A stupid question(s) about power cords

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@immatthewj just sold SA10 few months ago. Nordost Heimdall 2 was a nice match with it. Opened up the top end a bit and improved clarity. Give it a shot. 

@immatthewj yep regular 15A IEC plug. Works fine with SA10. And yes sorry not a fan but I think it was more of a synergy and preference since the SA10 gets consistently good reviews. I just didn’t like it in my system. 
What I like about the Nordost power cable on it is that it just improves clarity without adding any nasties. Try it from MD they have 60 days return policy if I’m not mistaken. 

Np! Trying Heimdall 2 with 60 day policy is a no brainer. I would also try it on the amp and pre. It’s a great cable.

Nice furutech knock offs with the carbon fiber shell. I would get copper. Worth trying for $50. You can always return it. I wouldn’t draw any general conclusions based on this power cord experience though.

That’s the gold plated one?

There are reasons why some don’t hear difference between cables. 
most common…

1. Low quality components 

2. Bad room acoustics even with decent components this will be detrimental 

3. Bad setup - speakers are not properly placed, speakers blocked by large furniture, no designated listening position, no critical listening and again low quality components and room acoustics 

4. Listener is not able to hear differences - not everyone can. 
5. Listeners never tried and never will try upgraded cables. Thoughts based purely on “science” and or audio science review.

6. Doesn’t want to or doesn’t have the means to upgrade cables 

In any case, arguing with these people is pointless. 

I missed nothing.
You can call it whatever. The list is 100% accurate. Post pictures of your system. I’ll prove it to you.

@immatthewj it’s all about trying the power cord upgrade for yourself. Some power cords result in very minor changes, some produce a difference big enough to go wow. One such example for me was the Nordost Brahma power cable that I tried on Rogue RP-1 preamp that I had at the time. The difference was huge. Bigger improvement than rolling tubes or changing interconnects.
It all depends. Your nearfield listening at lower volumes may not interact with room acoustics as much, allowing you to hear even subtle changes. Trying is the only way to find out.
By the way I had no intention to sound obnoxious or arrogant with that list I posted earlier. I’m going strictly by my experience. Expensive cables make no sense in the context of a system that can’t reveal the changes or the room that has acoustics of a tiled bathroom. The priority should always be components first, then room, then cables and tweaks.

@immatthewj it’s definitely very possible. 
So…when are you getting your upgraded power cable?

Enjoy....until it becomes ’not good enough’ once again.... 😏

@asvjerry this happens frequently. I won’t deny it. But then again it happens to us because we hear the difference and we want to hear what some other power cord or interconnect will sound like. Not the best situation to be in because it almost always means you’re switching to analytical listening looking for changes. Worst part about it is when some of us enter that mode it is extremely difficult to get out of. Guilty as charged here. I hate when it happens because instead of enjoying the music I’m comparing what row the mosquito farted in with cable A vs cable B. Was the mosquito better defined when he farted with one cable or component over the other? Was the mosquito fart texture better with one cable vs another?

If you hit a bullseye with synergy with your new cable or component, good chance you’re back to listening to music as opposed to listening to sounds much sooner. But it doesn’t always work this way. You get on a merry go round looking for your next upgrade. Sooner or later…

@immatthewj I would put my best cord on the amp first and try it there for a few days. Then return to stock on the amp and listen to few of the same tracks. Then introduce the upgraded cord on digital and determine where it performs best.

Yes the default sounded best to me as well. And if I’m not mistaken when you play an SACD the filter selection is disabled. I didn’t like the other filters and dither options as they just didn’t sound right to me. 

I would like to add though that the SA-10 isn’t a bright sounding player. How are your room acoustics? Area rug? Any absorption or diffusion on side walls?

Cool. Sounds like the room is good enough to test the cables. 
Let us know how the amplifier sounds with the new cable 

@mrdecibel and @immatthewj

while I’m waiting for the Nordost Heimdall 2 power cord to arrive, I decided I’ll check out this Preffair 10awg cable. I got the one with the knockoff Furutech FI-50 NCF plugs with allegedly copper connectors.

I parked it on my Aurender N200 streamer in place of the Audience forte f3.

Initial impressions…

Build: cable is solidly built and is flexible. Knockoff Copper connectors look OK, the copper is a bit rough looking (uneven color).
Sound: system is cold but I can’t find anything major to fault yet after a quick listen. Low noise floor, good tone. Definitely better than the stock cable and is at least as good as the cheap audience. I’ll give it a couple of weeks to break in but so far I have no complaints.

Here it is…https://a.co/d/gyr0IQj

So here’s the thing with Rhodium plated connectors in my system…it can get too much. At one point I had all Furutech power cables with FI-50 and FI-50 NCF Rhodium plated plugs plugged into Furutech GTX-D NCF outlets. In addition my speaker cables, Audience AU24SX had Rhodium plated spades. As I added more Furutech cords with R connectors, the tonal balance shifted slightly to become a bit artificial. I kept the NCF outlets but sold the power cables and got Nordost Frey 2 (a pair on Pass mono amps), Nordost Heimdall 2 power cable is currently feeding my Pass XP-22 preamp. I’m expecting one more Heimdall 2 for DAC. O continue using speaker cables with R plated spades, Furutech DSS-4.1. I sold the Audience AU24SX sp cables. The balance is just right as I’m listening. 
The Preffair power cable is excellent on the Aurender N200 but I’ll see how it develops. Sound is pure, derailed, airy and natural now. Surprisingly good soundstage width and depth. I’m pretty thrilled with this cheap power cord. I’ll do a shootout with Nordost Heimdall 2 when I have everything settled. @mrdecibel you have a winner there especially considering the cost. 

