Do not worry about it. Buy a cable, use it, break it in, and report back.
A stupid question(s) about power cords
As the title indicates, I admit that this is probably a stupid question. But since I don’t know (for sure) the answer, I am asking it anyway.
The recent power cord thread got me interested in a power cord upgrade (from the stock cord) on my Maranzt SA10 (SACDP). The power cord receptacle on that particular component does not have a male equipment ground pin--only the neutral and hot pins. Therefore the cord supplied by Maranzt is a two pole (if that is the right terminology) cord. But because I have done it this way before, I do know that it will accept a power cord with an equipment ground as well as a neutral and hot.
Question 1: I went to musicdirect and looked at some power cords and I saw one (an open box Audioquest NRG Z2) that they were calling a two pole cord. The end that plugs in to the component only has a neutral and a hot, but the other end, the end that plugs into the outlet in the wall, does have an equipment ground blade (so that end has three blades). Why would that be?
Question 2: (and this is the stupid one) if a power cord has an equipment ground pin plugged into the wall, even if it is not plugged into an eqipment ground in the component itself, that cord is still connected to the neutral bus bar in the panel, right? So that being the case, since the equipment ground wire in the cord is right next to the hot wire, is there a way unwanted stuff (rf or whatever, my understanding of this is quite limited) can that dirty up the power that is traveling on the hot wire in the power cord?
I think that the answer to the last question is probably going to be ’no’? And if the answer is ’no’, that means that I really don’t need to shop for only two pole cords, right? And I see this as sort of important because if I buy a two pole cord, the ONLY component I can use it on/try it out on will be my SACDP--there will be no playing around with a two pole cord on my preamp or my amp.
And ALSO, if I don’t feel constrained to shopping ONLY for two pole cords, I would probably have more options to consider.
TIA for legitimate insight to this, and to all others, feel free to ridicule me and my question--I don’t mind.
Showing 35 responses by mrdecibel
Yes, Preffair, but a 10 gauge cable. Can get it with plastic shells or aluminum shells. Google : Amazon - Preffair Audio. You should be at their main page. Down on the right side, top right power cable. The one I am recommending has aluminum barrels/shells on the plugs, is a 10 gauge cable, and is grey cloth with a spiral line. Sorry, I am a laptop dummy. |
First of all, you are again, over thinking. We are talking under $50. How many electronic components have plastic tops ? Any piece you own ? That is the best from Preffair. The shell is aluminum alloy. It does great. I would say, if you feel better about the plastic shells, go that way, but this cable is still a great way to experience high end power cables for cheap. And, metals sound different, as everything does. My best, MrD. |
Let me be clear. I never stated the Rhodium is the one I recommended. The manufacturer gives you a choice, and I am very familiar with both. I hear no less detail, or anything less, listening with the Rhodium connectors. However, as I did mention, they do sound a hair brighter to me. I too like shielding in power cords. The grip in the terminal is very tight. If you have not tried it, what you say means nothing to me. Have a great day ! |
@rodman99999 my dear friend, you are so correct. 👍 However, I find silver, and silver plating in cables, extremely system sensitive, more so than the others, ime. My best, always, MrD. |
@audphile1 I have tried all of the metals and all of the shells on these, and the aluminum alloy shells are incredible, to these ears. My best, MrD. |
Everyone should buy one and try it out. Let it settle in for 100 or so hours. A very nice sounding cable at the price. @audphile1 I tried them all. I happen to like the Rhodium...in my system, to my ears, it has a slightly more open and airy top end, and a more dynamic midband. Bass about the same. It bettered many more expensive cables. If it is a coloration, it makes no difference, as my ears like what I like. MrD. |
@audphile1 Great list. I have been part of this industry for a very long time. Since the internet, it simply amazes me how ignorant some people actually are. I am too adult to name call (but I will defend myself). However, to call someone "ignorant" is basically saying what you really mean, but politely. In this case, anyway. Enjoy ! MrD. |
@immatthewj fyi, the carbon fiber shell does not offer any more shielding, as the cables themselves are shielded. Theoretically, the aluminum alloy shell should offer more shielding than the carbon fiber shell. |
@immatthewj Get one for your power amp as well. $150. all in for 3. You will grow into a believer, and a happy listener. They are so good for the price. My best, MrD. |
@immatthewj I would hope that anyone who owns gear as you do, would have a dedicated room, or at least, a room that you have done some "conditioning" to. If the speaker/room/listening seat is not the best it could be, you are missing out on a lot of your audio investment. IME....just saying. MrD. |
