If you buy and try it out and find it doesn't make a difference, you can turn around and get your money back out of it and probably just be out the cost of shipping for your trouble.
    ____________________________________________________________

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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited February 2010
    Try the sub $100 cables from PS Audio. I tried the power punch first and now I use pure PS Audio power cords for all my gear.

    They gave me a noticable improvement. The background is so much quieter with better cables.
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  • Beta
    Beta Posts: 267
    edited February 2010
    Thanks everyone!

    I figured my question might ruffle a few feathers. However, that was in no way my intention.

    As I have upgraded speaker cable and interconnects, I have noticed improvements. To me, improvements worth the money spent. Simply wanted to know if the same might apply to power cables.

    I actually have/was using a Furman Elite 15PF -i- power conditioner. I switched to the APC H15. It works much better for my situation. My home was built in the 50s. Therefore, it is internally wired as such. The particular line to the outlet powering my equipment has a very heavy load on it. I needed a product with voltage regulation.

    Thanks again..
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,566
    edited February 2010
    The particular line to the outlet powering my equipment has a very heavy load on it. I needed a product with voltage regulation.

    Any chance of having a dedicated line installed? If not, the PS Audio Power Plant Premier would be ideal as it regenerates power.
    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

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  • Beta
    Beta Posts: 267
    edited February 2010
    F1nut

    I looked into to providing a dedicated line to service the outlet. Given my particular situation, purchasing the PS Audio Power Plant Premier would be a far more economical option.

    Interestingly enough, I actually had an electrician (who does a lot of high end HT set ups) come out to my house. We axed the dedicated line idea. He was the one who suggested I switch from the Furman to the APC. I switched to the APC last summer and have not had a single power related problem since.

    It really is great that there is a forum such as this. I know some folks get upset by repetitive posts. However, when I try to discuss audio related topics in the circles I run in, all I get back are blank stares. This forum is a wonderful resource!

    Andy
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,566
    edited February 2010
    However, when I try to discuss audio related topics in the circles I run in, all I get back are blank stares.

    We all know that look. :)
    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

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  • McLoki
    McLoki Posts: 5,231
    edited February 2010
    Stick around and participate. You are close to qualifying and you can check out power cords yourself and let us know if they make a difference....

    Michael
    Mains.............Polk LSi15 (Cherry)
    Center............Polk LSiC (Crossover upgraded)
    Surrounds.......Polk LSi7 (Gloss Black - wood sides removed and crossovers upgraded)
    Subwoofers.....SVS 25-31 CS+ and PC+ (both 20hz tune)
    Pre\Pro...........NAD T163 (Modded with LM4562 opamps)
    Amplifier.........Cinepro 3k6 (6-channel, 500wpc@4ohms)
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  • mshan242700
    mshan242700 Posts: 823
    edited February 2010
    Different power cords may make your electronics sound different, but not necessarily better (e. g. if Parasound voiced their electronics around those generic stock power cords).

    I tend to be more cautious about power cords that reviews claim totally transformed the sound and character of the system, rather than ones that reviews state just reduce noise or seem to make electronics sound slightly more refined or highly articulated.

    Probably best to think about what you like and don't like about your current system and if any reviews of power cords you may be looking at provide those types of changes.

    And if you live in house you own, having an electrician put in dedicated 20 amp lines is probably a smarter investment.

    Good Luck!




    :)
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  • Polkitup2
    Polkitup2 Posts: 1,622
    edited February 2010
    Music Direct has the Audioquest NRG-3 for less than half price. These are decent cables. http://www.musicdirect.com/product/72863
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  • TSWisla
    TSWisla Posts: 446
    edited February 2010
    F1nut wrote: »
    Judging by your gear, I would have to say upgrading your power cords is definitely worth trying. However, I would suggest you ditch the power conditioner for one designed for audio.

    F1 is completely on the mark. If you get a $5000 cable and plug it into that power conditioner, you just wasted your money. Get a Hydra 2 and a nice power cord and use it just for your amp. I am sure you will hear a difference. The Hydra 2 will minimally limit your amp. There are a lot of people out there that believe that if you use something like a Power Plant, your amp will be limited by the capabilities of the PP. I would not plug all of your components and your amp into the PP.
    Zu Soul Supreme
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  • W WALDECKER
    W WALDECKER Posts: 900
    edited February 2010
    heiney9 wrote: »
    Actually your H15 is just fine. I use one and have been very pleasently surprised how well it does for audio. That's just the thing, it does nothing but what it's supposed to do. I was damn skeptical when I bought it and so far I don't feel the need to go out and spend $600+ on one that states it's designed specifically for audio.

    Just my .02c

    H9
    I agree,I have owned an used a APC H15 for the past 18 months

    and they work fine for audio system use ;)
    Rogue Audio stereo 100 tube amplifier - Lector Zoe preamplifier with 6H30 pi's
    .Audience AU24SE speaker and ic cables- Chord Qutest DAC - Black Cat Silverstar II 75ohm digital cable-Tyler Acoustics Linbrook Signature system with large bass cabinets to accommodate 10" Seas magnesium woofers.2xhmpsuownoj.jpg
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  • phipiper10
    phipiper10 Posts: 955
    edited February 2010
    What they said ^^!
    Analog Source: Rega P3-24 Exact 2 w/GT delrin platter & Neo TT-PSU Digital Source: Lumin T2 w/Roon (NUC) DAC: Denafrips Pontus II Phono Preamp: Rega Aria MK3 Preamp: Rogue RP-7 Amp: Pass X150.8 Speakers: Joseph Audio Perspective 2, Audio Physic Tempo Plus Cables: Morrow M4 ICs & Audio Art SC-5 ePlus, Shunyata PCs Misc: Shunyata Hydra Delta D6, VTI rack, GIK acoustic panels
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  • dougy
    dougy Posts: 182
    edited February 2010
    F1nut wrote: »
    So, what power cords have you tried?

    OK, I'll bite.

    I've never had a power cord fail, so I have never had to replace one.:)
    THE MAN-CAVE 5.1 CHANNEL A/V RIG
    Sony KDS-60A3000
    a/d/s/ HT-400LCR (3)
    a/d/s/ HT-300 (2)
    Velodyne DLS-4000R (2)
    Pioneer Elite VSX-55TXi
    Pioneer Elite DV-47Ai
    Sony BDP-S300
    Sony SLV-779HF
    DirecTV HD sat. receiver

    MAN-CAVE 2-CHANNEL RIG (shares sources with a/v system)
    Adcom GFA-5500
    Bose 901 Series VI
    NAD C-165BEE
    Slim Devices Squeezebox Classic
    TEAC CD-RW890
    Technics SL-BD20D w/ Audio-Technica P34
    Akai HX-A3X
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,566
    edited February 2010
    Since you have absolutely no experience with power cords, why would you feel qualified to comment on the matter?
    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

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