@ghdprentice +1 

Takes time and switching back and forth quickly doesn’t work. 
Take your time. Don’t rush. 

The Preffair cable is going thru a break in phase. Hopping back in for a listen late last night revealed a slightly harsh treble that I didn’t detect few hours prior listening to the same track. Not worried too much for multiple reasons. But curious how it will sound with 200+ hrs behind its belt. Pretty sure it will smooth out. 

Well…you’re not the only one experiencing this.
There are a lot of factors that can contribute to you not being able to experience the same magic every time. Some are…mood, how stressed and tense you are, tired or rested, allergies/sinus pressure, power quality, streaming quality (I still think it varies periodically), noise in the house, etc.

So don’t sweat it. 

@immatthewj the SA-10 power consumption is 50w. If you leave the player on 24/7 it will be sufficient to break in that power cable within about 200-300hrs. I have it on my streamer and if you recall I stated the sound was very good initially then hours later I heard harshness in the treble. Last night the highs sounded dull. Not rolled off or muffled, but just dull…no sparkle. So it’s changing even on my streamer that doesn’t consume more power than your SACD player does. With the adapter running your fridge with that cable it will probably get to its final state in about 100-150hrs. I ordered the adapter by the way. Will run my fridge with it and see if my beer tastes any better…just kidding. 
As to quality of power, usually after 11pm is when my system sounds best. 
I’ll keep you posted on how the sound changes as the cable breaks in. 
Also, I finally got the Nordost Heimdall 2 and that’s on the DAC now. I’m thinking eventually I’ll end up picking up another Heimdall 2 or Frey 2 and keep the Preffair as a spare but I’m in no particular hurry to do that. 

No spinning discs required. Just keep the player on. Or connect a laptop (or iPad) to it and stream YouTube playlists or Qobuz, Tidal whatever via usb while not listening to CDs. SA-10 has a USB input and is pretty decent used as a DAC. If it goes into standby due to inactivity with CD this will keep it on. There are ways to keep the SA-10 on and consuming power. No one said anything about spinning a disc 24/7. 

@jea48 yes it’s a guesstimate based on my experience with power cords. Except for a Furutech 55n with FI-60 NCF plugs that took over 600hrs (I lost count) on Pass amp to stabilize, all other cables no matter where they were placed took 200-300 tops to settle. I ordered the adapter though as it’s a good tool to have around. and will run this power cable for few days powering the fridge. Just as an experiment as I’ve not used this method to break in power cables.
I don’t want to overthink or complicate this too much for a $50 power cord. I’m just enjoying the music and the moody break in process this cable is going thru. The Aurender N200 the cable is feeding consumes 15w (play) and it’s on repeat round the clock. Fridge should expedite the process so we’ll see.

@immatthewj I have a CD rip of Slowhand and Clapton sounds tired singing on that album and he is definitely struggling a bit there. Sounds like he’s singing with a sore throat on “Next Time You See Her”. 

Beer tastes a bit crisper with this power cord on the fridge. Who would have thought!!!

Just kidding. It is on the fridge and cooking. I’ll throw it back into the system Tuesday/Wednesday

@immatthewj Lay Down Sally….it’s just spinning in my head and I can’t get rid of it.

Btw when I listened to my FLAC CD rip I compared it to Qobuz 24bit version. I much prefer the rip. Even through the Qobuz hi-res version sounds a bit bigger in the bass, it has a processed feel to it. The CD rip sounds more natural. Just to add some context…my CD rips are on the Samsung SSD mounted inside the Aurender N200 streamer. In both cases though I just enjoyed the music. Good album and I’m not really a Clapton fan. 

 

@mrdecibel will keep it on the fridge as long as my patience (not my virtue) permits

I’ll report back

Think of it this way…whatever Clapton or any other musician was going thru or dealing with at the time the recording was made makes that recording unique. It gives it that special vibe. That’s something we should probably embrace when listening and that unique vibe plays into our enjoyment and appreciation of that recording. I don’t think we’re deeming it a defect in case of Slowhand with how Clapton sounds. It’s quite the opposite.

By the way the Preffair power cable is back in the system and and I think it’s settling down. It’s more evenly balanced. My conclusion is it’s a fine power cord for the money. Is it as good as my Nordost Heimdall 2 or Frey 2? No. But it’s more than adequate. To get to a noteworthy improvement you will probably have to spend at least 4-5 times as much. And in systems where this power cord lands that would be funds better directed towards component upgrades and not cables. 

So my conclusion on the Preffair 10awg OFC power cord with copper connectors is that it’s going back with just over 300hrs on it. 
It started out great then went through a bit of a rollercoaster and settled on being thin and undefined in the lower regions with bass being distant and light without much body or definition, the highs are very over accentuated partially due to lack of bass. The mids are good with decent clarity. 
It’s very possible that the sound characteristics I’m hearing are due to the copper connectors. I recall the TWL Seven Plus that has pure copper connectors sounded slightly bright but had excellent bass which this cord lacks so the balance is more towards highs and it just rings. It’s a high quality build. Too bad it didn’t work out as I was hoping. 

I’ve noticed fatigue setting in 5-10min in. Few days ago I thought it was power issues due to everyone running AC 24/7 amongst other things that impact power quality. I tried listening in the morning and late at night and the effect is the same. So this morning I swapped in the stock cord and the problem is solved.
Once again, the effects I’ve experienced with the preffair power cord were on my Aurender N200 streamer. The rest of the power cables are Nordost Heimdall 2 on DAC and pre, Nordost Frey 2 on Pass X260.8. Few days in I kind of noticed first signs of problems with this cord but was hoping break in will help but it’s only gotten worse. It is what it is.

Yup. You got it. Funny thing is right out of the box the Preffair was excellent. As it broke in it took a 💩 turn.