Whipple Blower (supercharger) kits. My Chevy small block 350 V8 runs fine without one, but better with.
Are manufacturer AC cables good enough?
I have two PS Audio AC3 and two Pangea AC 14 cables I don't use. My thinking is that Ayre wouldn't supply cables that are inadequate for their components. Is that thinking flawed?
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I have tried numerous power cables including AudioQuest, ESP, Shunyata and a few others on the Aesthetix Mimas integrated amplifier and none of them were any better than the stock power cord from Aesthetix. In fact, they all negatively impacted the sound. On other components like the Ayre Codex, Ayre AX-7e and the Ayre EX-8 the AQ Hurricane offered a big improvement over the stock cord. The impact on the DAC was the most notable. I think the only way to be sure is to try it in your system. Good Luck! |
+1 Millercarbon. Every piece of wire matters as does every connector. This thread is like the 80's all over again. Synergistic Research came out with the Master Coupler more than 30 years ago. Even before then it was known there's a lot more to wire than the engineers were telling us. But the Master Coupler and some others were so clearly, obviously, undeniably better than ordinary wire that the whole debate was settled last millennium. For people today to still so out of it, it really is like going back in time to the 80's. The joke is they're the ones thinking they're all Mr Science. Clueless. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS0KyTZ3Ie4 Freebie rubber power cords good enough? As if! |
Millercarbon: for this usual types / characters, the debate was not sorted out in the 80s, because they were not born yet! You realize these naysayers are broke no-job know-it-all millennials writing from their mom’s basement, right? And as for the “try it for yourself” thing, they have a solution for that. Something in the lines of “science”, and “I don’t have to go to North Pole to know it’s cold out there”. One guy told me something today about a throwing a virgin on a volcano to see if erupts 😂😂. I call this creative trolling 😂🙄 |
God help the poor audiophiles of yore that made do with very modest fare. Speaking of which, some of the highest resolution, most dynamic systems I have ever heard consisting of horns and compression drivers were running on basic copper wire. some typical audiophile answers above. In answer to the OPs open supposition; yes I believe a company like Ayre will voice their obsessively designed and wonderfully performing components to run exactly as intended on the power cords they provide. After all it is essentially the same wire as is found in their components. not saying a different result can be had. But different does not mean better. It stands to reason the component is voiced with the cords they provided. Otherwise they would state clearly that performance of their components will be improved with an aftermarket powercord. |
not saying a different result can be had. But different does not mean better. No, different means different. Whenever two things are different one is of necessity better, the other worse. You admit there’s a difference. So what you’re really saying then is you don’t know which is which. You don’t know what you’re hearing. Otherwise you would know one is better than the other. But you don’t. You only know they’re different. Glad we cleared that one up. |
Gosta: Your rule is simple indeed, but flawed. You base it on a debate from other people, AND, you give it a long time to develop. Why not “solve” it once and for all: try something for yourself. Unless you don’t trust your ears, that’s really the only way to know. And what “clearly matters”? And why is it different than “a tweak”? More importantly, why do you think this “other people” never “invest” in “what clearly matters”? |
Talk to Ayre, ask them does an aftermarket mains cable change the sound signature of their amps, if so why? If one is objectively better why not use it or advise the use of it? What wire do they use inside the amp? Have they tested different mains cables and noticed observable measured differences? If you want to use an aftermarket mains cable I would make sure it has the required safety label from UL or CE to know it’s been tested. For all the blathering about the inky black darks and improved soundstage let's see some evidence beyond testimony. |
The problem with talking to manufacturers is that half of them are as inexperienced on this issue as the hobbyists. Ok, well, probably not half. However, it is a shockingly high percentage of them that operate from received wisdom and theory, and have not even done comparisons themselves. I learned I could not simply take a respected manufacturer's word on all matters. They have blind spots, too. |
If the accountant picked the mains cable then the company would go with a very exotic audiophile cable they could produce for $10 use the pseudoscience gobbledygook talk of other high end cable " manufacturers " and give the wide eyed audiophile a bargain for a measly extra $500 with the purchase of a $10,000 amp. Of course it would be voiced especially for them 😉 |
Ayre for many years had a line of Ayre branded premium cables manufactured by Cardas if my memory is correct.Yes, the "Ayre" cables were sourced from Cardas. I think the speaker cables were essentially Golden Reference but in a different jacket. Looks like Ayre no longer offers these (judging by their website). My thinking is that Ayre wouldn’t supply cables that are inadequate for their components.Ayre would probably say that their OEM cable is "adequate" but add that you can get even better results with some aftermarket cables. I know they often show with Cardas, sometimes Audioquest (maybe others?). From their perspective, it isn’t sensible to include a $$$ power cord or IC with their components. For one thing, as was pointed out up-thread, they have no idea how long your cables need to be. Secondly, tastes and opinions of cables widely range. Some don’t think cables make any difference whatsoever while others insists on specific brands or technology. It would be tough to satisfy more than a minority of customers, and that's assuming the cable is even the proper length. |
Obviously there are lots of opinions about power cords, as well as about nearly every aspect of audio. I found a few of the comments inane or illogical. One thing I didn't mention that turned me off the AC3 and to a lesser extent the AC14 is the size and stiffness of the cable, a convenience not audio factor. IIRC, I bought the AC3 cables for the JC-1s. I went from Parasound (JC 2 & JC 1) to Ayre (KX-5/20 & VX-5/20) when I added a DX-5 DSD disc player and QX-5/20 digital hub for Roon. db |
Most manufacturers of high end gear expect that customers will want to choose a different power cord so their gear comes with stuff (a notable exception is NAIM). On the plus side, the customer is not paying more for the gear coming with a better power cord that is still not up to the liking of the particular buyer. |
LOL!! This must be the most preposterous (I am trying to be nice) post I have seen in years in this hobby. Voiding the warranty for using a power cord other than the stock power cord?? LOL!! |
dowjones, Some observations about that link... He really didn't get into how they actually sound... Weird, unless he doesn't really care about sound quality He did put "audiophile cable" in quotation marks... which is accurate because what he was testing was far from a high end power cord His set up is not optimum. For starters, that power strip everything is connected to could easily mask any real measurable differences. But even as *ssnine as his set up is, there was a measurable difference with the $20 "audiophile" cord I get why he did the article but don't know why any audiophile would bother putting any stock in his outcome, which apparently you do since you linked it. |
You are calling Dow Jones an audiophile? LOL! It’s like calling a drunken homeless from the street a wine connoisseur. Dow Jones just posted a brand new thread with a link “proving” why a $2 (yes, two American dollars, like two dollar bills, or eight quarters) DAC is more than adequate https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/how-good-are-2-dacs |
How about Auto manufacturers? I’ve seen some pretty mediocre tires come stock, and on higher end cars better rubber. FWIW, Naim who are fairly conservative. Offer their own upgraded power cables and interconnects, their engineers can hear the difference, so do PS Audio, and I’m sure a few others. Power cords that come with equipment are adequate, and if one thinks that’s all that’s needed then fine be happy, but don’t Be a Cable Cop ! |
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