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AC cord for Manley Chinook...

I'd like to replace the power cord for my Manley Chinook phone preamp. Currently, I am using an older Pangea 14 SE.

I'm sure I can do better, but what are some considerations when selecting a power cord for a phono pre? In the scheme of the  AC cabling ladder, what is the level of importance with the phono pre-amplifier in the scheme of an entire system?

Andrew

larseand

Showing 3 responses by v-fi

v-fi
188 posts
 

@larseand Manley gear is always great, and the Chinook is a classic! There's a reason it has been on the market for years. 

I would think a component of that caliber would benefit from a power cable upgrade in general. Back in my vinyl days I always felt like I had best results from AC cables that focused on robust shielding to keep noise out of sensitive components like phono preamps.

Recently I picked up the Veritas Cables Aeris on all of my components and have been really happy with them. I'm all digital now but I bet it works just as well for analog. They mention a multi-stage shielding system so that would probably be a good fit.

https://veritascables.com/products/aeris-power-cable

As soix mentioned above, you always want to make sure you get a trial period. I wouldn't buy from a brand or dealer that won't offer such a program.

v-fi
188 posts
 

@ghdprentice The AQ Hurricane is a nice cable as far as the big mainstream brands go. Probably the best value I've found from that group. I always felt it worked better for amps than source components.

I personally feel you get way more for your money with the smaller brands like Audio Art, Triode Wire Labs, Veritas Cables, or Finley Audio to name a few. But as always it is system dependent.

v-fi
188 posts
 

@ghdprentice

I do like adventure and trying out brands that are maybe off the beaten path. But that has always been rewarding in my experience. Not that there is anything wrong with more mainstream stuff in some cases.

For example I feel like Dynaudio has enough expertise and capabilities to make world class speakers. Can a DIY team make a better speaker in their garage? Not likely, but they may well still come up with a truly enjoyable speaker anyway.

Cables (and to a lesser degree, audio streamers/servers) seem like a different thing though, were the DIY team actually has a good chance of matching or exceeding the big guys. At least that has been my experience with those. But cables are so easy to demo for such low stakes (assuming a good return policy) that I figure why not?

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