A lot of pressure to be under, having to report back on a power cable difference. I want to say, this difference will not be as huge as changing out a preamp, but ime, as much as a tube. You need to know your system. You need to know the particular music you have chosen. You should enjoy the music you have chosen, and simply relax during the evaluation. This is harder with tube gear, again ime, because when a unit powers up, it can take more than 3-4 hours to be at its best. One of the many reasons I enjoy ss gear. Ready 100%, 100% of the time. I am sensitive to gear warm up and break in (another topic that has been discussed ad nauseam). Anyway Matt...be patient and enjoy yourself. The improvements will show up, on any device. Some of us are here for you ! MrD. |
@audphile1 Interesting that you got one to try. As I mentioned somewhere else, I could not build a cable as good as this for this silly amount of money. I have had power cables in my system retailing at $1K, and none of them blew me away, over these Preffairs. Different, yea, but better, not really. Not like a different amplifier, which is more substantial in differences. And of course, synergy. TY for letting us know. My best, MrD. |
@dill , what are you implying ? Matt is going through a growth spurt with his system, if you have been paying attention to his threads. Unfortunately, making the power cable change and discussing any differences, will not be valid, since at a similar time Matt changed speakers. What he is hearing is a combination of the cables and the speakers, making it hard for him to distinguish any improvement between the supplied cables and the Chinese cables. I am glad he bought the 3 cables, because they are superior to the cables that come with the product and they will allow his gear to " open up " more, which is a real, positive characteristic we can all agree on. My best, MrD. |
Listen, to the " musicianship " and the " composition ". Everything else will follow. Why are listeners so involved in the acoustics of the performance, rather than the performance itself. Once an instrument or voice enters a mic or a mixing console, and is then manipulated by the producers, engineers and other studio folks, all the real and lifelike nuances are lost. Listeners keep trying to maintain the tone of the instruments/voices, and the localization of the musicians. It is all fabricated. If you listen to " what " the musicians are doing, the tones and placements become secondary, and your listening life will be simpler. This is the way musicians listen, and this is the way I listen. Over the years I have tried to communicate this way of listening to people with their audio rigs, but " give me that sound stage " and I am happy. Maybe because I was a singer in my earlier years and had a wonderful coach/teacher. Maybe, because I spent some time in recording studios (when it was all analog). I feel the simplicity of listening has grown so out of proportion. Matt, talk about babbling...well I seem to do it to, ad nauseum. My rant is over...for now, lol.....Enjoy ! MrD. |
@audphile1 +1 |
Matt, I did not offer anything, except an opinion or two with my many years of experience, and I apologize if I was not gentle in my presentation. I momentarily became a teacher, and no one enjoys being a student, especially us audio folks. Getting back to your question...if you can understand " musicianship " and " music composition ", you would understand me and what I listen to. Why do I need better equipment ? My system highlights every played and sung note, dynamically, quickly, articulately, coherently, authoritatively, cleanly, dynamically (oops, twice) just as I like it. My worst sounding recordings those that (many here would not listen to on their systems) as there is a lot of information within the recordings. Listenend to some Beck / Stewart collaborations earlier. A fabulous listen. I am sorry you did not enjoy Clapton's voice on your system. I always enjoy him. Anything he does. I saw Clapton at MS Garden around '86, and he was not doing well on stage. There was another guitarist doing the famous Clapton licks. Phil Collins was the drummer, and they performed In The Air Tonight. Garden had great concerts, and you needed ear protection at times, depending on who the sound man was. My best always, MrD. |
People are not understanding, Matt purchased some very well made and excellent sq for the money, 10 gauge power cables by Preffair, on my recommendation. He wanted to jump in and get his feet wet with better cables than stock, at an INTRO price. Without spending crazy money, these make quite a lot of improvement. They are not broken in yet and will, like everything else, get better with time on them. |
" I did enjoy his voice "when I realized" that it was not the result of a poor source cd but was the result of the abuse that his vocal cords were probably taking ". " I enjoyed it "when it hit me" that that was his real voice at the time. Not really sure what to make of it. Slow Hand, as every other Clapton cd I own, showcases his voice, at that time, with exemplary precision. There is no " when I realized ". I have no idea what you are saying....unless, you went into the listening session with one kind of attitude (negative, not feeling great), and then a bit later, the music uplifted you and pulled you in. Discussions of moods we have when listening, is interesting. If I am not feeling up to snuff (however you may interpret that) I will never go sit in my listening seat and listen. My system is never used to get me out of a funk. When I do listen, I am fully awake, energized and excited that I have chosen this or that recorded performance for the experience of listening pleasure and entertainment. My best, MrD. |
