Advice needed on power cables, wall warts, conditioning, electrical outlet

Before buying power cables for individual equipment consider the power cable for your power conditioner.  The power for all the equipment plugged into the power conditioner is fed through that one power cable.  This is also the first thing that your power conditioner sees and matters most, followed by the wall outlet, house wiring, the drop from the utility pole, and so on.

There is no need to spend ridiculous amounts of money on power cables.

Check the below out for example. Its current carrying capacity of 90 amps at 10 awg is a testament to its quality. And for short runs, its stray capacitance & inductance will not matter. It only costs about $2.60 per foot.

www.mcmaster.com/6276T19/

I changed my 2 channel and HT wall warts to Audioquest NRG15's, using all Audioquest powercords(various versions), with Monster HDP2500 for HT system, and Monster AVS2000/Furman 15PFI for 2 channel setup. 

In my previous system this was a night and day difference and a must to be at least listenable. The twitter was so bright and over accentuating everything that it sounded like knife sharpening. The sibilants were ear piercing. At that time I lived in a 65 year old townhouse with potentially the worst electricity ever. For example, the system was completely unlistenable between 6pm and 9:30pm. After 9:30pm you could listen to it as it sounded a bit better. Weekend mornings sounded ok too. My friend is an electrician. I asked him if he can pull a dedicated line for me to plug in the gear, we decided on 20 amps. I bough an Audioquest Edison plug and he put it on that dedicated line. Things improved in terms of dynamics but the brightness didn’t. I then bought the Niagara 5000 power conditioner and 4 Monsoon and 4 Cardas Cygnus power cords. Some components liked the Cardas better, some the Audioquest but the main difference was that all the brightness and over accentuating went away. It literally disappeared and the tweeter became very relaxed and natural sounding. This literally was a night and day difference for my system. Your mileage can very however as these things are system dependent. It is better to play it safe and try before you buy.

I am currently using a PS Audio P20 and Audioquest Hurricane Power Cords.  Two things stick out to me compared to my previous power cords and no power conditioner.  #1  the noise level-this is not noise like hum or hiss but much more subtle-when it is eliminated, you have a very, very, quiet black background.  That is the best way I can describe it.  The P20 does a lot in that regard by regenerating the AC to a very clean sine wave.  Regarding the Audioquest Hurricane cables, I was never a believer in power cables making a difference until I tried a demo cable. There was a an immediate reduction in noise-again blacker backgrounds and I noticed increased micro detail.  I still couldn't wrap my head around the physics of why this could be possible until I started reading about electrodynamics.  I always thought that electricity flowed thru a wire kind of like water thru a pipe.  As I began to get a better understand of electrodynamics,  I realized, the water thru the pipe analogy was totally wrong.  The energy is actually propagated thru the electromagnetic field surrounding the conductors.  With that understanding, it opened my eyes to how something like a power cord could actually affect sound.  The second big benefit I noticed with the P20 was as passages got louder and more complex, there was no constriction.  Previously, as music became louder-like during orchestral crescendos,  I would notice a pull back in the sound stage and a bit of harshness in the overall sound.  With the P20, this was eliminated.  The downside of course is expense.  This stuff doesn't come cheap but, it is worth doing a demo.  You may not need to go with the P20-there is a P12 and P5.  I have some big power hungry amps so I elected to go big.  It is definitely worth checking out.  BTW, I also have two dedicated 20 amp circuits.  

We live in a different world today - the mains power is increasingly noisy and polluted.

Thankfully, there's a plethora of solutions from several manufacturers.  I use Goal Zero and a Yeti 1000 for my Devialet system, others with traditional power hungry amps may need a Yei 1500, 3000 or even the new 6000 that will power almost anything.  They have HUGE current supply, much more than a traditional 15amp domestic circuit and absolutely ZERO noise on the line, they're pure 60Hz. A nice not necessarily extravagant cord finish the last few feet minimizing any potential for RFI/EMI impact.  The Stromtank is identical save the $30k price of entry, the Yeti are less than any comparable conditioner.

Once you try it, you wont ever go back!

i have a gigawatt  in wall power cable and safety switch. high end power cables and a gigawatt pc 3 se evo for my ayon dac and vitus amp. 

i have a gigawatt pf2 for my tv.  bonn n8 swictch with sbooster psu. marantz 7011 and paradigm subwoofer.

i thought that would be enough for removing home theatre from 2 channel.

WRONG!!! 

If you have anything thats not 2 channel or any dc even with good power supply try removing it from that mains plug. try them running from another room!

that made a big difference to clarity and bass for me. 

Electrical is a deep rabbit hole with many benefits.

I would try to replace all wall warts or put them on a seperate ac line.

I have many PS audio noise harvesters and they do help.

I have a PS P10 powerplant, I have all my digital on it.  It lets one chose between regulation and distortion and for good or bad it does change the sound.  I am not convinced either choice is good although I remember one was not good relative to the other.

I recently tried a SOtM powercord with filter on my music server and it was a big change relative to another $1000 cord in terms of noise.

lak

4,044 posts

01-08-2022 8:55pm

I’d recommend you upgrade your AC wall outlet. There are a lot of good ones available on the market. I personally use the Furutech GTX-D Rhodium,

I use Furutech GTX-D Rhodium as well. A revelation in my system.

I use a PS Audio Power Port Classic AC Receptacle.  Seems to work well in my system.

I've never changed my wall socket but I guess I'll give it a try one day.

I'd get a decent power conditioner, Plixir is very good, and then plug your Furman into it, use the Furman like a power extension.

Wall warts are evil excommunicate them.

Plixir or alternative regulated DC power supplies.

I'd buy used power cables until you find a brand that you like. You don't lose money on used cables especially if you buy Cardas etc.

However please understand there are BIG differences between power cables for DACs, Pre-Amps, Power Amps etc.

Power Amps should be plugged directly into the wall socket no power conditioner required.

Looks like it's been said - any pc's except the ones that are included will help. Bang for buck in my book goes to Essential Power the Essence and Triode Wire labs. BMI is a perennial favorite of mine - if you can find a Whale Elite, buy it. It will work anywhere in your system.

Dynamic Design is also hard to beat and pricier, but good deals can be found. There's a digital Challenger listed here that I want to buy even though I don't have a spot for it! One of DD's digital is on my phono preamp and it sounds terrific - big, quiet, nuanced, etc.

And, yes, your Furman! I like to work from the wall out with cabling, so that's where I'd start, too.

I have some white papers from Vincent Galbo of Plinius/MSB fame for power distribution that I used to wire up my audio. If you (or any of you) are interested, PM me.