Finished my mods on an amplifier a week ago and have since been letting it sing along with my system, 24 /7 (an advantage of solid state gear, and having a private, dedicated listening room). I played the Medeski Martin and Wood cd "friday afternoon in the universe" this morning, at a very realistic level. WOW just WOW. Enjoy ! MrD. |
@classicrockfan , Matt is breaking in some Amazon 10 gauge power cables I had recommended to him (x3, for cd player, preamp and amp). I generally respect engineers, but not when they say power cables do not make a difference, over the cheap included cords. Have you tried a $50 2meter cable off Amazon and used your ears? Why do they sound different? Why do fuses sound different? Why does copper sound different than rhodium? Equipment break in? Don't believe in that either? With many of us here (I feel comfortable grouping us golden eared listeners together) who actually listen and have systems capable of us hearing differences/improvements, I am truly sorry you feel the way you do. Enjoy your factory cables. Always, MrD. |
No doubt many of us have ears/brains and systems that allow us to hear these changes/differences. I cannot even go as far as saying improvements, because this is dependent on each of us individually. But, folks like crf, who claims to hear no differences, is still sad to me. The list that @audphile1 came up with why this is so, is quite on the money. Using Clapton as the example here, over the years, his voice has changed, and his guitar virtuosity has changed. A great system exposes this, and to me is one on the wonderful aspects of listening. I listen to Clapton because of his guitar playing, and his voice. I do not sit there analyzing his health conditions during the making of a particular recording. However I will say, there are other recordings of Clapton I listen to more than Slowhand (a bit countryesh imo), as I agree, he was likely struggling a bit during that time (when I saw him at the Garden that time I mentioned above, he was "out of it"). Sad really. The same can be said for any other musicians of your choice. Sinatra, from the earliest days to his latest, sounds different, but he maintained his phrasing for the majority throughout. When a recording is made, it is generally a testament that the artists are "at their best". A great system (as with my system) allows "everything" to be heard. I hear every manipulation being created by the engineers/mixing folks; the equalization, the compression, and the timing, synchronizing the individual tracks to form one performance. This, to me, is the greatest achievement during the recording process, and this is why, I can appreciate listening to a studio recording and hear "a performance". I however simply focus on the "musicianship", not the tinny treble, the bloated bass or the added reverb, of a particular recording. These are the reasons too many folks only listen to the better "sounding" recordings, and this too is sad. Listening to Cream, Blind Faith, and his earlier works with the Yardbirds and the Bluesbreakers, my system and I, are as one ! I am listening "to their playing". If people can learn to do this (yes, I said learn), much money can be saved in the long run. These are recordings, people. There is vital information not being enjoyed by many of you. Here I go again....my "musicianship" rant. So sorry. My best, MrD. |
Of course, recordings such as Bill Frisell’s East West, which is all live tracks, might not need that synchronization, but it is apparent that eq and other studio things were still incorporated .....but, the musicianship....is GREAT. BTW, normally I would be at the community pool, but it is being re surfaced now. 99 degrees in CF, and the pool in not accessible. BS I tell you! My ex is enjoying the pool I built us, along with the house I built us. Life goes on. Enjoy! |
@audphile1 I took you seriously...lol. Keep in mind, most modern refrigerators cycle between on and off. I would give it a full week, or more. |
Matt, no doubt Clapton might have gone through many "takes" to get to the finalized and selected one, but what am I missing? Tell me, what am I missing? Do you know what "autotune" is. This was not a technology available back then. If Clapton was not well during the process of making Slowhand, it would definitely sound it, as we have all determined discussing his voice. I still enjoy listening to it and it was a very popular release, but it is not my favorite from him, as I mentioned earlier. You went through an entire "analysis" during your listening sessions. That to me, says something about you and the way you listen. I listen for enjoyment, nothing more, and my system conveys it all to deliver me that enjoyment. If Clapton sounded ill, weak and tired during the finalization of Slowhand, it would be up to the listener to enjoy it, or not. When I listen to Sinatra during his final years, I do not sit there wondering "oh, I wish he did not get old, and sounded the same as 50 years earlier. If I wanted to listen to Sinatra at his earliest times, I would be listening to him, then, at his earliest times. I have lots of Sinatra throughout his entire career, and I enjoy listening to him, his band and the arrangements, always. I am just not understanding your point of "maybe I am missing something". I miss nothing. I once again apologize for not being gentle with my words. How about I no longer post on this thread, as there seems to be a gap with communication, and I am sorry. My best, MrD. |